NYU Shanghai this month launched a new PhD program in Sociology in partnership with the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science (NYU GSAS) and the NYU Department of Sociology. The five-year program will be NYU Shanghai’s first social science doctoral program, bringing the university’s total number of PhD offerings to ten. The university is now accepting applications for the inaugural class arriving in the summer of 2021.

“After decades of rapid economic growth, China is facing many challenges in social development – from education to health care, housing to inequality and poverty, migration to population aging and social governance. However, we have long lacked the scientific evidence and methodology to understand the causes and consequences of these issues, let alone develop policy solutions,” said Yufeng Global Professor of Sociology Wu Xiaogang, who will be supervising the program. “NYU Shanghai’s new program will fill this gap by harnessing the resources of NYU’s Sociology Department to train a new generation of students to study and tackle some of China’s most pressing social and economic issues related to people’s livelihood.”

Similar to the structure of other NYU Shanghai PhD programs, the Sociology PhD program will begin with a summer research rotation at NYU Shanghai, followed by two semesters of coursework in New York. After the first year, students will relocate to Shanghai for research and coursework under the supervision of NYU Shanghai faculty, and occasionally make return trips to New York. All PhD candidates will earn NYU doctoral degrees upon graduation.

NYU’s Sociology graduate program is among the best and fastest growing in the United States. NYU Shanghai students will have opportunities to work with some of the most renowned scholars in the field, including two members of the National Academy of Sciences, Paula England and Mike Hout. “This program is a perfect choice for students who are highly-motivated and passionate about conducting rigorous sociological research with great relevance to China and neighboring regions,” said Wu, whose own research interests include education, inequality and social mobility, survey research and quantitative methods, urban sociology, and social demography.

In addition to rigorous training in sociological theory and methods, students will be encouraged to pursue empirical research in alignment with the research interests of NYU Shanghai’s new Center for Applied Social and Economic Research (CASER). Newly-appointed Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow of Sociology Miao Jia, will also serve as a supervisor in the program. 

“We are delighted to be launching our first doctoral program in Social Sciences. At this moment, in this location, with these faculty, and in light of the new Research Center, NYU Shanghai offers the perfect conjunction for the right candidates who will receive world-class training in social research between New York and Shanghai.” said NYU Shanghai’s Provost Joanna Waley-Cohen.

All admitted students will be fully-funded under the NYU Shanghai Doctoral Fellowship, which covers all tuition and fees, international health insurance, travel funds, and an annual stipend for PhD students at NYU Shanghai. Since Fall 2015, nearly 40 students have been admitted to NYU Shanghai PhD programs.

For more information about the PhD in Sociology program, visit the PhD Program in Sociology webpage. Read the Application requirements to find out if you qualify, and submit your application through the NYU GSAS Application portal. The application deadline for Fall 2021 admission is January 4, 2021. For further questions and inquiries, please email shanghai.phd@nyu.edu.