Building Column

Resources for Faculty Program Directors

Advising for the Degree, Concentration, and Specialization

Faculty Program Directors oversee the academic advising for students in their program. Academic advising can include: guiding students through the process of designing and completing a course of study; offering advice on research opportunities, internships, career opportunities, fellowships, and other postgraduate options; making all definitive academic program judgments about the appropriateness of courses for the requirements; communicating information about policies and procedures to staff advisors.

Faculty Program Directors need to be familiar with SIPA’s academic requirements and policies as determined by the faculty Committee on Instruction (COI) to provide correct information to both students and faculty colleagues.

For questions regarding academic requirements or policy, Faculty Directors are advised to contact the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Coordinating the Curriculum

Faculty Program Directors represent the interests of SIPA students in all curricular and staffing deliberations that occur within their program. Together, the academic program, Academic Affairs, and Committee on Instruction help SIPA guarantee the richest possible curriculum for SIPA students.

The Faculty Program Director is responsible for 1) overseeing the submission of next academic year Curriculum Planning Statement to the Office of Academic Affairs, and 2) preparing information for the SIPA Bulletin.
 

Committee on Instruction

  • The Committee on Instruction must review and approve any course that (1) is new, (2) has not been taught in three or more years, or (3) has been changed in content by more than forty percent (including changing course points).

    Course Points and Contact Hours

    A three (3) point course should consist of 25 hours of instruction. (110-minute seminar and 14 weeks)
     

  • Faculty Program Directors should work with the instructors to develop the syllabi for the courses to be presented at the COI meeting. SIPA has a sample syllabus outline, which they can share with the instructors. All draft syllabi should be sent to the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs for review and feedback. In some instances, developing a syllabus can take a few interactions with the instructor. When the syllabus is ready, the Office of Academic Affairs shares it with the COI.
     

Academic Course Scheduling

Timetables

SIPA courses are scheduled using the following timetable:
 

  Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3 Slot 4 Slot 5 Slot 6
110 minute class, once a week, M-F and Saturday (EPMA Only) 9:00-10:50 am 11:00-12:50 pm 2:10-4:00 pm 4:10-6:00 pm 6:10-8:00 pm 8:10-10:00 pm
180-minute once-weekly lectures, M-F 11:00-1:00 pm 1:00-4:00 pm 6:10-9:00 pm      
90-minute twice weekly lectures, M and W or T and R 9:00-10:30 am 11:00-12:30 pm 2:10-3:40 pm 4:10-5:40 pm 6:10-7:40 pm  

Weekend workshops may have irregular hours scheduled on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Calendar of responsibilities

  • February 1 - March 1 - Curriculum Planning Meetings with Academic Affairs
  • March 1 - Curriculum Planning Statement for Summer Semester due to Academic Affairs
  • March 15 - Deadline for Submission of Fall Semester Course and Instructor Approval Requests to COI
  • April 1 - Curriculum Planning Statement for Fall Semester due to Academic Affairs
  • April 15 - Deadline to update SIPA Bulletin with program changes for the coming Summer semester.
  • July 15 - Deadline to update SIPA Bulletin with program changes for the coming Fall semester
  • August 1 - Curriculum Planning Statement for Spring Semester due to Academic Affairs
  • September 15 - Deadline for Submission of Spring Semester Course and Instructor Approval Requests to COI
  • December 15 - Deadline to update SIPA Bulletin with program changes for the coming Spring semester.