Contact the Graduate Studies Team

Office of Graduate Studies

Please use the appropriate email address listed for all email correspondence, including the submission of any required forms or documents.

Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
801 22nd St. NW
Phillips Hall 107
Washington, DC 20052

   202-994-6210
   202-994-6213

Melissa Busskohl

Melissa Busskohl

Executive Director, Graduate Studies & Student Services

Trey Trkula

Trey Trkula

Administrative Assistant to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
  [email protected]
  202-994-8397

The Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) has a team of dedicated professionals to assist you in navigating academic policies and processes.

  • Each CCAS graduate program has an assigned program coordinator who is your main point of contact within the Office of Graduate Studies. Your program coordinator administers the enrollment and academic standing policies and procedures that all graduate students must maintain.
  • Your Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) addresses any academic advising questions related to course selection and other degree requirements.

Graduate Admissions

Phillips Hall, Suite 107 | [email protected]

Should you wish to contact any team member, please email [email protected]

Lindsey Duble-Dice

Lindsey Duble-Dice

Senior Associate Director, Graduate Admissions & Awards

Madison Brooks

Madison Brooks

Assistant Director, Graduate Admissions

Adrienne Douglass

Adrienne Douglass

Assistant Director, Graduate Admissions

 

Ezi Emenike

Ezi Emenike

Assistant Director, Graduate Admissions

Liz Kepferle

Liz Kepferle

Assistant Director, Graduate Admissions

Marie Okamoto

Marie Okamoto

Senior Awards Coordinator

Mallory McGovern

Mallory McGovern

Senior Awards Coordinator

Charita Hammett

Charita Hammett

Advanced Graduate Admissions Evaluator

Image
Vacant Profile

Vacant

Assistant Director, Graduate Admissions

 


Graduate Student Services

Smith Hall, Suite 118 | [email protected] | 202-994-6210

Should you wish to contact any team member, please email [email protected] or make an appointment with us.

Anna Marie Siegel

Anna Marie Siegel

Senior Associate Director

Coordinator for the Professional Psychology (Psy.D.) program, all Ph.D. programs, and Master’s and Certificate programs in: Anthropology, Applied Mathematics, Biostatistics, Financial Mathematics, Forensic Psychology, All Forensic Science programs, LGBT Health Policy and Practice, and Mathematics

Megan Rusconi-Warner

Megan Rusconi-Warner

Senior Coordinator

Coordinator for Master's and Certificate programs in: American Studies, Anatomical and Translational Sciences, Applied Economics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Communication Management, Criminology, Data Science, Environmental and Green Chemistry, Geographical Information Systems, Geography, Human Paleobiology, Media and Strategic Communication, Organizational Sciences, Philosophy and Social Policy, Physics, Political Science, Sociology, Statistics, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies - Public Policy

Zack Samara

Zack Samara

Senior Coordinator

Coordinator for Master’s and Certificate programs in: All Corcoran programs, Art Therapy, Chinese Language and Culture, English, History, Islamic Studies, Speech-Language Pathology, All TSPPPA programs

Image
Vacant Profile

Vacant

Senior Coordinator

Image
Vacant Profile

Vacant

Lead Student Services Specialist

Image
Vacant Profile

Vacant

Senior Administrative Assistant

Appointments for Current Students

Graduate Student Services - Career Advising

Smith Hall, Suite 118 | [email protected] | 202-994-6210

CCAS Career Counselors provide career counseling for all CCAS graduate students with the exception of Trachtenberg School and Data Science students.

Should you wish to contact any team member, please email [email protected] or make an appointment with us.

Johnette Ruffner-Ceaser

Johnette Ruffner-Ceaser

Career Counselor

Erin Ahart

Erin Ahart

Career Counselor

 

 

 

Appointments for Career Advising


Graduate Recruitment

Phillips Hall, Suite 107 | [email protected]

Should you wish to contact any team member, please email [email protected] or make an appointment with us.

Natalie McCarter

Natalie McCarter

Senior Associate Director, Graduate Recruitment

Sep Dunham

Sepideh Dunham

Assistant Director, Graduate Recruitment

Kate Kumar

Kate Kumar

Assistant Director, Graduate Recruitment

 


Graduate Program Directors

Each graduate program has a Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) who will be your main point of contact regarding your academic program requirements. You must meet with your DGS before registering for courses in the first semester to ensure you are informed of exactly which courses you need to take and what is required to complete your graduate program. Your DGS’ contact details can be found in the Graduate Program Director listing below.

You should also discuss the possibility of transferring any graduate credit earned at other institutions with your DGS, and submit the necessary paperwork to the CCAS Office of Graduate Student Services ([email protected]).

Your DGS’ contact details can be found in the alphabetical Graduate Program listing on this page:

Programs A-C

Academy of Classical Acting
Director: Alexander Wild

American Studies
Director: Gayle Wald
Master's Adviser: Suleiman Osman

Anatomical & Translation Sciences
Director: Robert Hawley
Director: Nicole De Vaul

Anthropology
Director: Jeffrey Blomster(PhD program)
Co-Director: Alex Dent (MA program, First-Year Students)
Co-Director: Steve Lubkemann (MA program, Second-Year Students)

Applied Economics
Director: Joann Weiner

Applied Mathematics
Director: Yanxiang Zhao (MS program)
Director: Hao Wu (Certificate program)

Applied Psychology
Director: Stephen Mitroff

Art History
Director: Mika Natif

Art Therapy/Art Therapy Practice
Director: Heidi Bardot

Bioinformatics & Molecular Biochemistry
Director: Anelia Horvath

Biological Sciences
Director: Keryn Gedan

Biomedical Sciences
Director: Norman Lee
Cancer Biology: Norman Lee, Yanfen Hu
Genomics & Bioinformatics: Ljubica Caldovic, Raja Mazumder
Microbiology and Immunology: Alberto Bosque, David Leitenberg
Neuroscience: Matthew Colonnese, Jason Triplett
Pharmacology & Physiology: Colin Young, Nikki Posnack

