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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is committed to the education of talented men and women in the liberal arts and sciences and offers programs of advanced study in a number of academic disciplines. Areas of study include both the traditional humanistic and scientific disciplines and interdisciplinary programs that may be oriented academically, toward the achievement of career goals, or for personal enrichment.

Master’s and doctoral degrees are offered in biological sciences, classics, economics, English, history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and theology. Master’s degrees are also offered in computer science, elections and campaign management, political science, and public communications. Interdisciplinary programs include master’s degrees in humanities and sciences and international political economy and a master’s degree and a doctoral-level certificate in medieval studies. Advanced certificate programs in emerging markets and risk analysis, financial econometrics and data analysis, health-care ethics, and Latin American and Latino studies are also offered.

Research Facilities

The combined libraries of the University contain more than 2 million bound volumes, over 15,500 periodicals, and more than 18,000 electronic journals. The main collection is in the William D. Walsh Family University Library, an open-stack library that seats 1,600 readers. The Law School library and the Gerald Quinn Library Lincoln Center may also be used by Fordham students. In addition to the University libraries, graduate students may use the New York Public Library system, and they also have access to the libraries of the City University of New York, Columbia University, New School University, and New York University through the New York City Doctoral Consortium. The library subscribes to several computerized online services and data search networks.

The Computing Center houses up-to-date equipment that is available for use by students, faculty members, and administrators at all times of the day and night. It also maintains an extensive array of software packages. Terminals located at various sites on all three campuses provide convenient access for users.

Separate laboratory facilities are maintained by a number of departments, including biology, communications, computer science, and psychology. The Louis Calder Center–Biological Field Station is a 113-acre forested preserve, supporting education and research by students and faculty members in a diverse range of ecological topics. State-of-the-art laboratories in proximity to forest, old field, wetland, and aquatic habitats provide opportunities to conduct experiments in natural ecological systems 40 miles north of the most populous urban region in North America, New York City. In addition, the University is affiliated with a number of outside agencies, including the New York Botanical Garden and the New York Zoological Society.

Financial Aid

The Graduate School awards a number of graduate assistantships and fellowships, both teaching and research, and some that require no service. All assistantships and fellowships include stipends, and recipients usually receive a separate tuition scholarship. They are assigned on a competitive basis to full-time students with outstanding academic records, and reappointments are extended on the basis of proven competence and good academic standing. Scholarships for members of underrepresented groups are also available.

Cost of Study

Tuition for the 2007–08 academic year is $995 per credit. Normally, a master’s degree requires 30–36 credits and a doctoral degree 60–72 credits beyond the baccalaureate. Additional annual fees apply.

Living and Housing Costs

Rental costs for single students living in University apartments range from $7000 to $8000 a year. Shared rental units range from $600 to $750 per month in the immediate off-campus neighborhood. An up-to-date rental database is available on the Graduate Student Association Web site at http://www.fordham.edu/gasa/gsa.

Student Group

Of the approximately 15,000 students attending Fordham University, about 900 are enrolled in the various departments and programs of the Graduate School. Students come from all areas of the United States and many other countries. Many enroll either full-time or part-time in pursuit of a degree; some take individual courses for professional advancement or personal enrichment.

Location

New York City exposes students to the best the world has to offer in art, culture, and business and has the highly diversified atmosphere of a truly international city. Fordham encourages students to make the best possible use of the opportunities the city offers in class, at work, and during their leisure time. Professors draw upon the resources of the city to enrich their courses. Lectures, literary readings, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, museum exhibitions, art galleries, theaters, international film festivals, orchestras, and performances of every genre all combine to forge the intellects of Fordham students. Students can experience the city in their own personal and individual ways. The University is ideally located in a neighborhood bordered by the New York Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden, and “Arthur Ave,” famous for Italian cuisine.

The University

Fordham is a university in the Jesuit tradition. Founded in 1841, it is governed as an institution under a charter granted by the State of New York. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is one of eleven colleges and schools at Fordham University. Founded in 1916, it carries on Fordham’s oldest academic tradition, the education of talented men and women in the liberal arts and sciences, at the postgraduate level.

Applying

Online applications are available at the Fordham University Graduate School of Arts and Science Web site (http://www.fordham.edu/gsas). All applicants must submit a completed application form, official transcripts, Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores, three letters of recommendation, a resume, and a statement of intent. Some departments have additional requirements for which students should consult the individual department Web sites (http://www.fordham.edu/gsas). Students from abroad must have superior scholastic records and proficiency in written and spoken English. All international students are required to submit TOEFL scores. Transcripts should be comparable to the GPA grading system of 4.0.

