phd programs in georgetown university

Professional Doctorate

Specific details and application information for the professional doctoral programs listed below can be found by clicking on the program name. 

The following is a list of professional doctoral programs available:

• Nursing Practice (D.N.P.)  

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].

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.

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 Questions

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

Ph.D. Programs

Georgetown University offers a variety of basic and clinical sciences doctoral degree programs. All programs offer summer admission and are typically completed in five years. They feature a core curriculum requiring instructional coursework, laboratory rotations, programmatic activities such as seminars and journal clubs, and defense and submission of an original research dissertation.

Many of our Ph.D. students are supported in their studies by T32 training grants.

Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology Ph.D.

This program is geared toward students with a background or particular interest in areas such as molecular mechanisms, proteomics or biophysics. Faculty research interests include detection of biological agents such as anthrax, the biochemistry and immunology of the malarial parasite, and cellular responses to environmental stresses.

Biostatistics Ph.D.

This program is for students with a focus on powerful modern statistical methodologies and computational tools, as well as biological and health sciences such as genetics, epidemiology and biology. Faculty research interests include applied mathematics, statistical genetics, meta-analysis, data mining in healthcare informatics, biomarker evaluation and more.

Microbiology & Immunology Ph.D.

In the Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology program, faculty research activities span a broad spectrum of subdisciplines and use cellular, biochemical and molecular approaches to study current problems in microbiology and immunology.

Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience Ph.D.

Research areas include glial activation, neuron signaling and dendritic spine plasticity; mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury; and systems of face recognition, word reading and interpretation of sounds.

Pharmacology & Physiology Ph.D.

Research activities in this program are aimed at understanding the ways in which drugs affect the regulation of nervous system functions, including neurotransmitter/receptor interactions; the pharmacology of nerve terminals; the neurochemical control of obesity and pain; neurochemical aspects of neurodegenerative diseases; the role of innervation in the control of peripheral autonomic organs; and cellular signaling in pulmonary hypertension.

Tumor Biology Ph.D.

Areas of particular strength include research in breast cancer, tobacco use, gene-environment interactions, diet and nutrition, developmental therapeutics, molecular cytogenetics, as well as tumor angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. Mentors and teachers are expert clinical and basic science faculty drawn from throughout the NIH-designated Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Explore More Programs

Find the BGE academic program that best matches your interests and goals.

Georgetown University Medical Center

PhD in Microbiology & Immunology

Through the PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, students will learn the dynamics of the host/parasite relationship, including the host defense systems, and the relationship of microorganisms to diseases. Upon graduation, students will have a firm foundation in methods, tools, and techniques for a career in research as well as mentorship from Georgetown University faculty who are leading experts in the field.

Our PhD program is customized to the student’s interests. Upon entering the program, students will meet with their advisors to plan their coursework and select laboratories for research rotations.

PhD students can receive merit-based aid through fellowship and assistantship awards. The awards cover tuition, stipend, student health insurance, and mandatory fees. An average of 2 students are awarded each year. Visit the Biomedical Graduate Education website for more information on PhD Funding.

Learn about the application process and requirements.

Learn about the required exams, research rotations, courses, and PhD Dissertation here.

Check the list of required and elective courses.

Course Schedule

Find an example course schedule.

Student Resources

Browse resources and opportunities for our students.

Get more information about the program and department.

Career Advancement

Our students benefit from the services of the Biomedical Graduate Education career office, including one-on-one advising, skills workshops, leadership programs and more to help them take the next step in their professions.

Doctoral Program

PhD in Global Infectious Disease (GLID) candidates will receive a unique combination of training that brings together science, health, technology, modeling, social sciences, economics and governance.  While Global Infectious Disease PhD candidates will specialize in particular areas, they will also learn about the multitude of ways to approach different aspects of infection prevention and control, including life science research, one health, mathematical modeling of outbreaks, economic impacts of pandemics, and diplomacy to advance health outcomes. 

Who should apply to the PhD in Global Infectious Disease?

Individuals dedicated to finding solutions to how the world can better approach infectious diseases are perfect candidates. We are looking for students committed to understanding global infectious disease problems and to approaching them in an interdisciplinary fashion. Students will have an interest in topics ranging from global health security governance, to health delivery economics, to epidemiology, and mathematical modeling. PhD candidates will become an expert in their research area of interest while gaining broad knowledge that can be applied to global infectious disease problems.

