The Division of Global Affairs (DGA) offers a master of science (M.S.) degree in global affairs--a multidisciplinary field concerned with theoretically informed, problem-oriented approaches to transnational issues and their interaction with local issues.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Forty (40) credits are required for the M.S. degree in global affairs. All students must complete:
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six core courses with grades of B (3.0) or higher, (18 credits)
- two semesters of the Colloquium on Global Change and Governance with grades of Pass, (4 credits)
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two methodology courses, (6 credits)
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additional credits, which may be acquired from the optional courses listed below, any DGA offered courses, internships, independent study courses, or the master's thesis, (12 credits)
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language requirement, (no credit)
Students must maintain a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher in all nonlanguage courses taken at Rutgers University, in order to acquire the M.S. If a student's academic performance falls below the expected standard, the Graduate School–Newark may refuse the student the right of future registration and terminate studies. Students with an insufficiently high grade-point average may submit an appeal to the DGA director.
Course Requirements
Core Courses (18 credits)
Students must complete six core courses with grades of B (3.0) or higher in each in order to remain in the program. Students who do not receive a grade of B or higher in some core course must either retake it or take another core course from within one of the nine topic areas.
All core requirements must be completed at Rutgers Newark. Transfer credits may not be used in fulfillment of core requirements.
All five of the below courses must be taken:
26:478:537 Global Governance
26:478:541 Global Political Economy
26:478:572 Evolution of the Global System
26:220:518 International Economics I
(All students must have passed Fundamental Economics prior to taking International Economics.)
26:478:573 Culture and Globalization
One of the remaining four courses must be taken:
26:478:584 International Law
26:478:538 Global Environmental Issues
26:553:601 Theory of International Business
26:478:585 Social Movements and Globalization
Course numbers may change effective academic year 2011. Please consult the DGA website for updated details.
Colloquium on Global Change and Governance (4 credits)
Students must complete two semesters of the colloquium. Each 2-credit sequence (26:478:570, 571, 573, 574) consists of a series of seminars on a topic or geographical area of current significance. The colloquium is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Grades are provided by the professor organizing the colloquium.
Students are encouraged to attend--on a noncredit, nonregistered basis--as many Colloquia on Global Change and Governance as possible, but only 4 credits may be counted toward the M.S. degree.
Methodology Requirement (6 credits)
Students must complete two 3-credit methodology courses: one 3-credit qualitative and one 3-credit quantitative.
For a list of DGA courses that fall within the methodology requirement, please consult the DGA website or consult the DGA deputy director.
Specializations
M.S. students may choose a specialization in one of the following areas:
Business
Conflict
Economics
Environmental Studies
Genocide
Global Finance
Globalization
Globalization and Regionalization
Indigenous People and Culture
Information and Communications Technology
Institutions of Diplomacy
Media and Propaganda
Migration, Immigration and Integration
Nationalism
Political Violence
Sustainable Development
Social Movements
Transnational Crime
Conflict and Security
Coursework taken toward the specialization may fulfill other degree requirements.
Language Requirement
All M.S. students must demonstrate, at any time during their course of study at Rutgers-
Newark, reading knowledge of at least one modern language other than English. Reading
knowledge involves comprehension of global affairs issues. Students can demonstrate
reading knowledge:
- by completing four semesters of a language at Rutgers University or other approved and accredited institutions;
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by passing reading-knowledge examinations at Rutgers University (administered by the DGA or the Rutgers-New Brunswick Language Institute); or
- by demonstrating that they are native speakers of a foreign language.
Language course credits do not count toward the requirements necessary for an M.S.
Internship
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have a cumulative GPA of 3.25
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have completed 18 credits, including a minimum of 12 credits of core course requirements
Students are responsible for finding their own positions. The DGA does not place students, but will assist students with the process.
Internships may count for 3 credits per semester, with a maximum of 6 internship credits being counted towards a degree in global affairs.
Independent Study
All M.S. students may take up to 9 credits of independent study courses explicitly dealing with topics related to global affairs--a multidisciplinary field concerned with theoretically informed, problem-oriented approaches to transnational issues and their interaction with local issues (26:478:697, 698, 699).
In order to embark upon an independent study, students must:
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acquire a DGA Application for Individual Study (available at the DGA);
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receive the approval of their DGA faculty adviser;
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find a DGA faculty member willing to supervise the research and grade the paper or project;
- submit the Application for Individual Study to the DGA graduate program director for approval;
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register for the course; and
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complete the paper or project and submit it to the DGA faculty member supervising the independent study course for a letter grade.
Master's Thesis
M.S. students may write a master's thesis in the course of two semesters for 6 credits (26:478:695, 696). Students considering doctoral studies are urged to complete a thesis.
Students choose the topic of their thesis in consultation with their faculty adviser. Theses must focus on some aspect of global affairs--a multidisciplinary field concerned with theoretically informed, problem-oriented approaches to transnational issues and their interaction with local issues.
Theses should be about 100 pages in length (double-spaced; notes, footnotes, and bibliography are extra); they must be written in standard English, adhere to proper academic form, and be free of typographical errors. The final draft of the thesis must be prepared in strict accordance with the instructions given in the pamphlet Thesis and Dissertation Form, available at the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School–Newark, Conklin Hall, Room 241. A full-scale project--such as, for example, the production of a software program or a video--may, if approved by the student's adviser and the DGA graduate program director, serve in lieu of a paper.
The student's DGA faculty adviser and one other DGA core faculty member examine and grade the thesis. Both must sign and date the cover page of the thesis. After a thesis has been accepted as satisfactory, one original copy must be filed with the DGA.