Applications are accepted throughout the year for most programs, but they must be received by January 2, 2008, to be guaranteed consideration for financial aid. Psychology applications must be received by December 12, 2007.

Requests for program brochures and additional information should be directed to the Office of Admissions at the address provided.

Faculty Heads

• Nancy Busch, Ph.D., Dean of GSAS and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs/Chief Research Officer.
• Department of Biological Sciences: William Thornhill, Ph.D., Chair.
• Department of Classical Languages and Literature: Robert Penella, Ph.D., Chair.
• Department of Communication and Media Studies: Paul Levinson, Ph.D., Chair.
• Department of Computer and Information Science: Damian Lyons, Ph.D., Chair.
• Department of Economics: Henry M. Schwalbenberg, Ph.D., Interim Chair.
• Elections and Campaign Management: Costas Panagopoulos, Ph.D., Director.
• Department of English Language and Literature: Nicola Pitchford, Ph.D., Chair.
• Center for Ethics Education: Celia Fisher, Ph.D., Director.
• Department of History: Doron Ben-Atar, Ph.D., Chair.
• Humanities and Sciences Program: Hugo Benavides, Ph.D., Chair.
• International Political Economy and Development: Henry M. Schwalbenberg, Ph.D., Director.
• Latin American and Latino Studies: S. Elizabeth Penry, Ph.D., Director.
• Medieval Studies Program: Maryanne Kowaleski, Ph.D., Director.
• Philosophical Resources Program: Christopher Cullen, S.J., Ph.D., Director.
• Department of Philosophy: John Drummond, Ph.D., Chair.
• Department of Political Science: Bruce Berg, Ph.D., Chair.
• Department of Psychology: Frederick J. Wertz, Ph.D., Chair.
• Department of Sociology: Greta Gilbertson, Ph.D., Chair.
• Department of Theology: Terrence Tilley, Ph.D., Chair.
• RESEARCH
• Biological Sciences. Two main areas of research are available: cell and molecular biology and ecology. Cell and molecular biology research programs include molecular and cellular analysis of immune response to cancer; immunomodulators and their molecular mechanisms of action; eukaryotic gene expression and RNA processing; genetic basis of aging; genetic toxicology; cytogenetic and molecular analysis of chromosomes; spermatogenesis and early development; cellular differentiation; regeneration in invertebrates; neuronal differentiation, structure, function, and analysis; role of growth factors. The ecology program spans behavioral, population, community, and ecosystem levels. Areas of emphasis include conservation biology, forest-microbial dynamics and function, ecology of phytoplankton and bacteria, insect-parasitoid interactions, medical entomology, paleoecology, plant-insect interactions, primate behavior and ecology, systematics and evolution of fishes, and vertebrate physiological ecology.
• Classical Languages and Literature. Current research interests range widely over the following areas: Greek poetry, historiography, religion, archaeology, and philosophy; Latin lyric, elegiac, and epic poetry and historiography; Roman topography; textual criticism; the intellectual life of late antiquity; medieval and Renaissance Latin; and Latin paleography.
• Communication and Media Studies. Support facilities provide a lab area for graduate study in interactive media, digital video, hypertext, computer graphics, Web page design, digital audio and video editing, news and magazine production, and public communications on the Internet as well as opportunities to work at the University’s public radio station.
• Computer and Information Science. Current research and concentrations are available in the following areas: information systems and applications, artificial intelligence, communications and networks, and computation and algorithms. Courses available include software system design, computer architecture, parallel computation, computer security and ethics, data communications and networks, graph theory and network design, internet computing and Java programming, data base systems, and artificial intelligence.
• Economics. Research interests are broad, with perhaps slightly more emphasis given to areas of applied rather than theoretical economics. Topics include development economics, financial economics, international economics, monetary economics, and industrial organization.
• Elections and Campaign Management. Current research interests focus on the theoretical and practical tools necessary to excel at managing political campaigns. Rigorous multidisciplinary instruction in voting behavior, candidate strategy, analysis of survey data, and media management is provided by leading academics and top industry professionals.
• English Language and Literatures. The research interests of the faculty members are represented in virtually every field of English and American literature, from Old English literature to twentieth-century British and American literature as well as literary criticism and critical theory. The English department has particular strength in eighteenth-century literature and culture.
• History. Current research interests range over diverse areas of medieval history, including England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, and include concentrations on the medieval Church, particularly liturgy, monasticism and canon law, medieval society and economy, notably women and family, towns, and trade; cultural history; and legal history. In European history the concentrations are Tudor-Stuart England; early modern and modern Britain, Ireland, France, and Germany; Protestant and Catholic reformations; European intellectual history; gender history; and Imperial and Soviet Russia. In American history research areas include women in colonial and modern America, Thomas Jefferson and the Republican era, the Civil War, the American South, the New Deal, foreign relations, African-American history, urban studies, immigration, and Latin America.
