phd georgetown university

College of Arts & Sciences

Ph.D. Program

Welcome to the phd program.

The Georgetown University Economics Ph.D. program is a full-time program designed for students who seek research careers at the forefront of economic science. The Ph.D. program provides an excellent training environment for future scholars. Located in the nation’s capital, it is ideally situated for both students specializing in pure science and those who wish to study policy informed by science.

Main Contacts

• Julius Shapiro serves as the PhD Program Coordinator. Please contact him first with any questions related to the PhD Program.
• Professor  Toshihiko Mukoyama  serves as Director of Graduate Studies and is responsible for the PhD Program.

Information for Applying to the PhD Program

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Supplementary Form

Biennial Conference

Recent Placements

Information for Current Students

Current PhDs Students

Razin Lecture and Prize

General Information

• Directions to the Department
• Housing Information
• Current Job Market Candidates
• Previous Job Market Candidates

Our PhD Students

• Current PhD Student Profiles

Program Requirements

• Course of Study
• Core Courses
• Field Courses
• Policies and Procedures

College of Arts & Sciences

PhD Program

Requirements for the phd.

In order to be admitted to candidacy for the PhD, students complete the following requirements within six (6) semesters from beginning the PhD program.

• Earn 45 credits, distributed as specified below;
• Pass all required comprehensive exams;
• Satisfy the logic requirement;
• Complete the Dissertation Transition Seminar;
• Hold pre-proposal meeting

At least 15 courses (45 credits) are required and are to be distributed as follows:

• Proseminars During their first year of residency in the PhD program, all students are required to pass the Ethics Proseminar and a year-long proseminar covering selected issues that arise in metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of science (LEMMS Proseminar 1 & LEMMS Proseminar 2).
• Be focused on an historical figure(s), movement(s), or period(s)
• Approach its material with a primary learning goal to understand, interpret, reconstruct, and critically evaluate the texts. Whether a particular course satisfies these requirements, and whether it counts as Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, or Modern, will be determined by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with appropriate faculty.
• Advanced Topical Courses Students must take two topically oriented courses at the 8000-level, one in a normative area and one in a non-normative area.
• Taking PHIL-5001, Intermediate Logic, and earning a grade of B or higher;
• Taking and passing an examination administered by the Department on the material covered in PHIL-5001; or
• By receiving a final grade of B+ or higher in an equivalent or more advanced course at another institution. Under (i) above, with approval by the Director of Graduate Studies as well as the faculty who teach PHIL-5001, an equivalent or more advanced course at Georgetown may be substituted for PHIL-5001. Under (iii) above, the Director of Graduate Studies a well as the faculty who teach PHIL-5001 must approve the proposal to certify a course from another institution as equivalent to or more advanced than PHIL-5001. Students who fail to pass the Logic requirement during their first year in the program may have one further opportunity to pass the requirement.
• 4000–4999 Level Courses No more than one fifth (⅕) of the credits required for one’s degree may be earned in courses below the 5000-level. Courses below the 4000-level may not be taken for graduate credit

Timeline for the Ph.D. Program

The timeline below assumes that students are on financial aid. Those who are not should consult with the Director of Graduate Studies and develop a personalized plan of study that is realistic given the student’s other commitments. Additionally, this timeline applies (only) to students who matriculated in the Ph.D. program in or after Fall 2018. Finally, there are variations on this pattern in virtue of alternative funding plans (special or outside fellowships, research assistantships tied to faculty grants) or advanced standing.

• You will take four courses per semester and so complete 8 of the required 15 courses (24 of the required 45 credits).
• Complete eight (8) courses or 24 credits, including the two Proseminars (Ethics and the year-long LEMMS Proseminar); two comprehensive examinations based on the Ethics and LEMMS Proseminars; and the Logic requirement (PHIL-551or its equivalent and PHIL-350 if needed). Students will have a non-service Fellowship during Year 1 (see IV.A.2 below).
• Participate in the non-credit First-Year Seminar, an informal seminar where you will learn about the department’s expectations for graduate students and how to navigate life as a grad student.
• Financial aid : first-year students on financial aid have a non-service “fellowship” year. This means that they are supported to devote themselves full-time to their coursework.
• You will take three courses per semester, and so complete an additional 6 of the required 15 courses (18 of the required 45 credits), for a running total of 14 of the 15 required courses (42 of the required 45 credits).
• Course selection is at your discretion, but you must have a plan to satisfy the requirements in the history of philosophy and the two required systematic courses at the 500+ level, one in normative philosophy, and one in non-normative philosophy. You should consult with the DGS on this plan.
• Financial aid : the second year in the program is a service stipend year. This typically entails serving as a Teaching Assistant for a large introductory course in both semesters. You will be responsible for leading two weekly discussion sections of 22–25 students each, grading your students’ work, holding office hours, attending the course plenary lectures, and other duties as assigned.
• Complete your final course, ensuring that all coursework requirements for the Ph.D. have been completed.
• Participate in the non-credit Third-Year Seminar, where you will begin to think about your dissertation proposal with fellow third-year students, the leader of the seminar, and perhaps with other faculty.
• You must hold a “pre-proposal” or dissertation organization meeting by the end of the third year. In this meeting, you will plan a path toward a formal dissertation proposal with a proposed dissertation committee and mentor.
• Financial aid : service responsibilities resemble those of second-year students, with the additional possibility of serving as a teaching assistant for PHIL-099, Political and Social Thought, the introductory philosophy course for first-year students in the School of Foreign Service. (You may apply for this position during the second year in the program. Three students are chosen each year. The position comes with summer preparation and a summer stipend.)
• You must defend a formal dissertation proposal by the end of the fall semester of the fourth year (your seventh semester in the program). This requires writing a formal proposal according to the regulations of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and defending that proposal in a formal oral defense. Students who do not pass the oral defense may try a second (and final) time during their eighth semester in the program.
• Financial aid : during your fourth year, you will begin to teach your own courses as an instructor of record (a “Teaching Associate”). You will choose a Teaching Mentor, who along with the Department’s Coordinator of Teaching Associates will guide you through the process of designing and teaching courses. There is also substantial teacher training available through the University’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship.
• Financial aid : your fifth year in the program will be a second non-service fellowship year. You will devote yourself entirely to writing your dissertation, with the goal of putting yourself in a position to complete and formally defend the dissertation during the sixth year
• Financial aid : funding is not guaranteed for the sixth year, but it has usually been available to students who have made good progress through the program. If funded, you will teach again as a Teaching Associate, gaining additional valuable experience as an instructor.
• You should defend your doctoral dissertation during this sixth year, as well as prepare for seeking post-doctoral employment.