This program will prepare successful students to join a growing workforce and find employment in a variety of areas depending on their speciality. These may include federal, state or local health departments, multilateral organizations, advocacy organizations, global health implementers, pharmaceutical companies, and academia, among others. 

Admissions Requirements

    academic background & experience.

Applicants should have a background in basic science: admission requirements include at least one semester of undergraduate biology, and significant course experience in math and advanced statistics, as well as experience in computer programming for those interested in pursuing data modeling or related fields of research. Students interested in policy-oriented research should have coursework in political science and economics.

PhD candidates should be able to demonstrate a clear study path or intellectual journey towards their PhD area of interest and demonstrate a history of success, such as through relevant employment positions or publications. There will be a strong preference for applicants that hold an advanced degree or significant experience in the field.

GRE test scores are not required and will not be evaluated; applicants who would like GRE scores evaluated as part of their application should contact the program before submitting scores to explain why they feel they are more reflective than other application materials.

    Identifying Faculty Mentorship

Applicants should review the GLID participating faculty page (or elsewhere at the university if desired) and identify 2-3 faculty members that could potentially serve as mentors for research rotations and, eventually, their dissertation. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out directly to these faculty and discuss potential dissertation topics. Be aware that not all participating faculty accept new students.

    3 Letters of Recommendation

Three official recommendations are required by the Graduate School. These recommendations must be from persons in positions to appraise the applicant’s potential for graduate study.

The Graduate School requires use of the online recommendation system, which utilizes a secure online recommendation system that will: – email your recommendation providers with instructions for online submission of the recommendation allow applicants to track recommendations received or not received and follow up with recommenders who still need to submit their appraisals – expedite the processing of the recommendations, which will be included in the online application once submitted

    Statement of Purpose

Some elements to consider for the Statement of Purpose include highlighting the ways in which you can prove to the Admissions Committee that you are ready for a PhD; explaining why an interdisciplinary PhD is important to you and necessary for your research goals; demonstrating what research questions you are interested in pursuing for your doctorate; and identifying which faculty at Georgetown would be appropriate as a primary advisor to you for this research, including any relevant summary of conversations with such faculty.

    Interview

Before acceptance, all strong applicant candidates will be required to have an interview with two or three members of the Admissions Committee. This can be completed either on site or via video-teleconference.

Students will spend their first year taking core courses that will immerse them in the Global Infectious Disease curriculum. In general, PhD students will take the following Global Infectious Disease core courses in Year 1:

In addition, most students will take either GLID 5011: Policy Analysis or GLID 5522: Modeling of Biological Systems. PhD students will choose additional courses toward the 30-credit requirement based on discussions with their advisor. Some courses may be waived depending on the student’s background.

Students will have the option of doing research rotations with potential mentors during the first 8 months of the program. These rotations would start in September of the first year, but are not required. Students not electing to rotate can begin dissertation research in Year 1.

Students can take electives to provide more specific background related to dissertation research. The remainder of the 30-credit requirement will be determined in partnership with the candidate’s Advisory Committee and Thesis Adviser, based on the candidate’s background and research interests. Most of Year 2 is spent performing research and developing a base of knowledge to write and defend the dissertation proposal, aka the comprehensive exam taken in year 3.

Candidates will sit for a Qualifying Exam at the end of Year 1. Candidates will take their Comprehensive Exam by December of Year 3; this is a written dissertation proposal with oral presentation and defense to ensure research plan is sound and to assess the proposal for the level of effort and timeline proposed.

We anticipate students being able to complete the PhD program in 5 years.

Teaching Requirement

Teaching will be a requirement of the Global Infectious Disease PhD program, to reflect this core skill. There are several different options to complete this requirement, including:

• Serving as a teaching assistant for one semester.
• For senior PhD candidates, teaching an undergraduate class.
• Designing and teaching a short course. For example: designing and teaching a module of the Global Infectious Disease Core Course. 

Internships

Internships are encouraged for Infectious Disease PhD candidates without work experience, but are not a requirement of the program. Internships can be conducted for credit (up to 3 credits maximum), equivalent to at least 150 hours, with a written summary of the work. 