• Humanities and Sciences. A unique course of study providing interdisciplinary approaches to individualized topics in areas that often cannot be addressed by more discipline-based graduate programs. Recent examples of study have explored the relationship between at least two fields or approaches to a particular topic. Such areas of study have included: the politics of culture, Native American approaches to science, and the historical economy of literature.
• International Political Economy and Development. Current research efforts focus primarily on the interaction of political and economic institutions in the functioning of the global economy and their respective roles in facilitating political modernization and economic development. Ongoing research projects include the politics of economic stabilization programs, trade policies and economic growth, foreign assistance and economic reform efforts, and the political foundations of poverty. Participating faculty members have traditionally specialized in the following areas: corporative and international politics, development studies (project management, finance and development, economic and political development, community and social development), emerging markets and country risk analysis, international business and finance, and international and development economics.
• Latin American and Latino Studies. The certificate program consists of three courses: an interdisciplinary course integrating the art, culture, and history of Latin Americans and Latinos in the United States; a course on the history of Latin America or Latinos in the U.S.; and an elective course on Latin American or Latino arts and humanities or social sciences.
• Medieval Studies. The Center for Medieval Studies offers an interdisciplinary M.A. and a doctoral certificate in medieval studies, giving students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the Middle Ages and to integrate in a coherent whole the various facets of medieval civilization. Disciplines participating in the program include art, classics, English, history, modern languages and literature (French, German, Italian, and Spanish), music, philosophy, political science, and theology.
• Philosophy. The department seeks to maintain a wide diversity of research interests and competencies. While strong in the history of philosophy, it has special capabilities in continental philosophy, analytic philosophy, classical American philosophy, medieval philosophy, and philosophy of religion. With respect to both historical and contemporary perspectives, it has strengths in epistemology and metaphysics as well as moral and political philosophy.
• Political Science. Faculty members teach courses leading to the M.A. in the history of political philosophy, from classical to contemporary. Areas in American politics include institutions, political behavior, public policy, and urban politics. The department also offers M.A. and minor fields in political economy and comparative/international politics.
• Psychology. Research is being undertaken in three areas: clinical, applied developmental, and psychometrics. Current clinical research interests are behavior therapy, family therapy, health psychology, neuropsychology, child therapy, social supports, and treatment planning and evaluation. Developmental research employs a life-span orientation in research on developmental processes and in the application of developmental principles to the design, implementation, and evaluation of prevention and intervention programs and to the assessment of children and families. Psychometrics research focuses on the quantitative aspects of psychology, especially test constructing, personnel selection, program evaluation, and advanced statistical procedures.
• Sociology and Anthropology. Research centers on three specialization areas. Demography research includes family planning program efforts and fertility behavior; career histories and contraceptive behavior; gender, ethnic, and racial inequalities in the labor force; U.S. metropolitan migration; and residential segregation. Ethnic/minority research includes household structure among Dominican and Colombian immigrants, comorbidity of mental illness and problem behavior among Hispanic adolescents, and migration and adaptation of Hispanic groups. Sociology of religion research includes fundamentalist Catholic organizations, religion and social movements, and the abortion controversy and Catholic social thought. Other faculty research includes the sociology of emotions and the society of knowledge. The department also offers M.A. specialization in justice and criminology studies.
• Theology. Faculty research represents the three areas of specialization in the department. In the biblical section, faculty research includes exegetical, theological, narrative, and historical interpretations. The historical theology faculty does research in Greek and Latin patristics, medieval theology, nineteenth- and twentieth-century European and American religious thought, and U.S. religious history. The systematic theology faculty, focusing on contemporary Catholic theology, is engaged in research in fundamental theology, Karl Rahner, liberation and feminist theologies, Christian social ethics, and moral theology.

Correspondence and Information

Fordham University
Office of Admissions
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
216 Keating Hall
441 East Fordham Road
Bronx, New York 10458
Telephone: 718-817-4416
Fax: 718-817-3566
Email: fuga@fordham.edu