Admissions Webinar

Hi everyone, just wanting to do a quick sound check if you can hear me. Please type in the chat box. Yes, thank you.

All right welcome everyone to this afternoon's web and R on it looks like we'll go ahead and get started. We have a good group that have signed in already. I'm Lindsay Munson. I am me associate director of admissions here at the McCourt School. I'm going to be having my colleague, Trish Makowsky, who's assistant director of admissions, joining us for the later portion of the session, so for those of you, um that are joining us just to give you kind of a brief overview.

We are of course will public policy we are Masters only school located at Georgetown University which is in Washington DC today we're basically going to go over our degree programs that we have at my core will talk a little bit about the McCourt community Trish is gonna tell us a little bit about her development opportunities took over admissions requirements and then we will have some time at the end to go over questions so.

This is pretty informal so.

As we are chatting feel free to put your questions in the chat box. I'll I'll try to answer them as we go along if I don't get to them during the presentation will definitely have some dedicated time for questions at MIT.

Alright so we have a 5 degree programs actually at the McCourt School, like I mentioned were Masters only school. We have an executive program, which I'll talk a little bit about in a minute. But first we're going to focus on these 4 degree program so we have a master of public policy, which is our flagship programs that mean meaning it's our oldest and largest program here in court. We have a master of International Development policy with master policy management and we have a Master of Science in data science for public policies that our newest program.

So what I have into the curriculum of each uhm starting with the MPP Sir Master of public policy. It is a 2 year full-time program. We do have a part time option for this program would you complete in 3 years it's 48 credit hours 30 credits or core coursework and then there's 18 credits of elect is here. I'm a court. We are all about driving evidence based policy making the decisions an equipping our students with the skills necessary.

To go out into the workforce to drive those those evidence based solutions. So we do have a pretty high quantitatively focused curriculum. So we have a 3 course clashing of method sequence in the core you're taking statistical methods for public policy regression methods for public policy in advance regression methods in your font sequence will be taking 2. Semesters of intermediate microeconomics, and then you'll take a political institutions and process.

Seriously, you're taking at public policy process course. A public management course in an ethics course for the public management and policy courses.

He had the option to choose from a domestic version of those, 2 or the international comparative so even in the core curriculum. You have a little bit of room to tailor the core courses there and there's a capstone experience where MPP students have the option to either choose the thesis, which is more individual research or the client based project where you're working with the team at MPP students in your kind of serving as a consultant group to an actual organization over the course of your second year tackling.

Sing for a policy issue or problem that they're facing.

And providing them recommend recommendations and feedback based on kind of the skills that you been learning in the classroom. So I'm more practical application of skills and then you have 18 credit hours of electives will talk a little bit more about electives in a minute. But this is really where you can tailor the program to fit your individual interests and needs. We don't have any formal concentrations for the MPP program. But you could informally concentrate or focus. If you wanted to on a particular policy area. You can take more skill space courses you can mix and match.

I'm more of a general lists you can also take courses outside of McCourt, which you can take them at.

Any other graduate program here at Georgetown as long as it makes sense within the curriculum so if you wanted to take electives at the Business School law school. The school foreign service government Department. You could you could do that as long as there is space available in the class and then we also have a DC consortium agreement. So you can also take electives at other local DC area schools that include GW George Mason Howard, Maryland and um American.

So RMIDP program in the smaller smaller program so I guess I didn't mention with MPP. It is our largest program so we typically see 125 students enrolled in the program, each year full time and then we have a smaller cohort of about 20 to 25 students enter part time. But the MIDP program. It's a much smaller cohort of about 20 to 25 students. It's a very specialized. It's more specialized version of the NPP. It's all kind of geared towards International Development policy in your core curriculum so it's a 2 year full-time program.

Only there is no part time option 48 credit hours. There's 2 additional core courses and 2 fewer electives in the NPP.

Um you're going to have the 3 core squad sequence in the two course. Microeconomics sequence that I described in the NPP. However, those are going to be focusing on the developing world so in any case studies are datasets that you're doing. We're going to have some sort of International Development sent to them.

Then there's 2 development policy courses, so public finance in developing countries and sustainable development and there's 3 management institutions courses management and leadership in developing countries political economy and developing countries and ethical issues in development.