Years Seven and Eight

• You may, if needed, take a seventh year to complete and defend your dissertation, and it is permissible to apply for an eighth year in the program if necessary.
• However , no financial aid is likely to be available for the seventh and eighth years.

Ph.D. Program in Biology

Our graduate program provides students of diverse backgrounds with the opportunity to intensely engage in research in the biological sciences and contribute to the broader scientific community.

Average time to degree: 5.3 years

Percentage of graduates in post-doctoral or permanent positions: 94%

Average publications after completion of program: 3.8 per person

Ph.D. Program

The Department of Biology introduces graduate students to diverse fields of biological science, and provides them with expert guidance to excel in research. The department is invested in training students to become excellent scientists, researchers, science communicators, and instructors. We are a diverse and global community, committed to expanding scientific career opportunities to all. Some of our graduates become academics, whereas others find careers in government, private industry, public policy, or elsewhere (see where recent graduates are now). The ability to communicate ideas and research results clearly and convincingly is key to success in any career.

Experience Biology at Georgetown University

Professors and current students share their perspectives on Georgetown’s cutting-edge biology graduate program.

Potential applicants are urged to identify and contact potential research mentors directly before applying. Please refer to the research page and the list of faculty interested in accepting students . Not all laboratories will have open positions available for a new graduate student in a given year.

Financial Assistance for PhD Students

    students who are accepted into the phd program in biology are guaranteed a minimum of five years of full funding. this funding includes:.

Stipend The stipend for PhD students in Biology is set by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Georgetown University and the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees ( GAGE ). The current stipend rate is $36,934 for the year. The stipend is paid on a 12-month contract, typically in 26 biweekly paychecks.

Tuition Waiver The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS) provides full tuition waivers for all PhD students for the duration of the PhD program.

Health Insurance Health insurance is required. The GSAS provides free student health insurance to all students. The insurance covers doctor’s visits, hospital stays, and prescription drugs. Students may waive this benefit if they prefer a different plan through parents or a spouse.

Dental Insurance The GSAS provides free dental insurance to all students. The insurance covers routine dental care, such as cleanings and exams.

Yates Athletic Facility All students are eligible to use the Yates athletic facility for free. The facility has a gym, swimming pool, and fitness classes.

Parental Leave Graduate student workers are guaranteed six weeks of paid parental leave. This leave can be used to bond with a new child or to care for a sick child.

Medical Leave Graduate student workers are guaranteed six weeks of paid medical leave. This leave can be used to recover from a medical condition or to care for a sick family member.

To learn more about financial assistance for PhD students, please visit the Graduate Funding page. You can read more about what it means to do a PhD in a union-protected graduate program  here

Student Quotes

“Until you start your journey in grad school you might not know what you are missing out on. Other than the course work, grad school has been instrumental in  inculcating important life values and skills such as confidence, time management, survival, and holding personal and professional relationships in higher esteem. ”

“Studying at Georgetown has enabled me to be a lot more confident in my ability to ask questions and chart my own path in scientific research. My advisor and mentors here at Georgetown have been top quality in terms of both academic and personal support”

“Georgetown is a place with an environment conducive to learning and professional growth for prospective scientists working towards their graduate degrees and beyond. In this program, I found mentorship and training that foster the critical thinking required to answer the questions I am interested in. I found the multidisciplinary nature of the graduate student body to be engaging and supportive from the beginning of my journey.”

“The breadth of research that goes on in the Bio department really facilitates a broad understanding of biology from the life of single cells to the life of much larger organisms. It really is something unique that you don’t get at other more specific departments and has really helped me think outside of the box with my own work.”

Graduate Research Opportunities

Learn about the research programs that the department of Biology offers and find out which programs are recruiting graduate students.

Graduate Teaching Opportunities

Find out about the many opportunities that are offered to graduate students to develop teaching and mentoring skills.

Graduate Funding Opportunities

Learn about stipend funding and the additional funds from the GU Graduate School offered to help support graduate dissertation research or travel to meetings.

College of Arts & Sciences

PhD Program

For Academic Year 2024-25 : Director of Doctoral Studies : Prof. Katie Benton-Cohen Graduate Programs Manager : Carolina Madinaveitia

Welcome to Georgetown’s Ph.D. program in History! We are a top-notch program with strengths in multiple fields , and we encourage students with interests that span geographical regions, time periods, and thematic foci.  Our doctoral student community numbers roughly 100, with new cohorts of 10-12 fully-funded students each year. Our alumni have gone on to distinguished careers as historians in and out of the academy.

