BSFS

Advising in the School of Foreign Service

The School of Foreign Service strongly believes that the relationships among faculty, students, and administrators should be personal ones. The SFS uses a dual-advising system that allows students to form meaningful relationships and take advantage of both faculty expertise and the specialized guidance offered by the Dean's Office.

First Year Students:

During the first year, each student's proseminar professor serves as the primary faculty mentor. He/she has regular office hours when students can discuss the particulars of the class, seek general academic advice, or talk about issues of interest. In addition, a dean or academic counselor has been designated to students to advise on specific academic matters, including the completion of degree requirements, registration, major selection, and preparation for overseas study.

First-year students (Class of 2013) should see the following deans/academic counselor:

* Last names A-E:  Mini Murphy

* Last names F-H:  Mitch Kaneda

* Last names I-K:  Emily Zenick

* Last names L-O:  Kendra Baity

* Last names P-Q:  Bryan Kasper

* Last names R-Z:  Maura Gregory

Sophomore Year & Beyond:

Second-year students receive discipline-specific guidance during the major declaration process. Students select a faculty advisor who specializes in an area of interest to the student from the intended major's faculty field committee. The faculty advisor helps the student to construct a coherent plan of study during the third and fourth year. Each major also has a curricular dean responsible for administering the major program and advising students on all academic matters until graduation.

Students should see the following curricular deans once they have selected a major program:

• Culture & Politics: Dean Gregory
• International Economics: Dean Kaneda
• International History: Dean Gregory
• International Politics: Dean Kasper
• International Political Economy: Dean Kaneda
• Regional & Comparative Studies: Dean Zenick
• Science & Technology in International Affairs: Dean Murphy

First Year Students

The first year of college is critical in determining a student’s academic success and provides the foundation for each successive year of study. The formulation of academic interests and the decisions made during the first year will impact not only a student’s entire four-year college experience, but future career paths as well. The School of Foreign Service believes that the first year is a key period when students require personalized guidance and devotes significant resources to advising first year students.

The SFS uses a dual-advising system that allows students to take advantage of both faculty expertise and the specialized guidance offered by the Dean’s Office. Click on the following links to learn more:

First Year Advising from the Dean's Office

Each first year student is assigned an advisor within the Dean's Office. While students are encouraged to get to know all members of the Dean's Staff, having an assigned advisor allows students and deans to get to know one another and establish a lasting relationship. First year deans advise students on all academic matters, including the assignment of AP or other transfer credits, course selection and registration, and planning for the second year. First year deans are prepared to assist students with the sometimes-challenging transition to university life and can refer students to a variety of on-campus support resources, ranging from academic tutoring to health care provision. Deans have office hours daily throughout the year and students are encouraged to contact someone anytime they require assistance or have questions about life at Georgetown.

In addition to one on one advising appointments, deans conduct academic sessions designed specifically for first year students. The first is the first-year class meeting, held early in the fall semester. This meeting prepares students for spring pre-registration, discusses the final exams period, introduces university resources of interest, and offers students the opportunity to take the Map of the Modern World exemption exam. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, first year deans hold additional meetings and workshops for their student advisees covering themes of interest to first year students.

Every October, first year students and their parents are invited to participate in Parents' Weekend, featuring workshops on the first year college experience and introducing students and parents to the School of Foreign Service and to offices such as International Programs and the Career Center.

In October and March, first year deans contact students who receive advisory grades in any of their courses. Advisory grades indicate that a student's performance is unsatisfactory, but do not mean that a student is going to fail a course. Deans can offer advice and refer struggling students to academic support resources that can help students get back on track in plenty of time to pass courses with strong marks.

Throughout the first year, students are encouraged to meet their deans to discuss their experiences at Georgetown and help them prepare for their second year in SFS. It is ideal for every student to have met his or her dean at least once (and more!) to make informed decisions about course selection, summer school, preparation for overseas study, and selection of major and certificate programs. We do not believe in one-size-fits-all advising, and therefore, we would like to talk to you personally.

First Year Advising from Faculty

Georgetown University believes that it is important for first year students to have access to faculty members. As a result, many courses taken by first year students are limited to 15-25 students per section. The SFS has taken this philosophy a step further by creating two courses specifically for first year SFS students, the Proseminar and Political and Social Thought. In order to insure access to the instructor, each course has a maximum of 16 students. The small size and the format of these seminars allow students to work closely with the faculty on their reading and writing skills, study habits, and the transition to college life.