The capstone on there is no thesis option, so it's just the client based project. So you'll be working with a team of in my DP students and have consulting with an actual organization over the course of your second year and there's also a summer experience requirement for the MIDP. There's no internship requirement for the NPP, but there is one basically for MIT P between the summer between your person second year so it might be P. Students are required to spend at least half of their summer in a program relevant professional placement.

Of their choice most work in developing countries and many times positions working on rigorous impact evaluations in the field and we find that through the through this program and then we have the faculty director. Another academic advisors that can help you figure out where you're going to be spending your time with that placement.

And then there's 12 credit hours of elected so 2 fewer electives in the NPP the same elective offerings.

Moving on to our captures of Science and data science for public policy, so this is our newest program here at McCourt. We actually teamed up with the data. Analytics Department to develop this program so half of the core curriculum comes from data analytics and half comes from.

A MPP that I described so it's really at the intersection of data science and quantitative public policy analysis. An it equips graduates with cutting edge computational analytical and leadership skills and it's a full time only program. It's 2 years. It is and also a small cohort of 20 to 25 students. It's 39 credits so this does that mean it's less rigorous and RMPPRMIIDP programs, which are 48 credits each. It's just that the courses you enroll in require more time outside of the classroom to prepare an complete assignments.

So the core heavy program. Uh we didn't want to sacrifice core curriculum from either the MPP or the data. Analytics, program, so there's only 2 electives. You have 2 semesters of accelerated statistics for public policy. This is that 3 quarts wants sequence that I described with it in PPNMIDP program. But you're taking it in 2 semesters. So it's that's why it's called accelerated.

And then there's 3 semesters of foundational policy courses, so MP4 courses intermediate macroeconomics. Public policy process in public management and then there's 15 credits of data science courses, so data visualization foundations of data science applied to school learning advanced modeling techniques massive data fundamentals.

And then you'll have an ethics course and a data communication course.

And then you'll have the Fit 2 electives. I mentioned there's also a data science in action seminar series and this is required. It's not for credit, but it is required. That data science students participate in the seminars that the program hosts there. About once a month in these sessions allow students to directly interact with leading experts for applying data science to important policy challenges.

So we have a question that just came in about horses and if they can be waived and substituted with additional electives in the case of MPP and data science. Yes, we do allow folks that have taken some of the core courses. Previously, they can sit for a waiver exams during orientation. If they decide to join us, they sit for Weber exams. And if they pass the waiver exam. Then they can leave out of the core course. But they will have to replace it with the whole active so you don't just to have.

Let's have a shorter.

Program you just get to wait under the four quarts and replace it with an elective.

Yeah.

RM PM curriculum uhm so are Masters of policy management program. This is our mid career professionals program, which can be a little bit misleading. It requires that points to have at least 5 years of professional experience in most people work longer than 10 years, so that's why the midcareer term can be a little bit misleading. But on average or students tend to have 9 to 10 years of professional experience that join this program.

And make the MPM takes a 30,000 foot look at policy making and strikes. The balance among analytics management, and substance within specific policy areas. It is comprised of about 60 to 70 students. It's uh it can be completed on a full time basis or a part time basis, there this program starts in the summer. If you take it full time you can complete it. In one calendar year so you'll be doing a summer fall and spring semester. If you do it part time. It's to calendar year so it's summer fall spring summer fall spring.

So the if you do a full time the program starts with 4 summer institutes that are offered in week long sessions. So you would be taking 4 weeks during the summer. If you're doing part time you're doing 2 of those seminars, each summer so it does require you to take some time off of work during the summer to attend those during the day so keep that in mind.

But the summer institutes are public management public policy process ethics and public policy and decision making for public policy. Then there's 3 additional core courses research methods economic analysis for public policy and management of program evaluation and then there's a capstone project so that's a semester long assignment, which culminates in a paper that demonstrates the students ability to integrate consideration of analytic management and advocacy issues in the pursuit of solutions to specific policy issue.

And then finally you'll have 12 credit hours of electives for them PM.

And this slide just gives you a sense of the different kind of policy areas that are electives fall under so you can see economic policy education policy environmental and regulatory health policy Homeland and National Security Development Management leadership methods political strategy in government governance and social policy. Those just tend to be the most popular kind of buckets. We have again. We have a wide range of electives offered through the Port School for programs really interesting one elective through McCourt, the rest. You could take outside if you wanted to so again.