Our Ph.D. program has much to offer. In addition to the attention of a distinguished and award-winning History faculty, our students benefit from Georgetown’s many regional studies programs and intellectual centers, where interdisciplinary activity is prized. Opportunities for language training abound. No city has greater resources for historians than Washington, D.C.: the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the National Library of Medicine, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and many other institutions hold an unparalleled wealth of research material.

Our doctoral program is collegial and collaborative, with a vibrant intellectual life. Outside of class, students participate in seminars and conferences along with faculty, share in the activities of our Institute for Global History, grow through professional development workshops, and socialize with each other when the academic day is over. It’s a fun place to be a serious historian.

Ph.D. Program

The Graduate Program in Psychology at Georgetown University offers a fully funded five-year, full-time program of study leading to a Ph.D. in Psychology. Students in the program concentrate in either  Human Development and Public Policy  (HDPP) or  Lifespan Cognitive Neuroscience (LCN).

Please note: Our department does not offer degrees in Clinical Psychology or Counseling Psychology. We do not have a Masters program. A GRE score is required.

The program is fundamentally a research program. Students are expected to meet rigorous research milestones and receive training in conducting independent scholarly research. Students in the HDPP track also take core courses at the McCourt School of Public Policy , while students in the LCN track take core courses in the  Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience  at The Georgetown University School of Medicine. Students in both concentrations also take core and elective courses in the Psychology Department. A dual degree in Psychology (Ph.D.) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) is also offered in collaboration with the  McCourt School of Public Policy to students in the HDPP concentration.

Program requirements are designed to offer students rigorous training in the theories and methods that characterize the psychological sciences and enable them to place the study of development and neuroscience into the broader contexts–biological, familial, social, cultural, economic, historical, political–from which the field draws its societal applications. All entering Ph.D. students select a primary mentor or mentors with whom to conduct research. Faculty research ranges from studies of learning, cognition, emotion, and social behavior at specific stages of childhood and adolescence to the study of neural and physiological mechanisms supporting these and other processes throughout the lifespan.

Located in close proximity to the White House, Congress, the National Institutes of Health, the National Academies, and many of the world’s most prestigious research and nonprofit organizations, the Department of Psychology provides a unique graduate education that bridges academic study and practice in both public policy and health/medicine. Our graduate Ph.D. program is designed to take full advantage of these resources.

The Psychology Department, along with Georgetown University, encourages all qualified students of any age, gender, race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin–including students from racial and ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in the social and behavioral sciences–to apply to our program. The University, including the Psychology Department, does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, handicap, color, national or ethnic origin in administration of educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other University-administered programs. Inquiries regarding Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity may be addressed to Director, Affirmative Action Programs . Georgetown University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

If you have additional questions, please read our FAQ page and view our informational webinar . If they do not address your questions, you may also contact the Graduate Program  Co-Directors or [email protected].

College of Arts & Sciences

Ph.D. Program

Interested in the chemistry ph.d. program.

Prospective students can contact our Graduate Admissions coordinator Ms. Tabi Lemlem (202-687-6073) or the Graduate Admissions chair Prof. Travis Holman .

Office of Admissions

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Our Ph.D. program guides students to attain the following goals upon graduation:

1.  Broad chemistry knowledge. The students will broaden and deepen their understanding of theories, concepts and models to enhance their success as scientists and educators.

2.  Expertise in a specific discipline.   Each student will acquire a deep working knowledge of a particular field in chemistry.

3.  Communication skills. Graduates will be able to construct and defend arguments with clarity.  They will be able to write for and speak with peers, experts and the public on a range of topics specific to their discipline.

4.  The ability to access and evaluate primary literature.   Students will have the ability to search, read and critically analyze the primary literature in order to understand and synthesize new ideas in their field.

5.  Data analysis skills.  Students will have the ability to produce, analyze and interpret meaningful chemical data and draw sound conclusions.

6.  Become independent researchers.  Graduates will be able to conceive, design and execute research projects independently.

7.  Make original scientific contributions.   Students will solve new and significant problems in their chosen field.  They will understand the importance of this work in advancing the progress of their discipline and be able to explain its relevance.  The quality and value of this work will be such that it can be published in a highly respected peer reviewed journal.

8.  Responsible conduct in research.  Graduates will understand and conduct research exhibiting the highest standards of safety, honesty and integrity.

9.  Teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration.   Graduates will have the ability to work effectively as part of a team and to cross traditional boundaries and execute multidisciplinary research. 

10. Teaching and mentoring skills.   Students will acquire teaching skills and gain experience mentoring less experienced scientists in a research setting.

College of Arts & Sciences

Doctoral Program

The Path to The Ph.D

The Georgetown graduate experience is tailored to match your academic and professional goals. The process is straightforward, but as with any program, there are certain benchmarks that help you chart your path. Detailed information is available in the Graduate Handbook .

• Perform well and earn 34 credits in the coursework (maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above)
• Participate in the Integrative Experience after the 1 st 2 semesters of coursework
• Join 3 Lab Rotations to gain expertise and choose an Academic Advisor
• Pass the Comprehensive Examination , typically before beginning their 2 nd year
• Pass the Qualifying Examination , within 18 months of completing coursework or directly after an Apprenticeship
• Research, write and defend a Dissertation

Prerequisites for first-year graduate courses

Classical mechanics.

• Lagrangian formulation at the level of Marion.
• Understand the definition of Hamiltonian and of a Poisson bracket.

COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS

• Proficiency in coding in a high-level programming language like Fortran, C, C++, or java.
• Understanding loops and conditional statements.
• Full knowledge of how to solve second order differential equations with constant coefficients.
• Separation of variables for partial differential equations.
• Heat flow or diffusion,
• Wave or Schroedinger equation, and
• Boundary-value problems.
• Understanding of Fourier analysis (both discrete and a continuous Fourier transform) and eigenvalue problems.