Financial Support

Candidates admitted to the program are offered five years of financial support covering tuition, stipend, and health insurance.

Ph.D Student Handbook for the GLID Program

For a representative PhD student handbook, click to view the GLID PhD Handbook . Note that the handbook is updated for each incoming class.

Post-Graduation Outlook

The Global Infectious Disease curriculum is ideal for intellectually curious individuals dedicated to interdisciplinary approaches to global infectious disease problems. It offers both fundamental and advanced teaching on topics that include microbiology, epidemiology, data science, and domestic and global policy and governance. It can prepare you to join a growing workforce and find employment in federal, state or local health departments, emergency management departments, pharmaceutical companies, advocacy organizations, or global health implementers. Some students may wish to pursue an internship during their course of study. Georgetown faculty can help connect students with contacts at organizations such as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Talus Analytics, New York City Health and Hospitals Special Pathogens Unit, USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats program, and the National Academies of Science.

Georgetown University offers its students an array of options related to infectious disease, health security, and global health career paths. Learn more about many of Georgetown’s global health-related degree programs on the Global Health Initiative web page.

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

Communications

Science and Technology

U.S. News Releases 2024 Best Graduate Programs Rankings

Find the top-ranked graduate schools in business, education, law, nursing and other fields.

U.S. News Ranks Best Graduate Schools

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To help prospective graduate students find a school that fits their needs, U.S. News released the 2024 rankings for multiple graduate fields.

Depending on the job or field, earning a graduate degree may lead to higher earnings, career advancement and specialized skill development.

But with several types of degrees and hundreds of graduate schools, it can be difficult to narrow down the options. To help prospective graduate students find a school that fits their needs, U.S. News released its 2024 Best Graduate Schools rankings today. They evaluate business, education, fine arts, health, law, library studies, nursing, public affairs, science, and social sciences and humanities graduate programs. Medical school and engineering rankings are not being released at this time.

A notable methodology change includes a new salary indicator based on profession in the business rankings.

Additionally, for the first time in four years, there are new rankings for a blend of doctoral and master's programs in audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, nurse midwifery and speech-language pathology. Graduate programs in nurse anesthesia and social work are also ranked for the first time since 2016 and 2022, respectively. Those and other specialty rankings are based on reputation ratings from scholars at other surveyed schools.

Read each program's specific methodology for the most detailed explanations of all the changes. The rankings are one source of information among many that prospective college students can use to inform their college decision. Below is a summary of the top-ranked schools in four major graduate program areas:

Best Law Schools

Best business schools, best nursing schools, best education schools.

Among the top 10 law schools . Yale Law School in Connecticut and California-based  Stanford Law School shared the top spot again. The  University of Chicago Law School in Illinois maintained its No. 3 rank, followed by a four-way tie at No. 4: Duke University School of Law in North Carolina, Harvard Law School in Massachusetts, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and the University of Virginia School of Law .

Columbia Law School in New York ranked No. 8 again, while there was a three-way tie for No. 9: New York University School of Law , Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law in Illinois and the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor Law School .

Looking beyond the top 10, multiple law schools moved up in the rankings. William & Mary Law School in Virginia, for instance, jumped nine spots from a tie at No. 45 to a five-way tie at No. 36.

U.S. News also ranked 13 law specialties: business/corporate, clinical training, constitutional, contracts/commercial, criminal, dispute resolution, environmental, health care, intellectual property, international, legal writing, tax and trial advocacy. (You can filter by specialty on the  main ranking page .)

Meanwhile, in the  part-time law school rankings – which consists of law schools with at least 20 part-time students enrolled in fall 2022 and fall 2023 – the top three stayed the same. The  Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., is once again at the top while D.C.-based  George Washington University Law School , now No. 3, switched places with the  Fordham University School of Law in New York City, which claimed second place.

Previously ranked at No. 3 and No. 6 respectively, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and Stanford Graduate School of Business took the top spot in this year's full-time MBA program rankings . Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business moved down from their previous places in the top two to tie at No. 3.