You have the option of taking electives that are other graduate programs here at Georgetown and then also through the consortium. So we have an awesome academic team that's very familiar with the elective offerings that can help you kind of strategize your elective choices, depending on kind of what your interest areas or what looks feels you'd like to build while you're here.

And here is just a sample of fall 2019 electives. I'll leave that up. I'm going to be sending you'll get a link to this web and R that's going to be recorded and then also you'll see the slide so all this information will be available to you after the web and R.

We also have dual degree.

Options with our MPP program only, so here is a list of our goal degrades their full time. Only the application process for each of these is completely separate so for example, you're interested in applying to the MPPJ D Dual degree program. You need to submit an application to the MPP program and also to the Law Center is completely separate application process and committees. We don't really know that you're applying to vote. So it's basically if you're admitted then we exchange rosters with the other.

Program office to determine who is actually the dual degree student so we can make sure you're registering accordingly. But we have mpio MBA at MPPJDMP. NBA Impede Master of Science. Important service MPPMA in German and European studies and we have 2 PhD.

A door degrees one and government and one in psychology. You can apply simultaneously to these programs or for all of them except for the MPP MSFS so important service, you can apply a during the first year of one of the program so for the MPP MSFS you have to apply simultaneously because you're starting to overlap curriculum your first year at the other programs. You can if you want to do the MPP but you're unsure if you want to add the law degree on or vice versa, you could start.

Flight of the NPP joined the cohort and then during your first year of the NPP applied to the GD program so how those structure of those still degrees looks. It's usually you're starting your first year at one of the schools. The second year old, you'll be at the other school and then the 3rd or 4th year for JD is a mix of the 2 so the MPP. JD is a four year full-time program NBA, MSFS and Majlis is those are 3 or full time programs.

PhD verified student so checking with with the PhD portion it's it's advised.

Yes, and I think Catherine asked if it's possible to apply for the FPP matches program. Once you matriculate in the MPP program. Yes, you can the only one. You can't do that. For is the MSFS so if you wanted to start the interview program during your first year just make sure you're aware of their deadlines. You can submit the application for the the German and European studies during your first year.

And I'll briefly talk about our executive education options. So we have one Masters program at the executive level, so excited master policy leadership. We also have an executive certificate in polisy leadership and then a certificate in health policy. The impulse the Masters Program prepares public, private nonprofit professionals with the knowledge and leadership skills necessary to advance to senior leadership and executive level positions. We encourage applications from high achieving professionals with demonstrated leadership and management experience.

So this is a 7 year professional experience requirement. It's 830 credit hour program that begins in August with students fulfilling requirements for their degree over the course of 16 months is 16 month program. You will have 10 hybrid courses. Each is composed of a five day in person experience so on campus and then it's integrated with interactive online learning over a two week period so the deadlines for international applicants is March 15th.

And then for domestic applicants April 15th.

We have the certificate in policy, leadership, so this is for folks. It's a shorter. It's like a subset of the Masters program. And if you complete the certificate and then decide you want to go ahead and pursue the entire Masters program. Those credits can count towards the Masters. But it requires 7 years of professional experience. It isn't entered this interdisciplinary program design for executives in high performing midcareer level professionals who require education at the strategic level and policy in policymaking along with leadership skills.

So it's about half of the Masters. So it's a 5 Porsche Hybrid course program with the same structure. So 5 days in person and then A to be on line learning learning period for each course.

That went through the same international applicants March 15th domestic applicants. April 15th and then finally our certificate health policy is designed to provide a practical understanding of how the public policy process works grounding in major health policies and in depth skills on how to influence health policy in today's challenging political and policy environment and so it's designed for leaders working in the public, private and non-profit sectors. There is no work experience requirement for this, it's 15 credit hours.

Be completed in one month or one. I'm sorry, one year. So 12 months. We have fall spring or summer entry for this program. It's 5 in person courses, so they are on Georgetown campus. There's no online component and then or fall entry. The deadline is July 1 for spring. It's N1 and for summer it's March.

So the court also.

Provides students with the number of global opportunities, including dual degrees with global partners study abroad options student run policy trips in a sustainable development project, so pass student run non credit policy trips have included trips to Argentina, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico and Costa Rica and then we also have a McCourt policy and practice, which we will talk a little bit more about later, which is a student organization. So it's basically a sustainable development project that provides our students with the opportunity to apply their skills.

Uh learning the classroom to underserved community in the Dominican Republic.

