Degrees

Admission Requirements

Prospective students must apply via the Rutgers graduate admissions website (http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu/apply.shtml) and submit their official college or university transcripts, GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, and a personal statement of 1,000 words explaining why they wish to study global affairs at the DGA as part of their application. Ph.D students must also submit a writing sample. International students must submit TOEFL exam test scores along with their application. 

Applicants must apply for the fall semester only. Those applicants unable to attend until the spring semester may request a one semester deferral. There are no spring or summer admissions. Such requests and the reasons for the request should accompany the application in an additional short statement.

The DGA Admissions Committee reviews a prospective student's entire application and decides to admit, reject, or place a student on a waiting list on the basis of the committee's judgment of the likelihood that a student, if accepted, will complete the program requirements within the maximum allowable time for each program.

Accuracy is expected in all documents provided by applicants. If a candidate for admission makes inaccurate statements or submits false material, appropriate action will be taken. In most cases, these misrepresentations are discovered during the admission process and the application is rejected. If a misrepresentation is discovered after a candidate is admitted, the offer of admission normally will be withdrawn. If a misrepresentation is discovered after a student has registered, the case will be reviewed by the dean of the Graduate School–Newark. The dean will determine the action to be taken. If the discovery occurs after a degree has been awarded, the degree normally will be rescinded.

International Students

Satisfactory English-language proficiency is a prerequisite for graduate study at Rutgers–Newark. Admitted international students may be required to take coursework in English as a Second Language (ESL).

Application Deadlines

Prospective M.S. students must submit completed applications by May 1. Incomplete applications--those without three letters of recommendation, transcripts, and/or GRE scores may be withdrawn.

Prospective Ph.D. students must submit completed applications by January 15.  

Applicants are encouraged to apply well before the deadline, as it can take up to two months for an application to be fully reviewed. Incomplete applications, which are those without a personal statement, a writing sample, three letters of recommendation, transcripts, and/or GRE scores, may be withdrawn.

Candidates who are admitted to the Graduate School–Newark are notified by the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions. Candidates are expected to register for the semester for which they were admitted. Those who fail to do so may be required to submit a second application and fee to be reconsidered for admission at a later date. Applicants who require a deferral of one semester must do so at the time of their application and include their reasons in a separate personal statement.

Those students who were accepted into the program, but wish to defer attendance, or those who were rejected, but want to try again, may reactivate their applications by submitting a Graduate Reactivation Form. They can do so for only up to one year. Students who wish to study at the DGA after the one-year deadline has passed must submit new applications. Students may reactivate their applications only once.

Students wishing to change their field or degree program must obtain the requisite form from the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School–Newark, Conklin Hall, Room 241, submit it to the graduate program director for approval, and return it to the Office of the Dean for final authorization. For enrollment in DGA in the fall semester the deadline is July 1. For enrollment in DGA in the spring semester, the deadline is December 1.

Part-Time Study

Although the DGA recommends that students pursue their studies full time, M.S. students may be enrolled on a part-time basis. Ph.D students must be full time. A full-time academic load is defined as 9 or more credits per semester; a part-time academic load is defined as 8 or fewer credits per semester. Graduate fellows, research interns, and graduate and teaching assistants must be registered for full-time study.

Graduate courses completed at other universities or in other departments or schools at Rutgers University may be accepted for credit at the DGA. Students must first complete 12 credits with a grade of B or better at the DGA and then submit a Transfer Credit Application (available at the DGA and the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School–Newark, Conklin Hall, Room 241), which must be approved by the DGA deputy director.

Restrictions

In addition to completing all the requirements for either the M.S. or Ph.D., students must attain a minimal grade-point average in all non-language courses taken at Rutgers University: 3.0 for M.S. students and 3.50 for Ph.D. students. 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.

Diploma application deadlines are available at the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School–Newark.

Time Limits

The maximum allowable time for M.S. students in global affairs is three years. The maximum allowable time for Ph.D. students in global affairs is eight years. These limits apply regardless of whether students are part time or full time and regardless of whether they enter the DGA with or without transfer credits. Students who are unable to attain these goals may submit a request to the deputy director to approve additional time. If prior approval is not received, students may be required to terminate their graduate studies and withdraw from the Graduate School–Newark.

Please consult the Financial Aid chapter of this catalog for a complete listing of other sources of financial aid available through the university.

Dissertation advisers are DGA core faculty members who help Ph.D. students choose a dissertation topic, approve the dissertation proposal, and, together with the student, form the dissertation committee. Dissertation advisers also chair dissertation committees, provide grades for dissertation research, and monitor Ph.D. students' progress by approving their annual study plans.

All Ph.D. students must, by the beginning of their second year, have a formal dissertation adviser. As a rule, the student must request that a member of the DGA core faculty, who share their research interests, to serve as their dissertation adviser. The Ph.D student must select three additional members of their dissertation committee. One additional core faculty member (total of two counting the dissertation chair) and one faculty member from outside of Rutgers University. All members must be in a tenure or tenure track position at an institution of higher education or its equivalent at universities abroad. It is also highly recommended that at least one member be an expert in the student's specific field of choice.

The Ph.D. student's prospectus should be approved by the full committee by the end of the first year of taking dissertation research credits. 

Complaints and Appeals

All complaints about any aspect of the DGA program or appeals regarding a student's standing in the program must be directed, in writing, to the DGA deputy director.

Upon obtaining the permission of the instructor of the course and subject to the availability of space, full-time students may audit courses without registration. No academic credit is earned in this manner; no official record of audited courses is kept. This privilege does not apply to small seminars.

Nondegree Graduate Student Program

Grade-Point Average Requirements

Leave of Absence

Matriculation Continued

Matriculation Continued is offered to DGA Ph.D. students who have completed all their required 72 credits and are making progress on their dissertation. A small statement from the student's dissertation adviser is required prior to each semester of registration to the associate director. Students not able to make progress toward their dissertation are asked to not register and reapply to the program once they are able to focus their attention to writing their dissertation. 

Readmission

The Office of the Dean of the Graduate School–Newark, Conklin Hall, Room 241, handles all applications by former students seeking readmission to the school. The readmission procedure is required of all students who 1) have withdrawn officially from school; 2) did not receive a degree in the program for which they were enrolled; or 3) failed to maintain continuous registration through coursework or Matriculation Continued status.

The DGA welcomes applications from senior, junior, and postdoctoral scholars for the status of Visiting Fellow. Although the DGA does not offer fellows financial assistance, it can provide them with access to all DGA facilities and programs, the university library system, and, as available, office space and a computer. Space is extremely limited.

Applications for Visiting Fellow status should be addressed to the DGA deputy director and must include a brief cover letter describing the research project to be pursued at the DGA and a curriculum vitae.

Study Abroad

Rutgers University offers a variety of study abroad opportunities. Students should contact the Director, Rutgers Study Abroad, Rutgers University, 102 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8543 (732-932-7787). Credits for participating in this program are not transferrable to a DGA M.S. or Ph.D. program.