While the top 10 mostly consists of the same schools as last year, both the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business joined those ranks this year. UC Berkeley rose from a three-way tie at No. 11 to a three-way tie at No. 7, while UVA moved up four spots from No. 14 to a tie at No. 10.

Farther down the full-time MBA rankings, there were some big changes. For example, Pitt's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business soared 39 spots from a tie at No. 86 to a tie at No. 47.

Meanwhile, the very top of the part-time MBA rankings looks similar to last year, with the same schools in the top 5: UChicago, UC Berkeley, Northwestern, NYU's Leonard N. Stern School of Business and the Anderson School of Management at the University of California—Los Angeles. But UChicago took the No. 1 spot from UC Berkeley this year.

Moving up from No. 2, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Maryland tied with Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Georgia to claim the top spot in this year's nursing master's program rankings. Duke University School of Nursing in North Carolina climbed up by one to claim the third spot.

Johns Hopkins ranked No. 1, as it did last year, in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program rankings. George Mason University School of Nursing in Virginia – which reported more graduates and resources per faculty – soared from a four-way tie at No. 39 to take the No. 2 spot. Duke tied with the University of Washington School of Nursing to round out the top three.

Duke also ranked No. 1 in all of the ranked nursing master's nursing practice specialties, including administration, family, both acute and primary care adult gerontology, and mental health.

Once again, Teachers College, Columbia University in New York was No. 1 in the graduate education schools rankings. This year, however, it tied with the University of Wisconsin—Madison School of Education , which climbed two spots.

The University of Michigan—Ann Arbor's School of Education dropped from the top position to tie with the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies at No. 3. UCLA was previously tied at No. 7.

U.S. News also ranks nine education specialties, with the College of Education at Michigan State University claiming the top spot in the following categories: curriculum and instruction, educational administration, elementary teacher education, higher education administration and secondary teacher education.

Searching for a grad school of education? Access our  complete rankings  of Best Graduate Schools.

Grad Degree Jobs With $100K+ Salaries

Tags: students , graduate schools , medical school , business school , law school , education graduate school , engineering graduate school , MBAs , nursing programs

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Graduate Students Practice Traditional Medicine In Mexico With the Goal of Providing Whole Person Care in the Future

Posted in GUMC Stories  |  Tagged Biomedical Graduate Education , global health , integrative medicine , Master of Science in Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences Program , student experience

(April 12, 2024) — Understanding how a patient’s cultural background may impact their health is an important skill for health care providers. Over 10 days this March, six Biomedical Graduate Education (BGE) students put that value into practice by traveling to Mexico to learn about Curanderismo, a traditional healing system of the Americas. The students visited indigenous holy sites, learned about the nutritional benefits of locally sourced food, and participated in healing practices such as temazcal and limpia.

“I really believe in learning by doing,” said Hannah Tytus (G’24), who spearheaded organizing the trip for herself and fellow classmates in the Master of Science in Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences (IMHS) . IMHS students undertake rigorous scientific, evidence-based coursework to learn how to assess and appreciate the efficacy of complementary and integrative medical practices (CIM) such as East Asian medicine, Ayurveda, Unani-Tibb medicine, naturopathy and their affiliated practices. The program is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

“The immersive service-learning opportunity experienced by our students complements the IMHS graduate curriculum, critically addressing a gap in mainstream medical pedagogy,” said Hakima Amri, PhD, professor of physiology and biochemistry and director of the IMHS program. “Our students were eager to explore the traditional healing modalities of the Americas.”

Encouraging Communication About Traditional Medicine

After surveying the program’s curriculum during her first semester at Georgetown, Tytus noticed an opportunity to deepen the study of traditional medicine of the Americas in addition to the program’s rich engagement with globally diverse medical systems.

“It’s important to study the beliefs and practices of the people of the Americas, whose unceded lands we inhabit. Many of us will become practitioners ourselves, and we cannot serve people well when we do not understand their experiences,” said Tytus. Many graduates of the IMHS program later attend medical school.

Research conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that in some parts of the U.S., particularly the Southwest, between 50 and 75% of people use Curanderismo but are hesitant to communicate this information with their health care providers. For many CIM modalities, not just Curanderismo, there is a lack of communication between patients and providers — this is a dangerous precedent, said Amri. For example, patients who take Ginkgo biloba to improve memory don’t always share that information with their doctor, despite the fact that the supplement can interact with other drugs the patient may have been prescribed.

