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Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs

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    Undergraduate 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.

    Please continue to reach out to MSPIA.ADVISEMENT@BARUCH.CUNY.EDU if you’d like to set up an appointment with an advisor.  Advising sessions can be scheduled via zoom, telephone or in-person via appointments, and we are always available via email.

    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
    Sandra Fajardo, Maureen Samedy, Elaine Truong, Liting Zhang

     


    Comprehensive advisement services are provided to students pursuing the BSPA and the Survey Research Minor. There are two forms of undergraduate support:

    • The Marxe BSPA advisor who provides tailored guidance on the public affairs major and Survey Research Minor
    • The Baruch College Academic Advisement Center provides general information about the requirements to complete a bachelor’s degree or minor in the College

    Undergraduate advisement at Marxe is collaborative with a personalized focus on students. From the initial step of shaping academic and career goals, to selecting the appropriate coursework and internship opportunities, and then finally moving to post-graduate fellowships and graduate schools, the BSPA unit is there to help students succeed. Students are assisted with the following:

    • Defining and pursuing educational and career objectives
    • Understanding and fulfilling the requirements of the curriculum
    • Connecting with various forms of academic support at the college, including services offered at the Writing Center and Counseling Center
    • Researching internship and study abroad opportunities
    • Preparing degree audits prior to graduation
    • Learning about post-graduate options including law school and graduate programs, applying for special fellowships, such as the New York Urban Fellows or Teach for America, and pursuing employment in government and the nonprofit sector

    To request information about the BSPA or the Survey Research Minor, email mspia.bspa@baruch.cuny.edu.

    Program and Registration Information

    The first step toward pursuing the BSPA degree is to complete a Major Declaration Form [PDF]. This may be done at any point once becoming a student; however, 45 credits must be completed with an overall 2.25 GPA before a student is coded in CUNYfirst. BSPA program requirements are as follows:

    • The BSPA requires 120 credits
    • The completion of 45 credits and a cumulative GPA of 2.25 or greater is necessary to become a BSPA student
    • A minimum of 30 credits are from the public affairs core and elective curriculum below (each course is 3 credits unless specified)
    • The degree requires the satisfaction of the CUNY Pathways curriculum as designated by Baruch College
    • A minimum of 57 credits must be designated as liberal arts (several BSPA courses satisfy the liberal arts credit requirement)
    • Pre-Calculus must be completed to satisfy the “Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning” requirement of the Pathways Required Core as a STEM Variant
    • PAF 1250 or POL 1101 must be completed in the CUNY Pathways Flexible Core or as liberal arts electives
    • ENG 2150 is a prerequisite for most PAF courses; ECO 1001 is a prerequisite for PAF 3102; either STA 2000 or STA 2100 are a prerequisite for PAF 3401

    Students are encouraged to meet with the BSPA advisor before registering for public affairs courses to ensure the right sequence of courses are taken with all required prerequisites. When meeting with the BSPA advisor come prepared to help facilitate the advisement process. Students should:

    • Become familiar with the BSPA program
    • Seek regular advisement, particularly around registration and other academic choice points
    • Make a list of questions and goals to accomplish before meeting either with the BSPA or College advisor
    • Contact the BSPA advisor early-on when having academic difficulties
    The Schedule of Classes is available at least three months prior to each semester for students to search for classes, instructor names, and course information. Students may add courses to their shopping cart prior to their registration time. To register for classes and be assured of a seat, click “Enroll” and “Finish Enrolling”. Neither instructors nor advisors can add seats to a closed class.

    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 College email. A back-up schedule is recommended in the event a class is cancelled or moved to another time slot.

    Students may take courses at other CUNY senior colleges using the ePermit system on CUNYfirst. Follow the College’s how-to guide to ePermit.

    The Capstone is the final course required to complete the BSPA degree. It is designed to highlight the culmination of all that has been learned throughout the program. This course is designed to help students create an actionable business plan for a nonprofit venture or a specific program or project within an existing nonprofit organization or a government assisted program. To achieve that goal, the course examines specific approaches needed to complete a plan that translates an idea into an operating venture. Registration for PAF 4401 needs departmental consent. Contact a BSPA advisor for permission to register.

    Eligible BSPA students may write an honors thesis instead of completing the capstone course. Students do not have to be in the Honors Program. Completing an honors thesis is an opportunity to develop a thorough research project, work closely with an expert faculty mentor, and open windows into future professions. Completion of an honors thesis is highly recommended when considering an advanced degree (e.g., masters, doctoral, or professional).

    Students who choose to write an honors thesis in Public Affairs must meet the following:
    1) 3.5 GPA in public affairs and a 3.5 cumulative GPA;
    2) a minimum of four courses in public affairs;
    3) submit an application and prospectus that has been approved by the prospective faculty mentor, the Marxe Associate Dean, and the Committee on Undergraduate Honors

    The deadline for the prospectus is April 1 for a student to begin the thesis in the fall semester, and November 1 to begin the thesis in the spring semester. Registration is for PAF 6001H in the first semester and PAF 6002H in the subsequent semester.
    Click here for more information [DOC] 

    This internship course provides students an opportunity to work within one of NYC’s most influential nonprofit organizations. This course is open only to BSPA majors with a 3.0 or higher. Students receive a scholarship upon successful completion of the internship and course requirements. Interested students should contact the BSPA advisor who will complete registration for those who meet criteria. Once registration is complete, the professor of the course will reach out to begin discussing placement opportunities. Early registration is recommended for this course.

