Degree Requirements
IMPORTANT NOTE: This curriculum is required for all new students. The curriculum is optional for students who matriculated prior to Fall 2011. Click here to view the former curriculum.
If you matriculated prior to fall 2011 but wish to use this new curriculum, please submit this form.
The maximum number of credits a graduate student should take per semester is 12 (4 classes). In order for students to have good academic standing, they must maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout the course of the program. Fall and Spring Semester courses meet for a total of 14 sessions for 2 hours and 40 minutes each.
Summer courses are divided into 2 sessions. Courses meet 12 times per session – 2 times a week for 6 weeks. Each class session lasts for 3 hours and 10 minutes. Students are advised to take only one class per summer session. Note: In order to qualify for federal financial aid during the summer semester, students must take a minimum of 6 credits or 2 courses.
Overview of MSGA Degree
5 CORE COURSES (15.0 CREDITS)
6 CONCENTRATION COURSES (18.0 CREDITS)
2 ELECTIVES (6.0 CREDITS)
1 CAPSTONE OR THESIS PROJECT (3.0 CREDITS)
TOTAL: 14 COURSES (42.0 CREDITS)
MSGA Core Courses (All courses are requried)
MSGA Core Courses are offered every semester and in summer sessions, with at least one evening section during the fall and spring semesters. International Relations and International Political Economy are not offered in the summer sessions. The Core is the foundation for the global affairs degree and careers in the field.
Core Courses
| International Relations in the Post Cold War Era | GLOB1-GC 1000 |
| International Political Economy | GLOB1-GC 1030 |
| International Law | GLOB1-GC 1040 |
| Global Civil Society | GLOB1-GC 1050 |
| Analytical Skills for Global Affairs | GLOB1-GC 3035 |
MSGA Concentration Courses (6 required)
A minimum of 6 courses or 18 credits are required in your chosen concentration. In addition to the courses specified below by concentration, Global Field Intensive courses can be applied towards any concentration, upon successful application and approval. A solid research argument must be made in the proposal/application statement; information about Global Field Intensives can be found on the academic website and this information is updated throughout the academic year.
Most concentrations have a non-core prerequisite. See the chart below.
| Concentration | Required Course |
| Private Sector: International Business, Economics, and Development |
Fundamentals of Corporate FInance / GLOB1-GC 2295 |
| Energy & Environmental Policy | Energy and the Environment / GLOB1-GC 2430 |
| Peacebuilding | Peacemaking and Peacebuilding / GLOB1-GC 1010 |
| Transnational Security | Transnational Security / GLOB1-GC 2000 |
| International Development & Humanitarian Assistance | Developing Countries in the Global Economy / GLOB1-GC 1030 |
| Human Rights & International Law | International Human Rights / GLOB1-GC 2240 |
Electives
A student is required to take 2 courses or 6 general elective credits. The elective requirement may be fulfilled by any course within the MSGA curriculum including Global Field Intensives and Regional Study courses, or 2 other courses through another NYU graduate program such as Wagner, Stern, or the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Non-MSGA courses can only be applied toward general elective requirements and transfer credits must be pre-approved by department administration. Students must follow specific NYU school cross-registration procedures.
MSGA Regional Study Courses
Regional courses count as electives. One regional course can be used to fulfill a concentration requirement if the student produces written work that is relevant to his or her concentration. Note: MSGA Regional Study Courses are offered in alternating semesters whenever possible.
| From the Mughals to Modernity: India’s Democracy and Its Discontents |
GLOB1-GC 1060 |
| Inside Latin America | GLOB1-GC 1100 |
| Europe in the 21st Century | GLOB1-GC 1105 |
| Inside Africa Today | GLOB1-GC 1110 |
| Asia Today: An Introduction | GLOB1-GC 1115 |
| A Global Context: Transformation in Central Asia | GLOB1-GC 1125 |
| Russia and the World | GLOB1-GC 1130 |
| National Security, Politics, and Society: The Middle East | GLOB1-GC 1135 |
| Vietnam and ASEAN at the Vortex of Geopolitics and the World Economy in the 21st Century | GLOB1-GC 1140 |