“Our students’ training in evidence-based CIM will provide greater knowledge, enabling us to better communicate with patients and meet them where they are to create a safer environment for patients to freely share relevant information about all of their practice,” said Amri.

Spiritual Care for Mind and Body

Tytus described Curanderismo as a holistic system of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual medicine. It is predicated on principles of healing through community and a reciprocal relationship with the land. To better understand the spiritual practices of the Mexican people, students visited the pyramids of Xochicalco and Cuauhcalli guided by an anthropologist specializing in Curanderismo and Mexican cultural studies.

“These places are both historical and active sites,” said Tytus. “While we were onsite learning about ruins through an academic lens, an elder and his calpōlli (social group) were engaged in a ceremony, making an offrenda as they beat their drum in procession up the mountain.”

The visits to the spiritual sites left students with a profound sense of appreciation for the engineering skills and artistry of the Mexica people.

“These sites are meticulously crafted, architecturally impressive and symbolically complex, and we were left with a recognition of the profound sense of loss of knowledge because information related to Curanderismo is sometimes considered less well-preserved than other forms of traditional medicine,” said Tytus. Recently, there has been renewed interest in preserving knowledge and rebuilding practices around locally grown foods and medicinal plants.

Students learned about the Mexica people’s approach to the healing power of food while staying at the Kinamik Retreat Center in Huitzilac, Morelos. Among the traditional “foods as medicine” that the group tried was atole, a nourishing drink made from corn grown specific to that region of Mexico.

Learning by Doing

Students were able to practice two forms of Curanderismo during their cultural immersion at Kinamik, temazcal and limpia.

“Temazcal is a sweat lodge where community members come together for group therapy, births or celebration,” explained Ely Sibarium (G’24).

In creating a temazcal, animal pelts or blankets are used to cover a domed wood structure, where inside hot stones and water are used to warm the space. “The construction process itself is a ceremony; each participant has a role and each component has a significance,” explained Tytus. Traditional songs are sung in a prescribed sequence, and participants are also invited to share their feelings in a supportive group environment.

“It’s an incredible feeling inside. You feel the warm air circulating and you can smell the copal,” said Sibarium. Copal is resin from a local tree in Mexico that smells similar to frankincense and has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Air within the temazcal circulates from bushels of herbs being swept across participants’ bodies through the practice of limpia, a cleansing ritual where a healer evaluates the energetic needs of a person and uses bundles of local herbs and tree branches in sweeping motions over lymph nodes to detoxify the body and spirit.

“Limpia is really a beautiful art tied to helping with anxiety, depression, trauma, instilling confidence, and self-love,” said Delaney Dockstader (G’24).

“There is evidence of the benefits of these sophisticated traditions,” said Amri. “Biomedicine recognizes the detoxifying effects of sweating lodges, and saunas are now being prescribed.” Amri added that aromatherapy like the use of copal and essential oils, eating fresh seasonal food, and drumming as music therapy are all health care modalities increasingly practiced worldwide.

Holistic Care, Healthy Outcomes

The IMHS program teaches that understanding traditional Curanderismo practices can have an important place in treating the whole person.

“Holistic care for some patients requires going beyond biomedical and pharmaceutical frameworks to work collaboratively with patients to incorporate their whole personhood,” said Tytus.

IMHS graduates’ knowledge of traditional medicine sets them apart among future cohorts of physicians.

“We live in a diverse country, and our graduates will have knowledge to help them communicate with patients across different cultural backgrounds,” said Amri.

Heather Wilpone-Welborn GUMC Communications

The trip participants would like to thank the following leaders in the field of ethnomedicine who helped make it possible. Among the host country participants were Arturo Ornelas, DNM, director of the CEDEHC center in Cuernavaca; Juan Carlos Solano Alcocer, a practitioner of Curanderismo, affiliated with the University of the State of Morelos; Professora Elsa Guzman Gómez, Facultad de ciencias agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos; and Sofia Chavez, DNM, an expert in Curanderismo from Denver Public Health.