    Academic Policies

    Students should consult Baruch’s Scholastic Performance Requirements for information on academic probation, dismissals, and withdrawals.

    College courses are intended to help develop students’ knowledge and to improve their skill sets. Cheating includes any action that is intended to deceive a faculty member about the extent of a student’s information, knowledge, and/or ability to communicate related to a course of study. Some forms of cheating are known as plagiarism. There are many practices that constitute cheating and plagiarism: the basic principles are given below:

    Cheating includes any form of unauthorized assistance during an examination, such as using notes or other study aids, or communicating in any way with another person for the purpose of answering test questions. It is cheating to receive unauthorized help during an examination and it is cheating to give unauthorized help during an examination.

    Cheating includes any form of unauthorized assistance on an assignment, such as a term paper or laboratory report, whether that assistance directly involves the subject matter or the way in which the subject matter is communicated. It is cheating to receive unauthorized help on an assignment and it is cheating to give unauthorized help during an examination.

    Plagiarism is the misrepresentation of another’s work as one’s own. To avoid plagiarism, whether another’s work is being presented in writing or orally, it must be acknowledged with sufficient citations to represent the source accurately. The failure to acknowledge the source of material is plagiarism regardless of whether that source was in writing, in oral communication, by electronic transmission, or by any other means.

    Engaging in acts of academic dishonesty can end a student’s college career and jeopardize future career goals. Baruch College is committed to maintaining an atmosphere of academic integrity.

    Graduate and undergraduate students at the Marxe School can file an academic appeal for a number of reasons including:

    • Retroactive course withdrawal from a semester
    • Reinstatement into a program
    • Extension of time to complete a degree

    Academic Appeals are heard by the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS) which is comprised of four faculty members elected by the entire Marxe faculty and two student representatives as well as staff members. Students do not appear before the CAS.

    A Marxe ACADEMIC APPEALS form must be submitted along with a written statement and any supporting documentation (e.g. doctor’s notes, hospital records, email correspondence, The appeal form and all supporting documentation in PDF format must be submitted to mspia.advisement@baruch.cuny.edu with the subject line: ACADEMIC APPEAL

    The Committee considers appeals twice during each fall and spring semesters and once during the summer.  The Committee will convene to review cases in March and May 2021. Submission due dates for the Spring 2021 term are: Wed. March 3, 2021 and Wed. May 5, 2021. Any appeals received after May 5th will be carried over to the Summer 2021 CAS meeting.

    Student Resources

    Excellence in written communication is expected of BSPA students and in the professional world. The Baruch College Writing Center has a group of professional specialists to work with students on writing. Professors expect students to take advantage of the writing center to improve their written communication skills.
    The Student Academic Consulting Center (SACC) offers one-on-one tutoring, as well as study groups, for many different subject areas. The tutors are fellow students and faculty members who are experts in the subjects they tutor. SACC is located in VC-2-116.
    There are times when students have personal issues while pursuing a graduate degree. Contact the Baruch College Counseling Center in the event of a traumatic life incident, a personal crisis, or any other mental health matter.
    CUNY students are eligible for various discounts from merchants. Access the CUNY e-Mall through the CUNY Portal, the same logon for Blackboard.
    Baruch College students have free access with their CUNY ID to the Rubin Museum of Art. Located in the Chelsea neighborhood, The Rubin inspires students to make connections between contemporary life and the art and ideas of the Himalayas and neighboring regions including India.
    Many professional associations offer membership discounts for undergraduates. Joining a professional association is a good way to stay current with developments in the field, to network with practitioners, and to enhance one’s resume. Three professional associations are recommended for BSPA students: American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), the Association for Public Policy and Management (APPAM), and the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA).
    The Starr Career Development Center provides comprehensive assistance for BSPA students to discover how to best to find a job and to discover employment opportunities.

    Post-Graduate Opportunities

    The following fellowships offer funding for graduate school programs and are designed to prepare for a career in the U.S. Foreign Service.

    The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship helps highly motivated and academically excellent graduating seniors or college graduates — who want to pursue a Foreign Service career in the U.S. Department of State. The goal of the program is to attract outstanding students from all ethnic and social backgrounds who are dedicated to representing America’s interests abroad.

    View more information and instructions on how to apply

    Please contact Baruch’s National and Prestigious Fellowships Advisor, Valeria Hymas for information about the campus review process as well as application guidance and advice.

    The Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. This program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women, and those with financial need.

    View more information and instructions on how to apply

    Please contact Baruch’s National and Prestigious Fellowships Advisor, Valeria Hymas for information about the campus review process as well as application guidance and advice.


    Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs 135 East 22nd Street (Lexington Avenue and 22nd Street) (646) 660-6700
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