ELECTROMAGNETISM

• Differential formulation of Maxwell’s equations
• Poisson’s equation
• Multipole expansions
• Generation of electromagnetic waves
• Circuit analysis (both AC and DC)
• Geometrical & physical optics, (at the level of Griffiths).

QUANTUM MECHANICS

• Bra and ket notation
• Eigenvalue problems (as partial differential equations and in matrix form)
• Separation of variables
• Raising and lowering operators
• Addition of angular momentum
• Hydrogen atom
• Nondegenerate perturbation theory
• Simple time-evolution problems (at the level of Liboff, Griffiths, or Dicke and Witte).

STATISTICAL MECHANICS

• Definitions of entropy, free energy, chemical potential.
• Free energy of classical and quantum harmonic oscillator.
• Equipartition theorem.
• Degenerate Fermi and Bose gases.
• One-dimensional Ising model. (At the level of Kittel and Kroemer).

Doctoral – PhD in Nursing

About the Program

Georgetown’s PhD in Nursing Program is designed to be a full-time, campus-based, premier doctoral program for individuals who want to be leaders for change by seeking to advance the discipline and those they serve in academic, community health, health care, policy, global, and research settings. The Fall 2025 entry application cycle is open now here with an application submission deadline of December 1, 2024.

Georgetown’s PhD program will lead in creating nurse scientists who generate knowledge with ethics and health equity as its core compass, to advance health, appreciating our shared humanity. Roberta Waite , Dean of Georgetown University School of Nursin g

Program Features

• Draws upon the interdisciplinary and intellectual richness of the campus community
• Develops leaders for change in nursing
• Focus in ethics and health equity
• Intellectual vibrancy with renowned faculty across multiple disciplines
• Globally known, values-based academic community
• Intellectual vibrancy across complimentary academic disciplines such as ethics, law, philosophy, medicine, and policy.
• Full-time, campus-based program

Program Virtual Information Sessions

Register below to attend a virtual information session featuring a formal presentation by the Program Director, Admissions Director and a School of Nursing faculty member. During the online information session webinar presentation, we will give a detailed overview of the Ph.D. in Nursing program features, curriculum and application procedure. The Fall 2025 entry application cycle is open now here with an application submission deadline of December 1, 2024.

• Friday, September 13, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. , featuring Dr. Liz Stokes and Dr. Edilma Yearwood. Register here to attend .
• Wednesday, October 16, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. , featuring Dr. Carol Taylor and Dr. Edilma Yearwood. Register here to attend .
• Thursday, November 7, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. , featuring Dr. Ella Heitzler and Dr. Edilma Yearwood. Register here to attend .

Program Admissions

Application deadlines.

Submission Deadline – December 1, 2024

Decision Deadline – Mid-January 2025

Program Questions

Please direct questions about the PhD in Nursing program to [email protected] .

Program Leadership

Edilma L. Yearwood, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN Interim Program Director, PhD in Nursing Program

Program Faculty

Nursing PhD students work with faculty who have expertise in multidimensional and complementary areas, including ethics, health equity, health disparities, mental health, women’s health, cardiovascular science and physiology.

Intima Alrimawi, PhD, MSN, MPH, BSN

Dr. Alrimawi’s research focuses on improving the quality of care for vulnerable families and children with complex health concerns or chronic diseases. Her secondary research interest is the development of nursing education to promote optimal outcomes in nursing education.

Ella Heitzler, PhD, WHNP, FNP, RNC-OB

Dr. Heitzler’s research seeks to support healing and increase the health equity of cisgender women and transgender persons who have experienced gender-based violence. Her current work explores the sexual violence screening practices (screening rates, questions utilized to screen, barriers to screening, and facilitators of screening) of nurse practitioners, midwives, and physicians who specialize in reproductive health care.

Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran, PhD

Dr. Mirabal-Beltran studies women’s health inequities and patient-provider communication. She is particularly interested in the use of Community-Based Participatory Research to facilitate access to health and health education. Her current work partners with the Wash and Spin to Health / Washington Avanzando la Salud Hispana (W.A.S.H.) Community Advisory Board to develop a reproductive health educational intervention to roll out in DC laundromats.

Carol Taylor, PhD, RN

Dr. Taylor’s passion is making health care “work” for everyone — equity. She studies pedagogical strategies to prepare the next generation of frontline caregivers to address ethical challenges. Her research interests include clinical and organizational ethics and spiritual care. She is the primary author of all 10 editions of WolterKluwer’s “Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Person-Centered Care.”

Sarah Vittone, DBe, MSN, MA, RN

Dr. Vittone has more than 25 years of experience in clinical ethics consultation and is a primary consultant with the ethics consultation service of the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics. Her clinical ethics interests are in complex decision-making, surrogate decision-makers, and issues at the interface of vulnerable populations and health systems.

Krista White, PhD, RN, CCRN-K, CNE

Dr. White’s research focuses on nursing education science, mentorship, compassionate teaching, equity within education, and an inclusive learning environment that fosters student outcomes. Dr. White is an instrument developer. The “Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence with Clinical Decision Making” scale and has been used in approximately 250 empirical studies worldwide, and has been translated and validated in Korean and Turkish.

Edilma Yearwood, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN

Dr. Yearwood, a qualitative researcher, uses community-based participatory action, ethnography and grounded theory methodologies in her research grounded in promoting and advocating for health equity. Her current grant is titled “Nurturing Child Well-Being: Educating Communities on Social Determinants of Health.” The project examines family and community dynamics and social determinants (FCDSD) — all of which impact the health and well-being of children and may result in poor health outcomes.