And then our credit programs include Mpio MBA, so the international organizations NBA told agree with University of Geneva soon. This is a 42 credit hour. At the core program and then there's 24 module courses at the University of Geneva. So it's a total of 28 months.

Programs into 2, 1/2 year program.

We also have an internship requirement with an international organization your first year is that McCourt your second year is at University of Geneva the summer of your second year is international internship your third year you're back for the fall semester you're back in the court and you can apply simultaneously to both programs where you can apply during your first year at mcchord will have like an information session for students first year students about applying to the IO MBA program.

The NPPMIN program so Masters in management build agree with chasing in Paris. This is actually only available to current ought. I say Paris students to apply to them 1st and then as as a first year applied. It MP students complete their full first year at the objects a 36 credits at Newport following that and then there's an internship so it's also 28 month program your first year is that objects. A or second year is that?

Or in your fall semester of your 3rd year, you're still at before.

And then we have 3 exchange program so it's the fall semester can only be done with the MPP program. Um it's supposed to serve your second year, you can do a semester of spinach mustard broad at this party school of governance in Berlin. They Lee Kuan Yew School of public policy and Singapore or the Gentle School of public policy in India, so those are options as well.

All right, we're going to shift gears, a little bit couple questions coming in.

How would the fall change program impact your progress in the client thesis project? I'm not 100% sure that the answer to that question. I'm happy to put you in touch with their academic team. I'm sure they've had to deal with this on a case by case basis. I I'm pretty sure you only have the thesis option. You wouldn't be able to have the client based option just because you won't be here to participate. But I can definitely double check with you if you wanted to follow up at Mcchord admissions at georgetown.edu.

And I can put you in touch with their activity team just kind of give you some feedback on that.

Alright so our community, I'm a quart. We we do the student experience outside the classroom is just as important as the student experience inside the classroom, so a lot of students often compliment. Their classroom learning and enrich their educational experience by participating in student organizations. Another engagement opportunities that align with their passions culture and career goals.

And here is a list of our student organizations and activities. We have a McCourt Student Association, which is basically a student government. There's a Journal student let Journal called Georgetown Public Policy Review. I talked a little bit about McCourt policy and practice, which is.

The International Development.

Soon organization and we have some regional eBay San policy specific organizations. But these are all student organized and student run. So if there's also not one listed on here. We've just had. I think a few that had just started this past year.

I don't think it was down here and our students found kind of a missing area and then the number of students that were interested, so they were able to develop those organizations. So lots of opportunities to get involved. If you're not even involved with a specific organization. They put on tons of events that you can attend. Even if you're not a member so they bring a lot of events and speakers to campus and it's a very vibrant and.

Our students are very engaged with our student organizations and activities.

Do you politics so Institute of politics and public service is known for as gene politics for short it is a Sinner at Mcchord that focuses on bringing students and public servants together, so their tagline is actually public services. Anthing politics can be too so they're dedicated to reconnecting young people with the notion that politics is and Noble vehicle for public service.

So they provide a lot of programming for the Georgetown community. One of their main programs that they bring in 5. Fellows of the Top names of politics government and media each semester. Based Service Fellows. So the fellows leave weekly not in discussion noncredit discussion groups on a particularly policy hot topic. They hold office hours for students to come in and chat with them about uh get some feedback on on career strategy.

How they got to where they are any feedback just kind of networking opportunity?

And then they also speak to her variety of campus groups, students can also apply to join their student strategy teams, so their teams that are assigned to each fellow where they they'll help the fellow with research campus outreach and help them come up with practical ideas to make politics work better. Our current fellows or or or kind of cycling out. We don't. I don't think they've been outsourced Spring Fellows. But our fault. Fellows included the former chief of staff to speaker Paul Ryan, former governor of Kansas.

Former press secretary to Lady first lady Michelle Obama. White House correspondent for ABC News and the former deputy director of Obama's White House Office of public engagement, so lots of awesome folks with really great experience coming to campus and are available to kind of interface with our students on a daily basis.

In addition to geopolitics just Georgetown and McCourt in general exposes our students to a lot of different policy leaders. We have most of our electives are held in the evening on their taught by adjunct professors or there's guest lecturers coming in, so adjunct professors are practicing during the day and then coming to teach at night so that we have policy dinners, where will have a policy practitioner that's well known kind of commenting.