Biostatistics
Director: Yinglei Lai

Budget & Public Finance
Director: Joseph Cordes

Chemistry
Director: Martin Zysmilich
Admissions Director: Cynthia Dowd

Chinese Language and Literature
Director: Liana Chen

Communication Management
Director: YoungJu Shin
Graduate Adviser: Savreen Hundal

Contexts of Environmental Policy
Director: Rachel Emas

Criminology
Director: Ivy Ken

Programs D-F

Data Science
Director: Ryan Engstrom
Associate Program Director: Andrew Layman 

Economics
Director: Roberto Samaniego (PhD Admissions and Funding)
Director: Pam Labadie (PhD Pre-Candidacy Advising)
Director: Graciela Kaminsky (PhD Post-Candidacy)

English
Director: David Mitchell

Environmental and Green Chemistry
Admissions Director: Houston Miller
Program Director: Jakub Kostal
Adviser: Martín Zysmilich

Environmental and Sustainability Policy
Director: Rachel Emas

Exhibition Design
Director: Melina Misri

Financial Mathematics
Director: Hao Wu

Fine Arts
Director: Carmen Montoya

Forensic Psychology
Director: Rocio Lopez-Sharifi
Program Director: Andrew Moskowitz

Forensic Sciences
Director: Daniele Podini (Forensic Chemistry, Forensic Molecular Biology)
Director: Heidi Eldridge (Crime Scene Investigation, Forensic Investigation)

Programs G-I

Geography and Environment
Director: Michael Mann

GIS Certificate
Director: Brendan Hurley

History
Director: Joel Blecher
Master's Program Advisor: Katrin Schultheiss
Admissions Director: Eric Schluessel (MA program)
Admissions Director: David Silverman (PhD program)

Human Paleobiology
Co-Director: Alison Brooks (PhD program)
Co-Director: Chet Sherwood (PhD program)
Co-Director: David Braun (MS program)
Co-Director: Francys Subiaul (MS program)

Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Director: Yisheng Peng

Interaction Design
Director: Kevin Patton

Interior Architecture
Director: Catherine Anderson

Islamic Studies
Director: Mohammad Faghfoory

Programs J-L

Jewish Cultural Arts
Director: Jenna Weissman Joselit

Programs M-O

Mathematics
Director: Yanxiang Zhao
Director: Hao Wu (Certificate program)
Admissions Coordinator: Xiaofeng Ren

Media & Strategic Communication
Director: Sean Aday

Museum Collections Management & Care
Director: Mary Coughlin

Museum Studies
Director: Suse Anderson,
Graduate Advisors: Suse Anderson, Max van Balgooy, Schillica HowardLaura Schiavo

Museums, History, & Culture
Director: Melani McAlister

New Media Photojournalism
Director: Susan Sterner

Non-Profit Management
Director: Michael Worth

Organizational Sciences
Director: Gelaye Debebe
Graduate Studies Advisor: Mary Lee

Programs P-R

Philosophy & Social Policy
Director: Eric Saidel

Physics
Director: Harald Griesshammer
Graduate Studies Adviser: Weiqun Peng
Admissions Director: Chen Zeng

Political Science
Director: michael Miller
Director of PhD Admissions: Chris Warshaw

Professional Psychology
Director: Katherine Marshall Woods
Program Director: Oksana Yakushko
Deputy Director: Joshua DeSilva

Psychological & Brain Sciences PhD
Director: Michelle Stock (Applied Social program)
Director: Sharon Lambert (Clinical program)
Director: Stephen Mitroff (Cognitive Neuroscience program)

Public Policy and Public Administration
Director: Anil Nathan (MPA and MPP program)
Director: Burt Barnow (PhD program)

Quantitative Social Sciences
Director: Brandon Bartels

Regulatory Policy and Practice
Director: Christopher Carrigan

Programs S-Z

Social Practice
Director: Carmen Montoya

Sociology
Director: Ivy Ken

Speech-Language Pathology
Director: Jessica Jocelyn
Admissions Chair: Michael Bamdad (New Applicant/Student Contact)

Statistics
Master's Program Director: Tapan Nayak
Doctoral Program Director: Yinglei Lai

Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Director: Gail Weiss

Women's, Gender & Sexuality - Public Policy
Director: Eiko Strader

Social Practice
Director: Maria del Carmen Montoya

Sociology
Director: Fran Buntman

Speech-Language Pathology
Director: Adrienne Hancock
Admissions Chair: Michael Bamdad (New Applicant/Student Contact)

Statistics
Director: Feifang Hu (PhD program)
Director: Reza Modarres (MS program)
Adviser: Xiaoke Zhang (MS program)
Adviser: Qing Pan (MS program)

Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Director: Ashwini Tambe

Women's, Gender & Sexuality - Public Policy
Director: Cynthia Deitch

 


Academic Advisors: Who to Talk To?

Your student services coordinator and your Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) have distinct responsibilities:

 

Student Services Coordinator

  • Processes restricted registration requests
  • Provides guidance on CCAS and GW academic policies
  • Audits academic progress
  • Processes CCAS and GW forms
  • Processes graduation clearances
 

Director of Graduate Studies

  • Serves as Academic advisor
  • Answers questions about program requirements and curriculum
  • Provides guidance on CCAS and GW academic policies
  • Creates your Plan of Study
  • Assists with registration
  • Submits DegreeMAP petitions
  • Evaluates academic progress
  • Consults with Coordinator on academic issues
  • Submits CCAS forms