Graduate Minors

The New School for Social Research

University

Enrich your graduate experience with cross-disciplinary study. The New School is the only university that houses a world-renowned design school, a legendary graduate school of social research, a performing arts college, and diverse graduate professional programs. In keeping with our commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship and collaboration, The New School now offers graduate minors. These structured study pathways immerse you in disciplines outside of your primary field and expose you to new ideas and alternative modes of research and practice, broadening your skills and expanding your career options.
Graduate minors are made up of three courses, for a total of 9 credits. You can choose to acquire foundational knowledge in a single discipline, such as economics or design studies; investigate emerging interdisciplinary issues, such as migration and capitalism; or develop professional capacities in areas including entrepreneurship and digital storytelling.
Eligibility
Graduate minors are available to all graduate students at The New School, although some minors are closed to students in specific programs. Some programs allow you to use graduate minor credits to meet elective credit requirements. If your program does not include 9 open elective credits, you can pursue a graduate minor by earning elective credits beyond the number permitted by the program.
Your academic advisors can help you select and declare a graduate minor and chart a curriculum that satisfies your degree and minor requirements.
The curricula of most master’s and PhD programs at The New School for Social Research allow for at least 9 credits of electives. However, students should review their record in DegreeWorks and consult with their student advisors to determine whether adding a minor is appropriate and feasible given their remaining requirements. In particular, we recommend that MA Philosophy and MA Psychology students consult with their advisors to ensure they have enough space for electives.
NSSR-Only Graduate Minors
In addition to the university-wide graduate minors listed below, there are also two specialized minors that are open only to students enrolled in a degree program at The New School for Social Research:
Critical Perspectives on Democratic Anti-Colonialism (open to all NSSR students)
Historical Studies (open to all NSSR PhD students)
- University-Wide Graduate Minors
  
  Anthropology and Design
  Capitalism Studies
  Civic Service Design
  Creative Community Development
  Design Studies
  Design and Urban Justice
  Global Mental Health
  Global Urban Futures
  Impact Entrepreneurship
  Language Studies
  Managing for Social Justice
  Methods and Concepts of Political Economy (application required)
  Migration Studies (application required)
  Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies
  Transmedia and Digital Storytelling (application required)
- Graduate Minor Guidelines
  
  Students are not permitted to count one course toward both a core program requirement and a graduate minor. Instead, students may use their electives to pursue courses in a graduate minor.
  Students must earn the required minimum grades to apply courses toward a minor. Grade requirements and other policies are set by the college in which the minor is housed.
  Students can retroactively apply successfully completed courses toward a minor upon declaring or applying. See the guidelines below for declaring or applying for a minor.
  Students are not permitted to take certain minors depending on their major program of study. Students should access individual minor pages for preclusions and additional eligibility requirements.
- How to Declare, Change, or Apply to a Minor
  
  Current students can declare or change a minor by logging in to my.newschool.edu, clicking on the Academics tab, and then clicking on the link to Major/Minor Declarations.
  Students in one-year programs should declare a minor by the end of their first semester of study, ideally before registering for their final term. Students in programs whose duration is greater than one year should declare a minor by the end of their first year of study.
  Graduate Minors Requiring an Application
  Applications are required for admission to the following minors because of constraints on facilities or the need for a specific level of skill in a particular field:
  Language Studies
  Methods and Concepts of Political Economy
  Migration Studies
  Transmedia and Digital Storytelling
  The application form for these graduate minors can be accessed by filling out the declaration form.

Submit your application

Undergraduates

To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Graduates

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Eligibility

NSSR-Only Graduate Minors

Graduate Minors Requiring an Application

Questions About Grad Minors

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Submit your application

Undergraduates

Undergraduate Adult Learners

Graduates