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New Tools Revolutionize Urban Planning

The study is small, but its results are encouraging. After analyzing transportation and economic data from nearly a mile of K Street, within the Mt. Vernon Triangle neighborhood in Washington, D.C., Josiah Blackwell-Lipkind, a 2024 master’s candidate in the Urban & Regional Planning program at Georgetown University, found that replacing on-street parking and some automobile travel lanes with bike lanes not only increased bicycle traffic but spurred economic activity in the neighborhood as well.

Yet this research exercise represents much more than a brief, if promising, analysis of eight city blocks. It is one of the university’s first uses of a new urban data platform called Replica . The proprietary platform utilizes artificial intelligence to piece together thousands of pieces of anonymized cell phone and vehicle GPS records to enable urban planners to tackle problems that were once nearly impossible to solve without conducting costly manual traffic studies or using oversimplified traffic models that do not account for real-world human behaviors.

“For a long time, travel surveys and resulting travel models were used for transportation behavior studies and planning decisions,” says Blackwell-Lipkind, who also works as an urban planner for the U.S. Department of Transportation. “What’s happening now is, instead of conducting these types of intermittent surveys every few years, there’s a push to use more live data based on real-world activity. Pings from GPS and phone data can tell us where people are actually going throughout the day.”

Replica, which was founded as part of Alphabet in 2017 and is now an independent company, combines privatized cell phone-generated location data together with information from the U.S. Census Bureau and other public travel surveys “to build out an entire population,” Blackwell-Lipkind says. “Replica creates a synthetic population of people using the GPS data from a sample of people.” This mobility data enables users to determine not just regional traffic patterns but the demographic characteristics of trip takers as well.

An Evolving Neighborhood

The Urban & Regional Planning program piloted Replica in the summer of 2023 in its Planning Studio course, which examined the community development issues in the broader area known as Downtown East. “Our students are interested in new sources of data which relate directly to real-world challenges,” says Uwe Brandes, Faculty Director of the program. “Our partnership with Replica enabled students to critically explore the utilization of one of the most cutting edge urban planning tools on the market, one which is being rapidly adopted by professionals in the field.”

In early 2024, the planning program entered into a demonstration agreement with Replica that allows the company to use the program “as a kind of testbed for the software,” Brandes says. The agreement enabled students in the course to use the software. The demonstration with the Urban Planning Program was so successful that Georgetown has now made the tool available to all students in the entire university.

“It’s a very fine-grained source of data that urban planners have typically not been able to access unless they manually collected the data themselves,” he says. “The practice of urban planning is changing very rapidly. AI-enabled data sets are not widely adopted and there is some level of skepticism associated with the algorithms producing this data. But what better than an academic setting for asking critical questions like, ‘Should we be using artificial intelligence in this way?’”

A ‘Fantastic Opportunity’

Izzy Youngs, a program alumna and visiting lecturer in the planning program and Blackwell-Lipkind’s advisor on the project, believes the answer will be a qualified “yes.”

“One of the reasons it’s so important to introduce this application into an academic setting is because we can really honestly engage with what kinds of questions are not suitable to be answered with this kind of data; and what kinds of assumptions and data quality issues there might be which bias the data or results,” says Youngs, who also works as a civic data analyst at Alta Planning + Design.

That said, introducing Replica to students “is a really fantastic opportunity” that puts Georgetown “at the front edge of what’s happening in the field,” Youngs says. “I don’t know of any other universities or schools that have partnerships like this. And I think the ability for students to access this kind of data is going to be so important not just for their education but for their professional development” because a lot of companies are looking to hire people who have worked with this technology.

Replica data can help answer questions that go far beyond the scope of traditional travel demand models. For example, traditional models do not take into account that people often take trips in a chain, Youngs says. Rather than going from Point A to Point B and back again, they may drive from the office to the grocery store, to the pharmacy, and to the school to pick up their children. Replica documents each of these individual trips.

Mobility data can also be useful in other fields, such as public health. Health agencies could use Replica to see how travel patterns changed for different demographic groups during the pandemic and then use this data to target outreach campaigns. That’s because the data can show how different users tend to move during the day.