Proseminar professors serve as faculty mentors to students during the first and second years. In addition to working closely with students in the classroom, these professors are available to offer advice and guidance on a variety of academic subjects, including major selection, graduate study, and future career paths. Most proseminar professors also serve on faculty field committees, allowing students to select these faculty members as major advisors and build relationships that last throughout the student?s four years at Georgetown.

All Georgetown faculty members hold office hours during the week and first year students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to not only discuss their progress in specific courses, but to form meaningful intellectual relationships with their professors.

Transfer Students

Ms. Kendra Baity serves as the primary advisor for Internal Transfer students during their first year in the SFS. Internal transfer students should meet with Ms. Baity early in the fall semester to determine how their Georgetown courses meet SFS degree requirements and to formulate a graduation plan.

Dean Emily Zenick serves as the primary advisor for External Transfer students during their first year in the SFS. She assists with transfer credit evaluations and advises students on the completion of SFS degree requirements. Dean Zenick helps transfer students select a major, determine whether or not overseas study is feasible, and formulate a graduation plan. She also directs students who require extra assistance making the transition to Georgetown to on campus support resources.

External transfer students should meet with Dean Zenick early in the fall semester to finalize the transfer of credits from their previous school and to allocate courses towards SFS degree requirements. During new student orientation, Dean Zenick is available to answer registration questions and to assist transfer students in enrolling in necessary courses. Transfer students continue working with Dean Zenick throughout the year on outstanding transfer issues and to discuss their progress at Georgetown.

Transfer students are assigned to Dean Zenick until they formally declare their majors and then move over to working with a curricular dean based on major:

• Culture & Politics: Dean Gregory
• International Economics: Dean Kaneda
• International History: Dean Gregory
• International Politics: Dean Kasper
• International Political Economy: Dean Kaneda
• Regional & Comparative Studies: Dean Zenick
• Science & Technology in International Affairs: Dean Murphy

Major Advising in the SFS

During the first two years in the SFS, students receive general academic advisement from deans and faculty on core requirements and academic development. Once a student selects a major, advising becomes more specialized in order to assist students in constructing a coherent plan of study within their area of concentration.

Curricular Deans

Each major has a curricular dean, responsible for administering the major program and advising students on all matters relating to major study. The curricular dean begins working with students on the major declaration process during the second year and continues advising students until graduation. Curricular deans have specialized knowledge of their major programs and are familiar with course offerings, faculty specializations, and overseas study programs appropriate for study in the major.

• Culture & Politics: Dean Gregory
• International Economics: Dean Kaneda
• International History: Dean Gregory
• International Politics: Dean Kasper
• International Political Economy: Dean Kaneda
• Regional & Comparative Studies: Dean Zenick
• Science & Technology in International Affairs: Dean Murphy

Faculty Field Chair

Each major in the SFS is associated with a field committee composed of the faculty members who are the key professors for the program. The chair of the field committee serves as the director of studies. Field committee chairs are prime sources of information and advice about the curriculum of each major, graduate studies, events linked to the major, and other subjects of interest to students. All students are urged to get to know the professors who serve in this capacity.

Faculty Mentors

When second year students declare a major, they have the option of participating in the SFS faculty mentor program associated with the major field committees. A student and faculty member must each agree to participate and sign the Faculty Mentor Agreement Form. The faculty member agrees to act as an advisor to the student until graduation. Faculty mentors help students construct a coherent plan of study. Mentors can offer guidance on course selection, research and thesis formulation, graduate study and career plans. Students generally select a faculty mentor who specializes in an area that is of particular interest to the student.

Post-graduate Advising

• The Career Education Center offers extensive resources for identifying and pursuing possible career paths.
• Georgetown Alumni Online, Georgetown's virtual community for alumni, posts job listings and career contacts for undergraduates. Choose "career services" to find career contacts.
• Students interested in law school should consult Georgetown's pre-law advisor at the Career Education Center, Ms. Leslie Adelman.
• Students considering medical school should refer to the Pre-Med website.
• For information about graduate study, speak with faculty members in the appropriate discipline. Curricular deans can direct students to appropriate professors.
• Students interested in post-graduate fellowship and scholarship opportunities should visit www.georgetown.edu/main/provost/fellowships.
• Dean Steigman can provide information about post-graduate opportunities.
• Dean Murphy can provide information about the SFS Accelerated Graduate degree programs.
• Beyond BSFS, on this site, provides additional information about graduate study and other opportunities and resources.