Washington DC | Pre-Term
Pre-Term is a full-time program that offers incoming students the chance to get a jump-start on their studies, build professional skills, and connect with classmates before the academic year begins. Pre-Term courses help you fulfill the data analytics and professional skills course degree program requirements of the Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) curriculum, freeing up space in your schedule to pursue electives and more advanced coursework. It also meets the English entry requirement for non-native English-speakers.
Registration
Registration for Pre-Term 2024 will be open April 15 through June 15. Tuition will be due June 23. Reserve your place in DC Pre-Term through our Online Registration Form.
Schedule
Pre-Term is structured as a hybrid online and on-campus program.
July: The first four weeks of Pre-Term will be fully online with students participating from anywhere in the world as long as they have high-speed internet. Classes are asynchronous learning divided into weekly modules, consisting of pre-recorded lectures, activities and assignments housed in the Blackboard learning management system.
Pre-Term English students will meet virtually 1:1 with their instructor to review their writing each week. Students taking Statistics for Data Analysis will attend twice weekly live sessions to connect with the professor, practice problem sets with your classmates, and to help synthesize the material you are learning in the pre-recorded lectures.
August: All students will come to campus to complete the final two weeks of their academic coursework. The Pre-Term program culminates with professional development skills courses and leadership activities.
English
- July 1 – July 26; Online portion of the course
- August 1-12; On-campus portion of the course
Statistics for Data Analysis
- July 1 – July 26; Online portion of the course
- August 1-12; On-campus portion of the course
- Final exam: August 15
Professional Development Skills course
- August 19-20; On-campus
Pre-Term Courses & Tuition
Unlike Summer Programs, Pre-Term courses are non-credit and do not count toward the number of courses/credits required for graduation, but they offer the opportunity to complete the data analytics and professional skills graduation requirements for the MAIR curriculum. Successful completion of Pre-Term courses is noted by High Pass (HP) or Pass (P) on your transcript. No mention of Pre-Term is noted for failed courses. Students who do not pass Pre-Term courses must take these courses for credit during the academic year. Pre-Term tuition is due June 23.
Non-native English speakers will develop their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in preparation for graduate coursework.
Students will enroll in a professional skills course that will be offered the last week of Pre-Term onsite and is a complement to the international relations field. For MAIR students, the course will fulfill one of two skills course requirements and will emphasize team-based problem solving, leadership skills, and experiential learning through out-of-classroom activities. For all other degree students, enrolling in the skills course is optional but strongly recommended. The skills courses are offered at no additional cost and are open to all students enrolled in Pre-Term.
Completion of this course will fulfill the data analytics requirement of the MAIR curriculum and free up space for an additional elective, which can be offered by any academic program at the school. The course also fulfills prerequisites for more advanced economic coursework.
| Pre-Term Student | |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $1750 for English or Statistics for Data Analysis, $2500 for both courses |
| Credits Earned? | No |
| Fulfills Data Analytics Requirement? | Yes, Statistics for Data Analysis |
| Grading System | Pass/Fail |
| Grade will affect GPA? | No |
| Counts toward total number of courses to graduate? | No |
Student Testimonials
Pre-Term led me to meet the people who would become my closest friends while at SAIS, as it gave me the opportunity to meet people at a deeper level without the stress and hecticness of a regular semester.
MAIR Student
Attending Pre-Term was one of the best decisions I made. I would recommend it to any incoming student as a major key to success at the school.
MAIR Student
At Pre-Term I was able to get a key course out of the way and clear up my schedule for more classes.
MAIR Student