A Surge in Bicycle and Economic Activity

Blackwell-Lipkind’s study examined K Street between Seventh Street NW and First Street NE. This is the site of a 2021 District Department of Transportation project that replaced on-street parking and vehicle travel lanes with protected bike lanes. K Street now has the only east-west protected bike lane in the area. Between the years 2019 and 2021, Blackwell-Lipkind found that bike trips increased 350 percent relative to nearby corridors, accidents per trip for all travel modes declined, and vehicular traffic was only marginally affected. But perhaps the biggest surprise was business sales, which outpaced the District of Columbia average by 200 percent.

Did the addition of bike lanes help cause this surge? That’s what the data suggest, Blackwell-Lipkind says, but he adds that more research will need to be done. And with the addition of Replica, that can be accomplished much more easily than in the past.

Helping people get safely from one place to another, making those trips less hectic and more enjoyable—these are some of the reasons why Blackwell-Lipkind went into urban planning in the first place. And he welcomes any tool that will help him do his work better.

“One of the most visible forms of government influence is on the street,” Blackwell-Lipkind says. “It’s the most ubiquitous public space, and everyone has an opinion about it. You can ask any person, ‘How do you feel about this street? What is your experience traveling on it?’ and they will have something to say. Every investment that the government makes in the street is immediately apparent to everyone. And I think that’s kind of beautiful.”

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Law school, graduate programs fall in national rankings

At least seven of GW’s graduate schools and programs fell in U.S. News & World Report’s national ranking of graduate and law schools this year.

GW Law dropped to No. 41 in the rankings, a 16-spot drop over the past two years , and the School of Nursing’s master’s degree program is unranked this year after being ranked No. 19 last year. Eight of the nine schools corresponding to graduate school categories remained within the top 100 rankings on the list compared to last year.

In 2023, the law school fell from No. 25 to No. 35, tying with Emory University, the University of Alabama, the University of California, Irvine and the University of Iowa. The School of Nursing’s master’s degree program rose eight spots last year, from No. 27 in 2022 to No. 19 in 2023.

GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew responded to the rankings in a University release Tuesday, saying the rankings provide only a “snapshot” in analyzing schools.

“No single number can tell you all you need to know about faculty, career prospects, curriculum, climate, clinics, externship opportunities, programs or all the many factors you will need to assess to pick the best law school for you,” Matthew said in the release.

U.S. News & World Report uses surveys sent to experts in related fields to calculate a program’s reputation and statistics that evaluate research, faculty and students’ success to determine graduate and law school rankings.

The Graduate School of Education and Human Development dropped from No. 58 last year to No. 76 this year, tying with Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles and the University of Oklahoma Rainbolt.

GW’s public affairs program fell to six spots to No. 16, ranked alongside Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Georgetown University, Georgia State University and the University of California-Los Angeles. The program rose to No. 10 in 2023, up from No. 12 in 2022.

The School of Business dropped from No. 59 last year to No. 62 this year, with its international business program falling from No. 8 last year to No. 9 this year.

The Milken School of Public Health rose in the rankings, advancing from No. 12 in 2023 to No. 11 in 2024.

The School of Engineering and Applied Science remained at No. 92, the same spot it held last year, tying with Florida A&M University, Florida International University, the University of Kentucky and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The School of Medicine and Health Sciences remained at No. 58 this year in the rankings for research medical schools, tying with Stony Brook University, Thomas Jefferson University, the University of Illinois and the University of Nebraska.

McDonough MBA Maintains Top U.S. News Ranking, Places Second for International Business Careers

Samantha Krause

April 9, 2024

Georgetown McDonough’s Full-time and Flex MBA Programs ranked among the nation’s best in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of graduate business programs, placing 24th and 9th, respectively, with top recognition for advancing careers in international business.

Within the listed categories, McDonough climbed to second for careers in international business and 7th for nonprofits. Georgetown also received recognition as a leading school for real estate. 

“The Georgetown MBA has built a reputation as a rigorous and innovative program that prepares students to succeed on the global stage, and we are proud to see these outcomes reflected in the recent U.S. News & World Report ranking,” said Sudipta Dasmohapatra, senior associate dean for MBA programs. “Through our comprehensive curriculum, hands-on experiential learning opportunities, and unrivaled connections here in Washington, D.C., and across the world, we provide an immersive MBA experience in a way that only Georgetown can.”

