Graduate Advisement

ADVISEMENT OPERATIONS UPDATE – as of 8/16/2021

Dear students,

Marxe Academic Advisors are now working hybrid schedules and are available to meet in various formats, including in-person. Advising sessions can be conducted via zoom, telephone or in-person via appointments, and we are always available via email.

If you are Graduate Student (MPA, EMPA, HEA, MIA), please continue to reach out to mspia.advisement@baruch.cuny.edu if you’d like to set up an appointment with an advisor.
If you are a Public Affairs Major Undergraduate student (BSPA), please continue to reach out to mspia.bspa@baruch.cuny.edu. if you’d like to set up an appointment with an advisor.
Graduate and Undergraduate students can also make an appointment with an advisor on the Navigate App.

Remember to meet and stay in touch with your advisor to make sure you are on track for success in your degree program!

Sincerely,

Your Marxe Academic Advisement Team

OUR MISSION

The Marxe graduate academic advisement team is committed to creating an inclusive atmosphere of respect and professionalism through shared accountability between student and advisor to guide and support graduate students throughout their academic career and beyond, and ensure they receive the best possible services to enhance their overall graduate experience.

Graduate students are encouraged to:

Attend all orientations and special advisement information events
Complete a program plan that details the courses to be completed and the time frame for completing the degree
Check their Baruch student email frequently for the weekly advisement newsletter, updates on course scheduling, and changes in academic policies
Contact an advisor for a problem with a professor, academic difficulties with a class, or when having personal issues while pursuing coursework
Complete a degree audit prior to graduation with your advisor (this degree audit will ensure all your degree information is correct and will be used to update DegreeWorks as necessary)

View and Download Our Graduate Student Handbook

Registration Information

Graduate students must claim their CUNYfirst account to register for classes. Students in the traditional MPA, MIA and MSEd-HEA claim their account and register themselves. Students in the Executive MPA should claim their account, but do not register themselves; this is done by the graduate advisement team. It is recommended that students meet with their advisor to plan out their courses in the correct order to avoid taking classes at the wrong time.

The Schedule of Classes is available prior to each registration period for the upcoming semester for students to search for classes, instructor names, and course information. Students that register themselves must access CUNYfirst to find their appointment time for registration for each upcoming term. Each student is assigned a unique registration appointment time on CUNYfirst and will not be able to register before the appointment time listed for them. Students will use Schedule Builder to search for classes, explore different schedule options and to finalize registration. For troubleshooting with Schedule Builder, please visit this page.

It is imperative that students register for classes as soon as their registration opens. Neither instructors nor advisors can add seats to a closed class; there are also no waitlists for any of our graduate PAF classes. Students closed out of classes are recommended to habitually check the schedule for any seats to open up. If there is a hold on the account (late payments, overdue library fines, etc.), the hold will need to be cleared in order to register.

Graduate students working full-time should not register for a full-time course load (9 or more credits). Any Marxe graduate student who wants to take more than 9 credits (full-time) in a given semester must consult with an academic advisor and get permission to do so. Please email your advisor or contact mspia.advisement@baruch.cuny.edu.
It is highly recommended that graduate students should take core required courses before taking elective courses. Core course are foundational courses and pre-reqs to many electives. New graduates students enrolling in their first semester should plan to only take core classes.
Students should not register for a capstone class (PAF 9190, PAF 9390 or PAF 9490) until they are at the end of their academic program. Independent study capstones are not permitted.
Students seeking to complete an independent study must make arrangement with a full-time member of the public affairs faculty, who then must obtain authorization from the Associate Dean. Adjunct faculty are not permitted to teach independent study sections.
If classes are cancelled due to insufficient enrollment or for some other reason, a notification will be sent prior to the start of the semester via Baruch email. A back-up schedule is recommended in the event a class is cancelled or moved to another time slot.
Courses are offered in a variety of instruction modalities; such as online (synchronous or asynchronous), hybrid and in-person. Click here to read more about instruction modalities.
Courses with section codes XMPA are not open for registration by traditional MPA, MIA, or MSEd-HEA students.
Students may take courses at other CUNY senior colleges using the ePermit system on CUNYfirst. Preapproval is required by emailing mspia.advisement@baruch.cuny.edu; please email the course number, title and the description of the course you would like to take on ePermit. After given pre-approval, students can then go ahead and fill out the ePermit on CUNYfirst. We recommend any student doing an epermit to submit this as soon as their registration opens for the following semester. For more information about ePermits, visit the College’s how-to guide to ePermit.

Student Resources

Tutoring and Quantitative Support

Tutoring, Workshops, and More

The Quantitative Student Support department offers graduate tutoring services, creates helpful review workshops, and generally provides supportive academic programs for students in the Marxe School. We focus on helping students refine their mathematical and quantitative skills, as they are key components of courses that involve applied statistics, research and analysis, economics, and budgeting. Furthermore, it is essential to ensure students are quantitatively literate in an era of growing data importance. A key goal is to develop a student’s abilities in critical analysis, so they can find logical and imaginative solutions to new problems, instead of relying on rote memorization of known techniques.

