Public and Urban Policy (MS)

The New School is a progressive university in New York City where scholars, artists, and designers come together to challenge convention and create positive change. Founded in 1919, the university consists of Parsons School of Design, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, the College of Performing Arts, The New School for Social Research, and numerous renowned graduate programs. The New School’s rigorous, multidimensional approach to education gives students the academic freedom to shape their unique, individual paths of study for a complex and rapidly changing world.

About

The Master of Science in Public and Urban Policy challenges you to develop innovative solutions for the world’s thorniest challenges, which are increasingly urban and global. The New School's community of scholars examine today’s urban policy issues in real time and design creative solutions, all while working closely with policymakers in government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

We give you the opportunity to work on policy analysis in real-world settings, with a focus on social justice. Put theory into practice and apply your analytical and collaborative problem-solving skills as early as your second semester in our Urban Policy Lab . Our areas of specialization allow you to explore emerging fields of study, such as data visualization, global urban futures, food and environment, housing and community development, finance, and capital markets, politics and advocacy, and many others.

The New School is also home to Parsons School of Design and the School of Media Studies, putting you at the center of conversations around democracy, urbanization, technological change, economic empowerment, social equity, sustainability, migration, and globalization. The result is a challenge to the status quo and an opportunity for you to translate your passion into real-world policy initiatives that change people’s lives.

Set Your Own Pace

Do you want a program that is fast and focused? Or do you want to continue working full-time while you study? We offer three different paths toward your degree so that you can choose the right one for your academic and professional goals. Each combines the academic rigor, hands-on learning, and a supportive and collaborative setting that are the hallmarks of the NASPAA-accredited Master of Science in Public and Urban Policy.

• Fast-Track Path (16-Month Accelerated Option) 16 months Take the fast track to change with this new, accelerated MS degree option. It offers the same courses, faculty, facilities, and support as the traditional path but takes just 16 months to complete.
• Traditional Full-Time Path 2 years Full-time is the traditional path for completing the MS degree, giving you time to immerse yourself more fully in internships, research, and other activities outside of the classroom.
• Part-Time Path 3 to 3.5 years Flexible and designed with working students in mind, the part-time path allows you to earn your degree in as little as three years.

Connection to New York City

New York is a global city and our local laboratory. We take advantage of the diversity of people and activities that the city attracts — from immigrant communities to Wall Street, from public schools and housing projects to meetings of world leaders — to explore the challenges faced by cities across the country and around the world. Our faculty and students work with local organizations (such as the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Human Services Council, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice) and government leaders (such as the New York City mayor’s office and the New York City Housing Authority) to identify and understand policy alternatives that improve the lives of New Yorkers and design, advocate for, and bring about a better global urban future.

Program highlights

• Work on policy or management issues for government officials and nonprofit executives in applied, client-centered courses.
• Join conversations around pressing issues including democracy, urbanization, technological change, economic empowerment, social equity, sustainability, migration, and globalization.
• Use New York City as your local laboratory to explore the challenges faced by cities across the country and around the world.
• Work in teams to tackle two major projects with public-sector and nonprofit clients as early as your second semester—in the Urban Policy Lab.

About us

Discover a new kind of university in New York City, one where scholars, artists, and designers come together to challenge convention and create positive change. Our university takes full advantage of its location in one of the most vibrant and diverse cities in the world. Our colleges include Parsons School of Design, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, the College of Performing Arts, The New School for Social Research, the Schools of Public Engagement, and Parsons Paris.

Since our founding in 1919, The New School has redrawn and redefined the boundaries of intellectual and creative thought as a preeminent academic center. Our rigorous, multidimensional approach to education dissolves walls between disciplines and helps nurture progressive minds. At our university, students have the academic freedom to shape their unique, individual paths for a complex and rapidly changing world.

With leading-edge faculty and world-renowned alumni, we are committed to developing students who will have an impact on the world and solve the most pressing social issues of our time.

Mission & Vision

The New School’s future will be shaped by the core values that have defined our past: academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation.

Mission

The New School prepares students to understand, contribute to, and succeed in a rapidly changing society, thus making the world a better and juster place. We will ensure that our students develop both the skills that a sound education provides and the competencies essential for success and leadership in the emerging creative economy. We will also lead in generating practical and theoretical knowledge that enables people to better understand our world and improve conditions for local and global communities.

Vision

We are and will be a university where design and social research drive approaches to studying issues of our time, such as democracy, urbanization, technological change, economic empowerment, sustainability, migration, and globalization. We will be the preeminent intellectual and creative center for effective engagement in a world that increasingly demands better-designed objects, communication, systems, and organizations to meet social needs.

Our vision aligns with shifts in the global economy, society, and environment, which animates our mission and our values:

• Creativity, innovation, and a desire to challenge the status quo will affect what and how we teach and the intellectual ambitions of the university itself.
• Social engagement should orient students' academic experiences to help them become critically engaged citizens, dedicated to solving problems and contributing to the public good.
• The New School must embrace these principles and innovate to address shifts in the global economy, society, and environment that require individuals to grapple with complex problems, pursue more fluid and flexible career pathways, and collaboratively create change.

Educational Approach

We will fulfill our mission by extending The New School's legacy as a nontraditional university and community, nimble and responsive to change, that:

• Focuses on and engages with critical contemporary issues
• Prioritizes humanity and culture in designing systems and environments to improve the human condition, an approach that draws on design thinking and the liberal, creative, and performing arts
• Places collaborative, project-based learning at the center of the educational experience
• Takes full advantage of our New York City location and connectivity to global urban centers

University leadership

The future of The New School will be shaped by the core values that have defined our past: academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. Our leadership team brings this mission to life.

With a commitment to providing excellent service to students and advancing a rigorous academic environment, the leaders of our university ensure that we adapt and respond to contemporary issues, create a more inclusive community, and foster creativity and collaboration among students.