MD/PhD Program

Updated July 202 4

Welcome to the Georgetown MD/PhD Program. The mission of our program is to train a diverse pool of medical scientist for dedicated careers in biomedical, bioethical and clinical research. Particular strengths of our program include cancer research (in conjunction with the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center), neuroscience, pharmacology, and bioethics. Students accepted in the 2024-2025 application cycle will receive a full tuition scholarship and stipend for the entirety of their training. Please consider applying to our program!

Todd Waldman, MD, PhD Director

Global Engagement

Global database, ph.d. in psychology.

The graduate program in psychology at Georgetown University offers a fully funded five-year, full-time program of study leading to a Ph.D. in psychology. Students in the program concentrate in either human development and public policy or lifespan cognitive neuroscience.

Learn More About Ph.D. in Psychology

Department of Psychology

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

Communications

Science and Technology

College of Arts & Sciences

Graduate Program

Georgetown offers a Ph.D. in Theological and Religious Studies, an interdisciplinary program that allows students to pursue the critical and comparative study of theology and religion. With over twenty full-time faculty members, the Theology and Religious Studies Department has specialists in Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Our faculty have particular expertise in the following areas: religion and public life, comparative theology, philosophy of religion, religious ethics, scriptural interpretation, and religion and globalization. The Doctoral Program welcomes applications from students whose research interests grapple with questions of interreligious understanding and contemporary issues of religious pluralism in an increasingly globalized and multicultural world.

Students admitted to our program receive five years of full funding, which includes tuition, health coverage, and a generous stipend. Our program also allocates funding for conference travel, and our current students regularly present at national and international conferences. Current students have also received grants and awards from outside fellowships for summer language study and dissertation research.

Academic Resources

Our Ph.D. students join a vibrant scholarly community–both within the department and beyond. Our strengths as a department are augmented by a wealth of other resources at Georgetown, including the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding , the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies , the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs , the Program for Jewish Civilization , the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures , and the Department of Arab and Islamic Studies .

Thank you for your interest in Georgetown University’s Ph.D. in Theological & Religious Studies program.

To learn more please fill out the Theological & Religious Studies Inquiry Form here .

Application Deadline: December 15th

Administration

• Chair: Ariel Glucklich
• Department Administrator: Margit Silva
• Director of Graduate Studies and Director of Admissions & Recruitment, Graduate Program: Michael Slater
• Director of Intellectual Life, Graduate Program: Brandon Dotson
• Director of Undergraduate Studies: Stephen Wilson

Ph.D. Arabic & Islamic Studies

The Ph.D. Program in Arabic and Islamic Studies offer advanced training in the disciplines of Arabic Linguistics, Arabic Literature (Modern and Classical), and Islamic Studies (Intellectual History, Theology, Law) with an emphasis on the close reading and interpretation of primary sources, whether linguistic or textual, modern or classical.

The department strives to educate students in current theoretical, critical and cultural scholarly approaches as tools to explore and analyze primary sources and linguistic data and to evaluate and challenge secondary scholarship. In forming the new generation of research scholars in our fields, we strive to give them the linguistic and critical tools necessary for original and creative scholarship. Our Ph.D. students typically go on to academic careers, often beginning with post-doctoral fellowships, with tenure-track university appointments or in other research institutions.

Entering students are required to have Arabic language competence equivalent to at least that attained by the end of the third year of intensive language study in the undergraduate program at Georgetown University. In the first week of their first academic year, students who are non-native Arabic speakers are required to take an Arabic language exam administered by the department. Students who fail this exam are required to be enrolled in advanced Arabic classes, and to take the exam again at the end of the fall semester. If they still do not score satisfactorily they have until the end of the spring semester to successfully retake the exam. Students must pass the Arabic proficiency exam by the end of August of their first academic year if they are to continue in the program. Arabic language courses taken to enable students to reach the required proficiency level do not count towards the degree credits. Students who desire ACTFL proficiency certification should make arrangements with the department.

Students already enrolled in the master’s program at Georgetown must apply again if they are interested in joining the Ph.D. program; these students are not guaranteed admission, and will be considered by the admissions committee along with other applicants from outside the department.

For more details on the Ph.D. program, please see the  Graduate Handbook.

To apply, please visit the Graduate School  admissions website.

Title: Welcome Home Hoyas

Dear Hoyas,

Welcome home. I know you have heard this before and trust you will always know that we are more than a place of education. Georgetown is our home.

This home is not perfect. We are most certainly a place where the food won’t replace home cooking, the homework assignments may not be turned in on time, and there may even be traffic on your way to the Capitol for an internship. Your Hoya home welcomes your imperfection and cherishes the journey that awaits during your years at Georgetown.

I invite you to think of a few things that are central to our sense of belonging at Georgetown:

We care for one another. Our Jesuit values speak to our purpose as an institution.  Above all things, we cherish the gift that we are to each other and the world you will serve as a Hoya. Make time for the community that surrounds you. I recommend:

• We literally have a 4,418-seat multi-purpose stadium. On campus. In DC. There is a seat for you .
• GWOW is probably one of the coolest acronyms I’ve encountered.
• Selfish plug: hang out with me in VP Advisory . All are welcome. There is food.

Be curious . Scholars are not defined by knowing all the answers, they are defined by their willingness to question ideas and each other. As Hoyas, you are expected, asked, to imagine the possibility of what can be discovered when we take the time to question, engage, and inform our understanding of each other and our world. As a University community we are committed to the free exchange of ideas, as embodied in Georgetown’s Speech and Expression Policy .

