Message from the Program Director Gabriela Kuetting
Message from the Program Director Gabriela Kuetting
"Whether studying governmental processes, global institutions, election campaigns, court decisions or the interplay between politics and economics in relations to justice, the environment or global health, political science is a constantly changing, always exciting discipline. Our faculty members are highly regarded researchers in American politics, global politics, comparative politics, and methodology who work closely with other colleagues in academia but also participate in policy making locally as close as Newark, nationally all over the country and globally with many collaborations and research projects.
Graduate study in the Department of Political Science at Rutgers Newark opens this world to our students and provides an enriching, inclusive learning environment. After graduation, our students pursue a wide range of career goals from entering the public sector, working for non-governmental organizations, the private sector or pursuing doctoral work.
I look forward to your joining our graduate student body."
Masters Degree in Political Science
The Department of Political Science offers a Masters degree in Political Science. The Masters degree prepares students to work in the public and private international sectors, as well as in non-governmental organizations, think-tanks, foundations, and media companies focusing on regional, national and global issues.
Rutgers Newark is an exciting setting for pursuing graduate work. The university was ranked 12th in the nation for quality among small research universities by the 2005 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, which is a metric that was designed to create a benchmark standard for the measurement of the degree of academic and scholarly quality. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education has also classified Rutgers University–Newark as a Research University with a High Research Activity rating (RU/HRA). Our location just 15 minutes away from Manhattan and on the Amtrak corridor offers easy access to key destinations on the Eastern Seaboard such as Washington DC and Boston.
With Rutgers Newark the most diverse university campus in the nation, our student body hails from far and near and from all sorts of backgrounds. Rutgers Newark is proud of its historical mission to be an institution that makes a quality education available to a diverse student body, in every sense of the word.
Master of Arts in Political Science (30 credits)
Students may attain the MA by completing the requirements for a Specialization in 1) The American Political System or 2) International Relations. A Specialization in The American Political System focuses on American politics and public policy and U.S. urban politics and public administration. A Specialization in International Relations focuses on global and international politics, international political economy, and comparative politics. Courses are also regularly offered in political theory, constitutional law, comparative politics, and research methodology. Students may complete the Concentration in Women and Gender Studies in conjunction with the Masters degree.
The Masters degree requires 30 credits of coursework and is composed of the following requirements: Students will need to complete three core courses: the introductory Approaches to Political Science, a research methodology course and the Capstone course in Political Science. In order to fulfill the requirements for the specialization, students will need to take three courses in their specialization, either in American or Global Politics. The remaining four courses can be taken from the general course offerings.
Students in the School of Law-Newark may take a concurrent Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in political science that allows up to 12 credits in relevant law courses to be applied toward the 30 credits required for the masters degree.
Graduate School Forms and Deadlines
Please be sure to check relevant deadlines for graduation. Click here for the Graduate School-Newark website.
Scholarships and Awards
WALTER F. WEIKER SCHOLARSHIP