A small group of students out to a nice restaurant in Georgetown and just kind of have more discussion over are a nice intimate dinner.

Our student groups, bringing policy leaders like I mentioned there's trips different lectures. Massive Data Institute Seminar series and then just Georgetown campus events in general, so McCourt units have access to mcwhirt events as well as Georgetown as a whole.

We also have a number of research centers that are affiliated with macports over 20 centers that are engaged in various areas of research, though they do professional training and research and share information on Congress health policy International Development. Social Policy Research assistantship opportunities with the centers as well for students so there's a list on our website of all the different centers and if there's one that you're particularly interested in your welcome to email last to get more information.

Or maybe typically what kind of RA positions or GA positions that they've had available in the past, so we do have research assistantships available with the centers as well as support faculty for our students. We have graduate assistant positions available and then teaching assistant positions available as well. So how that process. Works is closer to the start of fall semester or academic team sends out a call for applications so they'll list all the positions that were hiring foreign you could submit an application at that time, so I think there's usually like 70 to 80 open positions.

Uh at a time so while it can be competitive there. There's a lot of opportunity to work on campus and you can work up to 20 hours a week and they are paid hourly.

So that's all I have for them apart community and academics. I'm going to transition a presentation over to Trish resistant director of admission, she's going to talk about for development and then the admissions process and then we'll have time for questions at the end, so I everyone. I hope you're enjoying the presentation. So far and finding it helpful and informative so as Lindsay talked about. We do have a career office that is dedicated to working specifically with our McCourt students.

It is a team of 3, one person was just hired recently to work specifically with international students since they have kind of unique demands with their career options in the future. You will start hearing from our career office. Even before you arrive on campus and they present at orientation sort of a timeline of what you should be thinking about when we kind of think of of the career development as a parallel process.

To your academic coursework, so obviously the ultimate goal is to get a good job after your finished so it's really up to you to take advantage of the services that they provide some of the services include you know generally a cover letter resume review mock interviews. They do bring in employers regularly as well. So you could network and find jobs through there. We also have a McCourt connects.

Online database, which they present information about internships and job postings that come in through their through their connections. They also bring in camp into campus speakers that talk directly about you know career trajectory options for our students.

As far as the internship is concerned about 95% of our students do some kind of internship even though it is not required for most of our programs. The exception there is the MIT program. But given the fact that we're located in DC and obviously we have a lot of access to great opportunities in the policy world. Our students to take advantage of the location and the access that they're given.

There's also no classes on Friday, so it's fairly easy to kind of arrange your schedule to to get those internships in so you can really get some practical experience along with your academic coursework.

As far as our employment data typically uh. This this information presented here is within 6 months of graduation, so within the fault for the fall 2018, graduating class almost 95% of students were already employed 6 months after graduation. Generally, we see an even split between the different sectors. Public private and nonprofit but that tends to vary year to year based on the political climax.

Just opportunities that are available at that time typically as well. We see most students staying locally after graduation within 6 months. Again, I think it's an easy transition for students to stay in the area. They've had internships and made a lot of connections locally, so it's easier to stay here, soon after graduation.

So now talk about the admissions requirements, so with your application. You'll submit an ID dollar fee on your resume personal or curriculum. Vita we have, we have edited the transcript requirement just recently so you are able to upload unofficial copies of your transcripts for review purposes and you'll be required to submit a standardized test.

As well for the MP PM ICP and data science programs. All of these specifics again are up on our website. If you need anymore. Details are you could feel free to ask questions as well for non native speakers. You are also required to submit that's helpful or I held and we do require 3 letters of recommendation. We prefer that one be an academic source and one be a professional recommendation and then the 3rd.

You can choose whoever is best suited to speak to you about you and the academic statement really is your opportunity to speak about to speak directly to the Admissions Committee in your own voice. So, in that we don't have a whole lot of formatting requirements, although there are specific problems and and Paige wait information depending on the program.

But you should talk about you know what sparked your interest in public policy. Why you like to pursue a graduate degree why this program in particular is a good fit for you. Overall, we're looking for fit between not only are we picked it for you, but are you a good fit for us and then talking about what skills you could bring what you could contribute to the community? Why specifically require is it good match for.

You and where you want to go in the future.

Overall, we have a very holistic application review process so we don't have any numerical cut offs. So so we really tried to to see the applicant ads as a whole as a big picture and determine whether or not you'd be a good fit for our program and vice versa.