My own thoughts and opinions have expanded after experiencing the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, the inter religious experience that occurs throughout Georgetown, the empowerment and community found in our restorative circles , and the transformation that occurs during our immersion trips .

Conflict matters ; but only when nurtured by care and curiosity. The Provost has recently launched the Georgetown Dialogues Initiative . I’m thrilled to be teaching an Ignatian Seminar with Rev. Greg Schenden, S.J. this fall on conflict and transformation. In a year that has seen countless elections across the world, GU Politics always proves to keep us engaged.

Now, more than ever, we strive to be people for others in a complex world. These principles are more than chants yelled at rallies, they are central to our identity as Hoyas.

At Georgetown, we seek to go deeper. We seek to critically engage and understand how dignity, justice, curiosity, and care define the depth of how to live in community with each other. Conflict and tension are inherent in that process, shaming and disrespect are not. That dignity and care is fundamental in why we all come to Georgetown as Hoyas.

Use your time as Hoyas to explore what care, conflict, and curiosity mean to all of us. You can learn more about University happenings, campus announcements and ways you can connect with each other in our biweekly newsletter Bulldog Bulletin for undergraduate students and weekly Grad Gazette for graduate students, or sign up for other newsletters here . The opportunities for community are endless.

Welcome home.

Eleanor JB Daugherty, Ed.D. Vice President for Student Affairs

Ever Experienced Math Anxiety? This Doctoral Student is Looking Into the Problem.

Jessica Marr

August 29, 2024

This is part four of four in the Graduate School’s summer series, which chronicles what Grad Hoyas are up to near and far this summer. Follow along on grad.georgetown.edu and on our social media channels.

Cynthia Fioriti

Halfway through high school, Cynthia Fioriti (G’23, G’26) took her first psychology course. She has been hooked ever since and calls it a romantic pursuit of intellectualism. “I am just a scientist at heart,” Fioriti says. Fioriti works as a doctoral researcher in the Math Brain Lab at Georgetown under the direction of Ian Lyons on the study of math comprehension and anxiety, in early childhood and adult learners. Math anxiety is defined as the negative feelings associated with anticipating or completing math tasks. Her initial career aspiration was to pursue clinical psychology focused on helping veterans. After doing a few years of work in the clinical space, she turned her attention toward research. Her interest in the practical applications of psychology is what ultimately led her to pursue a research career infused with public policy applications. Fioriti feels that the dual Master of Public Policy and Ph.D. in Psychology program at Georgetown is the perfect match for her combination of interests. “Georgetown’s program is really special,” Fioriti noted. “The opportunity to attend this program presented itself and seemed like a cool way to fuse the practical applications of my research together.” This summer, Fioriti presented her findings on math anxiety at the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society (IMBES) conference in Leuven, Belgium, and at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. Explore Fioriti’s experience at home and abroad this summer, and the advice she’d give to anyone interested in psychology and public policy as a career.

Local & Global Connections

Cynthia Fioriti at IMBES research poster symposium

The IMBES conference is one of the major industry conferences in the study of math engagement, and Fioriti noted that this was the first year it had been hosted in a city outside North America: at KU Leuven in Belgium. The conference only takes place every two years, so she felt incredibly lucky to participate in the research poster symposium. For two hours, she met and talked with people about her findings related to math anxiety in the Mind Brain Lab. The goal of her work was to explore how people with different levels of math anxiety learn different types of math. The problems all retained the same structure, and over a period of two days, Fioriti tracked skin conductance (or sweating) of participants as they completed repeated and unrepeated math problems. “Everyone has math anxiety at a certain level,” Fioriti noted. Depending on the reaction of the nervous system during math learning, Fioriti can assess whether students are engaged or disengaged in the task. This, in turn, may help her when the Math Brain Lab shares their findings to encourage educators within a classroom setting to leverage certain techniques in order to modify students’ behavior and discourage apathy toward math. After the poster session, Fioriti also attended other panels at IMBES and connected with peer researchers to pursue additional physio-research collaborations.

Fioriti and a carillon player in Belgium

She also took advantage of time to relax and explore Leuven, 20 minutes east of Brussels, and attended a carillon concert in one of the local bell towers. In addition to IMBES, Fioriti and the rest of her cohort from the Math Brain Lab attended the Math Cognition and Learning Society Conference in June at Gallaudet University in DC. Fioriti noted that this conference was intimate and fun because everyone in attendance belongs to the field of math cognition. In early August, Fioriti also traveled to Texas to complete a workshop on a physiological research technology called MindWare . This is a more recent addition to her research toolkit. “MindWare allows you to access how people are feeling using physiological measures in the moment, which connects to my research on math anxiety, and that affects performance and learning,” said Fioriti. Similar to technology in the medical field, like the electrocardiogram (or ECGs), MindWare measures the heart rhythm and breathing of a participant to record in-the-moment emotional responses to stimuli. For Fioriti, who loves the science behind the psychological aspects of her research, this helped broaden her technical acumen and increased her network with others on the physiology side of her field.

Looking Back & Ahead

Fioriti emphasized how important statistical training has been for her as she thinks about her career prospects as a public policy student. “The statistics training through McCourt is really rigorous, and I’m so glad I did the dual degree program so I could get that training early on in my graduate career. It’s been really useful for my Ph.D. program and life in general,” she says.