Students can navigate to our blog to find out how to reserve a tutoring appointment, learn about upcoming events, schedule a consultation, or download materials from past/current workshops.

Executive MPA Students

Students in the Executive MPA program have access to an Academic Services Specialist for economics and statistics courses. For more information, please contact your instructor.

Writing Support For Public & International Affairs

Writing support services for graduate students in the Marxe school are available through a partnership with the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute. Please reach out to the Assistant Director for Writing in Public and International Affairs, Melina Moore, at Melina.Moore@baruch.CUNY.edu with any questions.

In-class Workshops

Marxe graduate students can expect to encounter some embedded, course-specific writing workshops as they complete their coursework. Developed in partnership with Marxe faculty members, these workshops contextualize core writing skills within the disciplinary context of the courses and assignments. The in-class workshops are strategically placed to support writing skills-development early in the programs and emphasize writing and revision strategies that can be applied in professional and academic settings.

Writing Workshop Series

All Marxe graduate students are invited to participate in our writing workshops, which take place in August and January, as well as throughout the semester. Tailored to the Marxe curriculum, these workshops introduce students to the common genres of writing in the programs and offer opportunities to develop editing strategies that improve clarity and precision.

To view this semester’s workshop offerings and register for upcoming workshops, click here.

One-to-One Writing Consultations

Marxe graduate students have the opportunity to book specialized writing consultations with Communication Fellows at the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute. Our Fellows are writers and researchers with specialized expertise in teaching writing and are familiar with writing assignments and expectations in Marxe courses.

These one-to-one writing consultations are attached to specific courses in the Marxe curriculum, including the Capstone, and structured to ensure that all students have access to this service at some point during the completion of their programs. The consultations are also available by referral.

In addition to these specialized one-to-one consultations, all Baruch students are invited to make use of the Baruch Writing Center, which also offers one-to-one consultations and written feedback on drafts. Please visit their website to learn more about their services.

Additional Writing Resources

Click here for further resources for Marxe student writers, including our Annotated Capstone Guides.

Financial Aid

Health Services

Counseling Center

The Counseling Center provides free and confidential services to anyone who is currently enrolled and registered as an undergraduate or graduate student at Baruch College.

Our mission is simple – helping students succeed! Through culturally-responsive and trauma-informed counseling and psychological services and outreach, the Counseling Center assists students in achieving their academic and personal goals. Counselors work collaboratively with students to improve their emotional well-being, balance priorities, enhance interpersonal relationships, and empower them with useful coping skills to attain success in and out of the classroom. For the 2021-2022 academic year, we offer counseling in Cantonese and Spanish, in addition to English.

During this period of remote learning, the Counseling Center is open and providing all services remotely. Please click on Make An Appointment to set up an intake session.

BCTC (Baruch Computing and Technology Center)

Meet the Graduate Advisement Staff

The Marxe graduate advisement team is comprised of experienced professionals whose goal is to guide students efficiently and effectively to degree completion. The team provides direct advisement for the Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of International Affairs (MIA), and Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in Higher Education Administration (HEA).

The team holds memberships in the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and keep up-to-date on the latest trends in higher education administration, including the accreditation standards of NASPAA (Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration). A newsletter is distributed each week with the latest information about courses, new program initiatives, and student opportunities. Any member of the team may be contacted at mspia.advisement@baruch.cuny.edu.

Sandra Fajardo, Director of Academic Advisement

Sandra Fajardo is the Director of Graduate Academic Advisement for the Baruch College Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs. She oversees the academic advisement of graduate students in our traditional Master of Public Administration, Executive Master of Public Administration, National Urban Fellows MPA, Master of Science in Higher Education Administration, and our Master of International Affairs from the point of matriculation through graduation. Sandra has over 20 years of experience in the field of Higher Education Administration, with 14 of those years being in graduate academic advisement. She is a member of The Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA) and College Student Educators International (ACPA). Sandra holds a BBA in Human Resources Management and a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration from Baruch.

Maureen Samedy, Associate Director of Academic Advisement

As the Associate Director of Academic Advisement, Maureen serves as the program manager for our Executive Master of Public Administration program, academic advisor to our Master of International Affairs program, and is the liaison to Pi Alpha Alpha, the national honor society in public affairs and administration. Maureen is committed to helping students meet their educational and professional goals. Her professional experience includes working in workforce development, community college teaching, graduate admissions, and servicing students in cohort programs.

Elaine Truong, Assistant Director of Academic Advisement

Elaine Truong serves as the academic advisor for students in the traditional MPA program and MSEd-HEA program, the Marxe liaison for the MA in Arts Administration program at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences. She is dedicated to supporting graduate students in their academic and professional goals at Marxe. As a graduate of the Marxe school herself, she has a deep understanding of the graduate programs and the students in the program. Elaine holds a MSEd in Higher Education Administration from Baruch and holds a BA in Political Science from Hunter College.

Contact Us

Office of Graduate Academic Advisement
Email: mspia.advisement@baruch.cuny.edu