As far as prerequisites the MPPNMIBP program do have a principles of microeconomics course as a requirement. If you haven't taken that by the time of application that's OK.

You're basically if admit it, you would get a conditional admission and then be required to take it before you enroll in the fall. We give some resources in some information about where you could take that it would just need to be added accredited University for upgrade for a letter grade so you would have to get it. B or higher added accredited school. An online class. An online University or Community College would be fine, but again we have more specific resources.

Well to be the case for it for you.

The data science program doesn't have any formalized requirements or prerequisites. But we do have a few recommendations given that the technical course work. We do recommend that that you've taken some kind of advanced math or calculus class or some kind of other evidence of your technical ability as well as familiarity with R and Python is recommended as well, but again those are not strict requirements.

There are a couple of the programs that do have a work experience requirement, so for the MIDP program. We do require at least 2 years of.

Oh, professional relevant experience typically that would need to be in the International Development Field and with the MPM program. You would need to have at least 5 years of professional work experience.

OK so I've seen a few questions here.

Um.

Are there cases where students pursue a PhD after completing I think that's supposed to be the DSP program so this program is our newest so we don't have any career data. As of yet our first class was just in fall 2018, so they will be graduating in May 2020. So after that point will kind of see where their careers go whether or not they go directly into the workforce or continue on.

So I do know most of our programs at mcquire we are professional Masters program so it's not typical that were preparing you for a PhD program we do have a small percentage of students that do go on to pursue PhD degrees but that's not really necessarily what were training at students to do here so it's more professional and practical skills that you could use in a professional sense setting but that doesn't mean you can't go on to pursue a PhD after this but what I would encourage you to do.

We're going to move on to our key context page. But we do have a list of our faculty directors here if you're interested in talking more specifically about kind of what your interests are and how the program can help you get to your career goals or educational goals. You can talk with the redirector. So it might failure or got fired would be excellent resources for you and all the faculty members. In fact, redirectors welcome your questions.

In the blood test to chat with you on other programs that will create you got.

And it's someone's asking about Mister 3 letters of recommendation that more than 3 or 03 maximum and we only allow 3 letters of recommendation. We urge you to try to choose the recommendations that you think are your strongest 3, so there is no option to upload more than 3 on the application. So we will cut it off at 3:00. So if you could just choose. The folks that you think know you're the best and can speak the best of your abilities and.

Are you wake up benefit our cohort students that would be our advice?

And we also have a question about flying 2 programs at the same time, so yes. We do allow students to apply simultaneously to 2 different programs. They do go to 2 separate admissions committees. So you would have to submit to separate applications with two fees as they are evaluated differently.

But yes, we do except.

OK, I will move on to application deadlines. So our early application deadline has just recently passed if for some reason you had applied by that date know that you'll be receiving a decision by mid January.

Our next deadline coming up is our priority deadline that it will be January 15th 2020 definitely apply by this date if you're interested in merit based scholarship.

If you apply by that deadline and your completed around that time frame you'll receive decision by March or mid March.

Or.

I don't deadline is April 1st and by that point, you'll still receive full admissions consideration, but scholarship has funding has mostly been expended by that point, so definitely apply by the January 15th deadline if if you're interested in scholarship.

Uhm I just want to say one more thing about um time work experience requirements for NPP or data science. There is no formal work experience requirement on average or students when they have 2 or 3 or some work experience, but we do see folks coming through undergrad students that have a couple years of experience that might not be policy related that are using it as a way to pivot into policy and then students that also have some policy experience through using it as a career enhancer. So we see a wide variety of applicants coming into our programs and it's really again that.

The motivation for applying and telling us why you're applying at this linear activator professional career and what you hope program will help you achieve.

And we will now take more questions OK, so we see.

Someone's asking about professional years.

We consider small gaps between one and the other like for too much OK. So I see we're asking is that look like I mean, I guess we'll see it so it'll be on your resume.

I would say 2 months really isn't a huge amount of time but if you are nervous that they want to explain maybe a gap in employment or if you took a leave of absence there isn't a section in the application I think it's called an optional statement where you can add an addendum that explains that type of thing same thing if you're worried about a particular grade or score you can just want to provide more context to us we encourage you to do that because we are looking at everything and we kind of think about it.