Fioriti with colleagues from IMBES conference

Fioriti has used this training in her Ph.D. program in several ways, from analysis methods and regressions to intuiting how to handle data. She notes that the program gave her a safe space to practice – and mess up – in a structured way, and also helped her not be afraid of it. It also bolstered her professional communications skills. “When you’re comparing science life and academia to corporate life, they’re very different. There’s a different language and cultural patterns in how people interact. McCourt was my first experience learning how people who are not scientists interact and communicate with one another. That’s been helpful in not isolating me in the science bubble and aiding in understanding how people are going to interpret what I’m doing.” This fall, Fioriti will begin her fourth year of the Ph.D. in Psychology program at Georgetown. She looks forward to teaching her first seminar, Memory and Humanity, for undergraduate seniors in the Department of Psychology . “It will go through the different memory systems: how they work, looking at research, and how those systems and their function contribute to our overall sense of self,” says Fioriti. It’s inspired by concepts she learned from her favorite course at Georgetown – Neurophilosophy with Adam Green – and philosophy courses she took in undergrad at Catholic University. She gave a couple examples of questions that might be considered in the course: How much of ourselves rely on memory? If we were to lose function of one of our memory systems, would we still be the same person? Because her lab is wrapping up the first round of data collection on a new project, she’s also excited to be diving into neuro-analysis research this fall. Fioriti encourages anyone interested in this field to keep trying. “Don’t be afraid to switch courses. I have gone through a lot of different sub-topics of psychology, starting with clinical, and now I do neuro and physiological analyses on people who are learning math.” The pivot points, for her, were scary at the time, making her question all the work she put into one thing. In the end, though, she says that, “Everything that you have pursued in the past will be beneficial to your pursuits in the future. Do what makes you feel good, happy and interested.”

Connect with Cynthia Fioriti on LinkedIn.

Related Content

What one doctoral student hopes to uncover about the influence of a major 17th-century muslim thinker in southeast asia, georgetown doctoral student jackson wolf on summer job teaching neurodivergent students reading skills, georgetown grad student hannah kim on summer internship at environmental protection agency in dc.

College of Arts & Sciences

Meet Our Faculty and Staff

Elton Skendaj

Assistant Teaching Professor Director, Democracy and Governance Program

Bryson Daniels

Assistant Director, Democracy & Governance Program

Affiliated Faculty

Daniel Brumberg

Associate Professor

Jeffrey Fischer

Adjunct Lecturer Senior Fellow

Daniel Grant

Adjunct Lecturer

Brian Joseph

Barbara Nunberg

Alysson Oakley

Patrick Quirk

Meir Walters

Adjunct Lecturer – Department of Government

Faculty & Staff

Our faculty consists of specialists in the literature, culture, and history of France and the global francophone world, from the middle-ages to the present. Our range of scholarly expertise – from metropolitan France to French-speaking Africa, Belgium, Canada, and the Caribbean – is one of the broadest in the country. We also have specialists in second-language learning and linguistics, French for business and political purposes, Old French, gender studies, theater, and translation.

Who’s Who in the Department

Not sure whom to contact? Use this page to find contact information for our Department Chair, Director of Undergraduate Studies, section coordinators, and department administrator.

Orientation 2024: 1,000+ New ‘Hoya Lawyas’ Begin Their Georgetown Law Journey

August 29, 2024

New students visited the White House for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Office of the National Cyber Director.

The best part of law school orientation?

For Alex Michie, L’27, of Zionsville, Ind., it was as simple as waiting for the bus, where he met new classmates who were also headed across town to Georgetown University’s Hilltop campus for the annual Faculty Moot Court. “Strangely enough, that was my favorite part of the week,” he said. “Those were the first real connections I made.”

Forging new connections was at the core of this year’s orientation activities, which began Monday, August 19 for graduate programs and Tuesday, August 20 for the J.D. program. Whether gathering in classrooms or on the Eleanor Holmes Norton Green, students swarmed campus for a busy week of events and activities that included information sessions, mock classes, behind-the-scenes tours, neighborhood excursions and more.

L-R: Dean of Students Mitch Bailin, Georgetown University Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity Rosemary Kilkenny, L’87, and Dean William M. Treanor welcomed students at the 2024 Faculty Moot Court.

“You are in a group of extraordinary people,” Dean William M. Treanor told the new students during his welcome address at the Faculty Moot, underscoring that this admissions cycle was historically competitive, with 658 new J.D. students joining Georgetown Law from among 11,296 applicants. Treanor likened the incoming class to an orchestra strengthened by the diversity of its instruments — in this case, students who exemplify “different perspectives, different life stories and different approaches to the law.”

The entering class is not only the Law Center’s largest ever, but also among its most accomplished: Incoming students have a record-high median college GPA of 3.92 and a record-tying median LSAT score of 171. Of the incoming J.D. class, 58% are women and 9% are first-generation college students. The class is also geographically diverse, with new students hailing from 47 states and, including the nearly 500 LL.M. and graduate students joining the Law Center this fall, representing 73 different countries.

Learning in the nation’s capital

During an Anacostia Riverwalk hike, students learned about opportunities to explore environmental law on campus.

Orientation week kicked off with a series of city tours highlighting sites of interest near campus, including a morning jog along the National Mall; a sightseeing tour of historic Capitol Hill neighborhoods; an Anacostia Riverwalk hike with members of the environmental law faculty; a question-and-answer session at the Organization of American States led by the Human Rights Institute ; and a visit to the nearby Capital Jewish Museum with Jewish Chaplain Michael Goldman, L’69.

Mike Lamanna (second from left), S.J., L’25, led a tour of sites embodying Georgetown’s Ignatian values and Jesuit history, including the St. Thomas More Chapel and nearby Father McKenna Center for those experiencing housing and food insecurity.

New tour offerings this year included a Capitol Campus Jesuit walking tour led by Jesuit priest and current 3L Mike Lamanna, S.J., L’25, and an exclusive White House tour of the Office of the National Cyber Director led by the Institute for Technology Law & Policy .