U.S. News considers assessments by other business school deans in their rankings, from which McDonough maintained a high peer rating for both programs. The ranking also weighs admissions and employment data from 2023.

In fall 2023, the program increased the representation of U.S. diversity from 38% to 42% and maintained a cohort that is 31% women and 11% military with over 40 countries represented. In the school’s recent MBA Employment Report , the graduating class increased average base salaries by 8%, up to $149,256, with an average signing bonus of $43,325.  

The Georgetown MBA continues to innovate and introduce new programming, including certificates in the business of healthcare, global real estate, sustainable business, nonmarket strategy, and consumer analytics and insights, a new online Flex MBA option for further flexibility in course delivery, and an MBA Mentorship Program that matches students with alumni mentors to support career exploration and relationship building. Georgetown McDonough also offers Operation: Cura Personalis programming to build community and promote events that support students’ well-being in mind, body, and spirit. 

“With a focus on Georgetown’s Jesuit values of cura personalis , or “care for the whole person,” we have built a deep sense of community that extends across our Full-time, Flex, and Flex Online MBA offerings,” said Dasmohapatra. “Students are encouraged to bring their whole self to their MBA experience, to lead with purpose in their business ambitions, and to foster a supportive and collaborative culture with their peers. These are the traits that define the Georgetown MBA and contribute to our successful rankings results, year after year.”

Title: Georgetown Reflects on Catholic, Jesuit Identity, Values in Mission Priority Examen

Georgetown University has completed a self-study evaluating its Catholic, Jesuit mission as part of the Mission Priority Examen (MPE). 

Led by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, MPE provides Jesuit colleges and universities across the U.S. an outlet to conduct a self-study and peer-review process to reflect on their Catholic, Jesuit missions and set goals for the future.

The self-reflection comes at an important moment for Georgetown as the university adds a Capitol Campus in downtown Washington, DC, while expanding its global presence and partnerships. The process also comes at a time when Georgetown is aiming to build a more diverse and inclusive community amid a time of increased division and polarization around the world.

Over the fall, leaders from across the university participated in 24 listening sessions convened by members of the MPE Self Study Study Committee. The Self Study Committee was led by Jeanne Lord, senior advisor to the president, and Rev. Stephen Sundborg, S.J., special assistant to the president, in close collaboration with Rev. Mark Bosco, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry.

“It is important to take a step back and reflect on how we as a Georgetown community are living out our Catholic, Jesuit mission every day,” Bosco said. “The Mission Priority Examen gives us that space and opportunity to examine and reaffirm our values.” 

This year, Jesuit colleges and universities considered seven themes in the self-study process: leadership and public commitment to mission; academic life; pursuit of faith, justice and reconciliation; promoting an Ignatian campus culture; service to the church; relationship to the Society of Jesus; and institutional integrity.

Member institutions also reflected on the four Universal Apostolic Preferences from the Society of Jesus, a set of priorities identified through a process of discernment by the global Jesuit community that will guide the Society’s work over the next decade.

“The committee took a deep and thoughtful look at each of the seven characteristics and four Universal Apostolic Preferences to reflect on how Georgetown has lived according to these values,” Lord said. “We’re committed to strengthening our work in these areas as we look ahead.”

As part of the process, Georgetown invited representatives from four other Jesuit universities who visited and joined 17 listening sessions in January based on Georgetown’s self-study.

After completing the reflection process, committee members produced a self-study report and laid out three priorities for Georgetown in the years ahead, including committing to expand programs that express the university’s identity and mission as well as continuing to invite the Georgetown community to engage in the Ignatian spiritual tradition. The committee also emphasized its goal to develop a robust Ignatian campus culture on the Capitol Campus to strengthen the Jesuit character of Georgetown’s new campus and its engagement with the wider DC community.

Georgetown’s last self-study, completed in 2018, resulted in the creation of the Mission Advisory Board. The Mission Advisory Board explores opportunities to deepen and broaden the university’s Catholic and Jesuit mission and assesses the work on other priorities that have come up through the MPE process.

“As we look ahead to where Georgetown is going, our Catholic, Jesuit mission must be at the top of mind,” Sundborg said. “We’re looking forward to deepening our work and continuing to integrate our values into every aspect of the university.”