Think about it as the more information, the better for us, especially to be less more context about something you might even start without an application so please. Feel free to use that as the opportunity to explain that.

So the approximate start date for the summer is June. Uhm I think that the orientation.

I think the orientation for MPM might be in May at some point but the the classes start in June.

We had about 15 minutes left so if anybody has questions.

Feel free to put them in the Top box.

And so we do have see about 2025 students in train the program. The data science program. Meteor someone's asking about the makeup of the data science program so there's probably 50 data science students, 4050 data science students enrolled in given time is their preference for for students with a computer science background again. There's no formal prerequisites. So we don't necessarily aren't looking for people to have a strong.

Your science background while looking for a pretty diverse skill set an interesting backgrounds, but you know, some evidence of technical ability is recommended so whether that be professional experience or ports work in computer science.

Advance not mathematics work statistics that is, is recommended so.

You know, and also some familiarity with Python or R is recommended as well so.

And if you guys haven't already done so I would encourage you to take a look at our website. There's tons of information. There also there is a link to a student ambassadors and alumni ambassadors and their listed by program policy areas of interest where they're from so you can contact them directly, through the website to kind of talk to them more about their student experience after more about this super organizations. They were involved in that sort of thing.

Hi Catherine, I'm not sure how common that is. I do think that it is possible. But if you're interested in those specific that Institute for women peace and security and then the poverty and inequality one.

I would ask you to email me an I can ask our assistant or associate Dean for Student Affairs. If we had folks that have worked with them in the past and in what capacity and then if we were if we think that might be possible for us to get moving forward.

So we don't do rolling admissions, so it's not necessarily the earlier you apply the better, so this person is asking wouldn't application be decided about whether a person who applied earlier when they have a better chance or is everyone just like has the same.

Admissions consideration no matter what age they apply an it is the same admissions consideration. Whenever you apply any of our deadlines, but the main difference.

And it's that, if you apply by our early action or priority deadline. You're guaranteed to be considered for merit based scholarship. If you apply by our final deadline. Most of the funding has been allocated at that point, so there's not much funding left at that at that point, so you're not guaranteed to be considered for scholarship in a school admissions consideration. The biggest difference between early action deadline of the priority deadline is not admission or or scholarship, there equally competitive in those respects.

It's just the timing of the decision so if you apply by the early action deadline open a decision by January. If you applied by priority deadline, you'll get a decision by mark.

I hope

so. So Catherine ask our clients with the capstone solicited or do students have to find them so students are not responsible for that process.

We take a request for applications are request for proposals from the clients that they basically have to apply to to to be one of our clients and basically how that process. Works is that at the time of registration students don't know who the clients are so you're kind of a little bit going in blind in your choosing the client capstone. So you will choose do the thesis of the client caps him in the basement based on who signed up for the client capstone.

That goes into the academic teams like decision making process so they can try to select the clients that best match up with the students that are actually going to be doing the capstone and then once they are selected students have can look at the list of clients and then they put forth their Top three choices and then the academic team tried their best to match them up with with their Top choice but that's how that process.

Uh we have someone asking about the range of scholarship is there full scholarship available too. So most of our scholarship merit based scholarships are partial tuition so they range from about 7500 to about 25,000 which is 1/2 tuition on average award tends to be about 15,000 and 60% of our students come in with some sort of funding attached to their their offer of admission, we do have 5 full tuition.

Options for all programs those are called them report scholars. Those students are Top applicants. They have done well academically as well as shown some leadership experience and potential and we think they'll be active contributors to our community. Once they join us. That's full tuition. There's stipend and then it covers all like mandatory feats one being health insurance. There's like other attendees of transfer fees, so all that's covered by by the record scholarship.

The average is 15,000 a year.

And I'm actually not sure about the question about the the working as a for the consultancy each semester.

Um.

So you do have time to work.

Do internships or work on campus and then it's up to the student we suggest not doing that?

Your first semester, I know international students can't work on campus until after their first year so they wouldn't be able to start working until the summer between their person second year depending on visa constraints, but we do see folks working.

As well looking part time some students have internships that turn into full time positions so they're going to go or second year. They're going to school full time and working full time so we do see a lot of folks doing both.

So some of asking about what we're looking for in candidates in terms of their potential contribution to the community. So we do take a very holistic approach when we're looking at applications. So we're looking at which is why your academic statement is very important to us so you're telling us your story about kind of what you're what experiences have led to you knowing that this program is the next step for you and what are you hoping to gain from your experience here that will help you in your kind of career?