“The fact that my dad runs a food truck in New York City, and I’m about to learn about cybersecurity inside of the White House is one of the coolest things — especially given that I haven’t started class yet,” said Amy Abdalla, L’27, of the chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at the work of the nation’s top cyber experts.

LL.M. student Rana AlTurki, L’26, who is pursuing a graduate degree to advance her work as a legal specialist in Saudi Arabia, expressed similar excitement about the Law Center’s location in Washington, D.C. “It’s like the Dean said: Georgetown is the best,” she said, adding that she’s particularly excited to continue her legal studies near the White House and Library of Congress.

Thinking like lawyers

Mock class sessions offered the chance to meet professors and preview the classroom experience.

The learning continued in the classroom, where students were introduced to the basics of legal reasoning (and survived their first cold calls) during section-specific “Introduction to the First-Year Classroom” sessions, which began with an hour of faculty instruction and ended with a discussion about what to expect from 1L courses, including advice for how to start studying — and thinking — like lawyers.

For Maeve Breathnach, L’27, who most recently studied refugee integration as a Fulbright Scholar in Ireland, the experience provided a much-appreciated confidence boost. “The mock class calmed my nerves and showed me what I can expect out of the law school learning environment,” she said, emphasizing that she is eager to study the historical and social underpinnings of law as part of Curriculum B (Section 3) , Georgetown’s Law alternative 1L curriculum.

L-R: Profs. Paul Smith, Sheryll Cashin, Irv Gornstein, Erica Hashimoto, Michele Goodwin, Michael Gottesman and Martin Lederman participated in this year’s Faculty Moot.

Students also had the chance to witness formidable lawyering in person at the annual Faculty Moot Court held on Thursday, August 22. Professor Michele Goodwin represented the petitioner and Professor Michael Gottesman played the role of the respondent in United States  v. Skrmetti, a case concerning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors that will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this fall. Goodwin and Gottesman delivered opening statements and faced tough questioning from a panel of “justices” that included Professors Paul Smith , Sheryll Cashin , Erica Hashimoto , Martin Lederman and Irv Gornstein , executive director of the Supreme Court Institute .

“It was great to see the professors in action, not just as teachers in the classroom, but as practitioners,” reflected Jason Sutton, L’28, who attended the moot with fellow students from Georgetown Law’s Evening Program . Sutton, a Navy pilot, is among the 68 students entering as evening students this year — the program’s largest-ever cohort.

“The biggest highlight has been getting to see law in practice,” echoed Bhavana Kunnath, L’27, of Lawrenceville, Ga. “It’s one thing to watch lawyer TV shows, but it’s another thing to see it play out in real life. You feel the pieces coming together in your head,” she said, noting that as someone interested in immigration law, watching the moot made her more interested in pursuing oral advocacy in the future.

RISE Pre-Orientation 2024

Incoming RISE Fellows gathered for a group photo on the McDonough Hall steps.

110 J.D. students also participated in a pre-orientation week organized by RISE , the Law Center’s program for students who may have had less exposure to the legal profession before applying to law school. The schedule included mock classes and exams, a welcome reception and group dinner and information sessions on topics such as career planning, financial aid and library resources.

RISE fellows got acclimated to campus during  mock classes (pictured above) and other pre-orientation activities.

“RISE was the perfect way to get acclimated to the new academic environment” said Eyram Gbeddy, L’27, a RISE fellow whose Pennsylvania upbringing galvanized an interest in electoral politics and government work. Gbeddy particularly appreciated the pre-orientation mock class and exam, which provided a “wonderful sample” of academic expectations in law school.

For RISE fellow Malaaz Ghandour, L’27, pre-orientation also provided a helpful glimpse of life after graduation. Her favorite activity was an information session covering the career paths available to law graduates. “It can be overwhelming to decipher the professions within the legal world,” she said. “The session made me realize that I am not limited to a certain path and have flexibility regarding my career in the future.”

The pre-orientation week also offered the chance for the RISE fellows to get to know one another. “It was nice to meet and interact with other students days in advance so that I didn’t arrive at law school alone,” said Harrison Gummel, L’27. “As a first-generation law student, I would highly recommend that any future 1Ls take advantage of the program to gain a better idea about what law school entails.”

Many voices, one community

Classmates made new connections over coffee and bagels at Welcome Breakfasts held at the start of the week.

Throughout the week, students were not only introduced to a new, lawyerly way of thinking, but also encouraged to engage in constructive dialogue with classmates and professors — a skill applicable in the classroom and their professional lives.

Considering alternate viewpoints is “the core of lawyering,” said Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Urska Velikonja during a Section 5 welcome session. “Call it empathy, or call it legal skill, but you need to be able to understand the argument on the other side.”

“Beyond the Briefs” panels brought together incoming and upper-level students for discussions about conflict management and dialogue across differences.

During “Beyond the Briefs: Respectful Dialogue as a Core Competency in Legal Practice,” a series of panel discussions organized by the Office of Equity & Inclusion (OEI), upper-level students with ties to a diverse array of campus student organizations and affinity groups offered candid advice about managing conflict and engaging in meaningful conversations about difficult topics.

“Stay open to connecting with anyone on this campus [and] figure out the things you have in common with your classmates,” urged panelist Lauren Eber, L’25, who encouraged the incoming students to find ways to manage stress during challenging periods, whether academic or personal.

For many students, finding commonalities with new classmates was the highlight of the week. “If there’s one thing orientation taught me, it’s that making friends who can help keep you grounded is critical in law school,” reflected Daniel Thompson, L’27, following a lively mock class in which he and his sectionmates debated the fundamentals of torts and contracts. “Orientation gave everyone the opportunity to do just that.”