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SIS Graduate Student Bulletins
SISGradAdvising
SISALLGRAD-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Grad Advising Bulletin 8/24/15 - Add/Drop Express Advising and Registration FAQs, SRP/internship registration
deadlines, New Academic Regs, Global Networks Program, SIS-600 Skills Refresher, Advisor Changes
08/24/2015 03:38 PM
Grad Advising News and Announcements
NEW SIS Global Networks Program
Are you interested in meeting with fellow SIS students to talk about different cultural and regional
interests? Do you want to meet international students and help them adjust to the culture of SIS? Then
the Global Networks Program is for you! The Global Networks Program is for looking for SIS students
who wish to be Peer Advisors or International Student Mentors. Submit your application by Friday,
August 28!
NEW Teaching/Research Assistant Opportunity with Prof. Mroczkowski (Kogod)
Prof. Tomasz Mroczkowski is seeking a graduate student to assist with conducting literature review,
interviews and data gathering/analysis. Area of research is international innovation, specifically
university-business cooperation in comparative perspective, the emergence of international markets for
R&D services, and the experiences of technology start-up companies from Central Europe in Silicon
Valley. Strong Internet and general research/analytical skills, computer skills required. Good writing,
editing and communications skills are needed. Interest in international business is a plus. Excellent
command of written English is a must. Interested candidates should email Prof. Mroczkowski at
mrocz@american.edu with a resume and brief letter of interest. Express Advising Starting Mon, Aug 24 - Now scheduled online and in-advance, inperson or via phone
Graduate advisors will be holding Express Advising hours Monday, August 24 - Friday,
September 18. Unlike Appointments, Express Advising meetings are 15 minutes in length and
should be used for immediate questions related to fall registration. (30 minute appointments for long
term degree planning will resume Monday, September 21.) STUDENTS WILL NOW SCHEDULE
EXPRESS ADVISING MEETINGS ONLINE AND IN-ADVANCE, AND ALL EXPRESS
ADVISING MEETINGS WILL NOW BE AVAILABLE EITHER IN-PERSON OR VIA PHONE.
We hope that this increased flexibility will better accommodates our students' busy schedules. We will
no longer be able to guarantee same-day availability, so students should schedule in advance if they
wish to meet with their advisor. Students can schedule an Express Advising meeting with
their advisor at: https://sisgraduateadvising-expressadvising.youcanbook.me/. If you
have any questions about Express Advising, please call the Graduate Advising office at 202-885-1690.
Fall 2015 Add/Drop Registration FAQs
Fall 2015 classes begin Monday, August 31 and the last day of the add/drop period (the last day to
make changes to your schedule for a 100% refund and without a 'W') is Monday, September 14.
All internships (academic credit or non-credit) and independent studies (including SRPs and theses)
must be registered by Thursday, September 10 (see below for more information). STUDENTS
ARE RECOMMENDED TO REVIEW THE FALL ADD/DROP REGISTRATION FAQs FOR
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FALL REGISTRATION. FAQ topics include:
· Add/Drop Registration Deadlines and Information
· Approved Second-Level Methods Courses
· Waitlists
· SRP, Thesis, Independent Study Registration
· MA Professional Experience Requirement
· Internship (Academic Credit or No-Credit)
Internship and Independent Study (including SRP and thesis) Registration Deadline
Students registering Internships (for academic credit or non-credit to fulfill the professional
experience requirement) or Independent Studies (including SRPs and theses) for the fall 2015
semester are required to submit their completed registration materials (including any necessary
approvals and attachments) to the Graduate Advising office by Thursday, September 10 to allow
time for processing before Monday, September 10. Incomplete paperwork will not be processed.
Students who anticipate securing a fall internship after the registration deadline, or
who will be unable to complete registration paperwork by the deadline for any
reason, should contact their academic advisor in advance of the deadline to discuss
options. For information on registering independent studies (including SRPs and theses) and
internships, please review the FALL ADD/DROP REGISTRATION FAQs or visit the SIS Graduate
Advising website. Non-credit internships and the SIS Professional Experience Requirement
Students completing an internship this spring to fulfill the SIS MA Professional
Experience requirement must register the internship. Internships can be registered either
for non-credit (no tuition charge, only fulfills the Professional Experience requirement) or for academic
credit (tuition charges apply, may fulfill the Elective requirement in addition to the Professional
Experience requirement). For more information about the SIS Professional Experience requirement
visit the SIS Graduate Advising website. For more information on registering internships, please see
above or review the FALL ADD/DROP REGISTRATION FAQs or visit the SIS Graduate Advising
website. New AU Graduate Academic Regulations
The AU Faculty Senate has approved updates to the Graduate Academic Regulations effective Fall
2015. These regulations will govern all AU students enrolled in graduate degree or certificate
programs or registered for graduate non-degree coursework beginning August 31, 2015. To read the
announcement from the AU Office of Graduate Studies, click here here. Changes relevant to SIS
graduate students include changes to the regulations governing academic probation and dual-degrees.
Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the new AU Graduate Academic Regulations
found here. Graduate Student Council New Officers and Task Force Representatives
After careful consideration and in line with the SIS GSC Bylaws, two representatives have been
selected for the SIS Task Force on MA Education: Analicia Carpio is a 2nd year MA candidate in
International Communications and Lucas Olson is a 2nd year MA candidate in International
Development, as well as President of GSC. Additionally, new Executive Officer positions have been
finalized: the GSC Vice President is Jonathan Hunn-Broadnax, a 2nd year MA candidate in Int’l Peace
and Conflict Resolution and the Director of Communications is Parsa Ghahramani, a 2nd year MA
Candidate in Comparative Regional Studies. Per the Bylaws, mandated elections for the GSC
Executive Council were waived due to the number of qualified applicants. More information will be
soon forthcoming on how to get involved with the Task Force process and your Graduate Student
Council. In the meantime, you can learn more about the GSC via our Facebook page
at https://www.facebook.com/SISGSC. SIS-600 Int'l Affairs Stats & Methods Skills Refresher on Blackboard
Students who are registered for SIS-600 International Affairs Statistics and Methods for fall 2015, or
planning to take the course in a future semester, are encouraged to visit the SIS-600 Skills Refresher
on Blackboard. On this course page, you'll find the following resources to help you feel ready for
success in SIS-600.
A quick self-assessment to help you gauge your familiarity with the mathematical tools you'll
need for SIS-600 or any other stats course.
Tutorials to get you up to speed. You'll find brief videos, instructional guides, and practice
problems focusing on the mathematical concepts we use in class.
Advanced training and review for those interested in pursuing more advanced training after SIS600.
Information about SIS-600 and the Professors who teach it.
Please note, not all SIS graduate students are required to take SIS-600. For For questions about your
program requirements, please contact your academic advisor and/or review your program worksheet on
the Graduate Advising website at: http://www.american.edu/sis/gradadvising/worksheets.cfm If you
have any questions or comments about the refresher or do not have access to the course on
Blackboard, please email Professor Austin Hart at ahart@american.edu.
Advisor Transitions in Grad Advising (EPGA, IC, IM, IER, IE and GEP)
As of Monday, August 24, the Global Environmental Politics (GEP) program will be advised
by Marisa Rivero (mrivero@american.edu). Click here to read the announcement about the new GEP
advisor. As of Monday, July 20, the following programs were assigned new graduate academic advisors:
Ethics, Peace and Global Affairs (EPGA): Mike Rosenberger (rosenber@american.edu)
Intercultural and International Communication (IC) and International Media (IM):
Annie Belott (abelott@american.edu)
International Economic Relations (IER) and International Economics (IE): Marisa Rivero
(mrivero@american.edu)
Click here to read the full announcement about advisor transitions in EPGA, IC,IM, IER and IE,
including more information about each advisor. Apply to Graduate for Fall 2015
Students planning to complete all degree requirements in the Fall 2015 semester must apply to
graduate via their myAU portal (under Academics – Apply to Graduate). We recommend that you
complete the application now (the application takes less than 5 minutes) if you plan to graduate in fall.
Click here for information about the December 2015 AU Commencement ceremony. Economics Placement Exam (October 8-10) Registration
Students wishing to take the SIS economics placement exam to waive the ECON-603 prerequisite to
register for SIS-616 International Economics, SIS-620 Intro. to Environmental Economics, SIS-635
Intro. to Economic Development, or other economics courses may now register for the next available
exam in October. Some MA programs may allow students to waive ECON-603 based on other criteria,
so students should check with their academic advisor if they have any questions about whether they
should take the exam.
The online economics placement exam is offered live and is proctored (students must be on webcam
during the test administration). The exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions that cover both
microeconomic and macroeconomic principles. Students have 90 minutes to complete the exam.
Students may only take the examination once as an SIS graduate student. A passing score is a 74%.
There are three different time options available in October: Thurs, Oct 8: 5:30-7:30pm EDT
Fri, Oct 9: 9:30-11am EDT
Sat, Oct 10: 10-11:30am EDT
Please click here to register for the exam. The registration deadline is Thursday, October
1. After registering, you will receive information about how to access the online testing space. This is
the only exam period that will be offered prior to Spring 2016 registration beginning.
Upcoming Events
Fall 2015 SIS Graduate Orientation NEW STUDENTS ONLY
Thursday, August 27 - Friday, August 28
SIS is excited to welcome new graduate students at Graduate Orientation later this month! Thursday
attendance is mandatory, and new students are highly recommend to attend the Friday optional
sessions. Students are advised to consult their invitation for more schedule details. Continuing
students should please be aware that academic advisors will not be holding appointments or Express
Advising hours on these days, but the Graduate Advising office will be open for general questions.
New students can view a tentative schedule and RSVP here.
FOR SIS EVENTS: http://www.american.edu/sis/events
TO ACCESS TO SIS GRADUATE ADVISING WEEKLY BULLETINS ON THE WEB:
http://www.american.edu/sis/gradadvising/News-and-Announcements.cfm
To schedule an appointment, please call the Graduate Advising Office at (202) 885-1690. For advising resources, and Express Advising schedules (as applicable), please visit
the Graduate Advising website at: www.american.edu/sis/gradadvising.
For up to date advising information, please visit our News and Announcements page at:
http://www.american.edu/sis/gradadvising/News-and-Announcements.cfm.