Moving forward so we are looking for students that will be active contributors in the classroom as well as out of the classroom. So you'll be engaged academically, but maybe we think you'll really drive in our student organizations or get involved into politics or kind of are we have a public policy. Innovation lab, which kind of focuses on the local policies so more 7 and 8 on the Anacostia River we have.

They are kind of.

You know just doing more taking more leadership positions in various capacities inside and outside classroom.

About 5 more minutes anybody has any last minute questions.

So it depends on the program on our website. Catherine's last name. There's a word page limit on the academic statement. So you'll find an R for NPP.

So there is no word limit I think it's a one.

Page single spaced.

A academic statement, so there's no font restrictions or size. So it's you know, we I think the other ones. It's a 500 word limit so I just use your best judgement try to keep it to one page. I can 500 words is plenty. But you know if you need to take a little bit more or less than that. We're not super strict about it, but just make sure you know you're kind of getting everything out there. That kind of gives us the best picture of what you know your experience has been to lead you to join us.

And what you think you can gain from our program looking forward.

Uh we have a question that's asking is it a requirement to have at least 1 other recommendation letters from an academic source that is a preference to have one academic more professional. It's not a requirement so again. We want you to choose really just the 3 people that know you the best I could speak to your abilities and how you would contribute to our cohort so if that happens to be 3 professional that's totally fine and we know some folks have been out of school for longer periods of time, so they aren't as in good contact with academic references, but it's it.

A professional for doing all 3 professional if one of them could maybe talk or speak to some academic skill sets that they build served in a professional capacity, so you know, writing research. Presentations communication group work. They kind of just touch on some of that quantitative analysis that would be helpful.

There's not a page limit for the resume. Uh you know, we want you to keep it. We don't need to to put on there? What you think is relevant for the Admissions Committee. But you know, one page or a little over one page is probably totally fine.

Someone's asking about the alumni network, we have a very global alumni network. McCourt does as well as Georgetown in general and boys tend to be very oil to other boys. So we have the I think the LaPorte connects connects you with alumni as well. But they do, we have alumni Masters. We can put you in touch with? We have alumni engagement office. That kind of travel mums and what they're doing so, they that's all.

Uh in the same Department of their crew development, they use our lungs come back and do not interviews. Or they'll connect you with someone that they have a position or a connection with a particular organization that you're interested in. They do an annual like a lump current student networking event or alums come back to campus. They have like more exceptions. You can network there, so they do try to keep a long suspense.

Close as possible.

So Adams asking How can have students completed data science with environmental regulatory policy courses that Sarah left is I'm sure I'm not sure 100%. I don't. I'm not familiar with all the course curriculum of over data science students. But I'm sure some folks have there's only 2 electives with the data science, so keep that in mind, but I can or you're welcome to, I need to put you in touch with with my family or Eric Jumper, who are more familiar with that or they can probably put you in touch with somebody that.

Has a similar interest that is also data science student, but it's definitely possible.

Someone's asking where McCourt students typically live and how they get to campus.

So there's no online on campus graduate housing, so our students tend to live. Um there's not really one designated spot. So our current students are really great resources for that and are admitted for administrators will do a webinar about living in DC will have a current student panel kind of talk about how they where they live how they just have a decided where to live, but you know it really depends on the individual and kind of what your personal preferences like what your budget is if you want to live downtown.

If you want to live in.

Virginia Northern Virginia area uh next different kind of neighborhoods that you can familiarize yourself. We don't have a Metro in walking distance of campus. So we do have a lot of shuttles that are free to our students that one from various Metro station. So we have a shuttle that runs from Roslyn shuttle that runs from Dupont Circle, which is downtown. There's one that runs from Capitol Hill area. There's an Arlington Loop. So I think that that is kind of a good start and then I'll look at where the dust Buster Georgetown University.

Service uhm shuttle runs from and kind of go from there, but I will have more information for you. We have an office of residence life and off campus housing will be sending resources to help you navigate that process.

Alright well, I think that's all the time we have for today. Just wanted to thank you. All so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us and learn a little bit more about the McCourt School, please. Feel free to reach out to our office at McCourt admissions at georgetown.edu. If you have anymore questions or the factory director so we're happy to help and we hope you have a wonderful afternoon.