Learn More
Academic Seminars help participants explore and form informed opinions on the major topics of the day. Here are the details you need to get started in reaching further in your education and deeper in your understanding.
Program Tuition
The Washington Center works hard to make its program accessible. Program tuition varies, and a variety of scholarships are often available. Check each seminar description for additional information. For more information, click here. [4]
Apply to an Academic Seminar
Who Should Apply
- College students in good standing at their home institution
- Recent graduates
- Alumni of The Washington Center
- Faculty interested in the topic
Undergraduates must have their application approved by their school’s designated liaison with The Washington Center or a campus sponsor. If there is a campus liaison at your school, you will be able to select his or her name from a scroll down list. If there is no liaison at your school, please fill in the appropriate space on the application with the name and contact information of a faculty member or other campus sponsor. This can be any professor or administrator at your school who agrees to receive your evaluation and recommended grade at the end of the seminar. Your application will then be reviewed by The Washington Center.
Once your approved application is submitted and reviewed by The Washington Center and you meet the minimum requirements of the seminar program, you will receive an acceptance notice that confirms your check-in and check-out dates for the seminar. If you will be staying in The Washington Center’s housing, you will be asked to sign a housing contract and submit a credit card number that will not be charged unless you have damages to your apartment or withdraw after the deadline.
Typical Timelines
Registration for most seminars begins four months before the start of the program. The early deadline for guaranteed space is generally two-and-a-half months before the start of seminar; the final deadline is usually one month before its start date.
The Campaign 2012 series (Inside Washington 2012, the Democratic National Convention seminar, the Republican National Convention seminar and the Presidential Inauguration seminar) will seek and accept nominations from college presidents, deans, campus liaisons, honors directors and others as early as 18 months prior to the seminars.
Please check individual seminars’ pages for a more detailed timeline.
Program Fees
The cost of attending an academic seminar varies depending in which seminar you are enrolled. Tuition includes all programming and housing*, but not food, transportation or other expenses. Students are not required to stay in The Washington Center’s housing, but there is no refund for students who choose alternative housing arrangements.
Please check individual seminars’ webpage for a particular seminar’s tuition.
* Washington Connection does not include housing in its program fee but group discount rates at nearby hotels are available.ScholarshipsThe Washington Center offers scholarships for the following groups:
- Alumni of The Washington Center*
- Student government leaders
- College newspaper editors
- Students enrolled in an honors program or honor society
- Students coming as a group of 10 or more from one institution
- Students nominated by a college administrator (Campaign Series)
- Faculty Fellows
*Alumni who have graduated receive a 50% scholarship for seminar programs.
Check individual seminars’ pages for specific scholarships. The Washington Center Academic Seminars can also provide a fundraising guide upon request. Please email seminars@twc.edu [6] to ask for a copy.
Academic Seminars
Academic Seminars are Intense, Interactive & In-depth An academic seminar at The Washington Center is experiential learning at its finest. Gather with other students to explore, debate, and study every angle of the important topics the world is talking about. You’ll get an in-depth education from site visits and tours, panel interviews, group discussions, lectures from distinguished speakers and sometimes fieldwork in a specific field. Explore this section to learn more and to get all the details [8] about Academic Seminars.
Important IssuesAcademic Seminars explore the most important issues of the day, from government’s interaction with the media, to the political process, to peace in the Middle East and other important international issues. Each seminar lasts from several days to a few weeks in length and is highly focused on the topic at hand. It’s a unique opportunity to clarify and sharpen your point of view on the nation, and the world. Learn more. [9]
Special AccessYou’ll interact with the nation’s leading minds. You’ll get an insider’s access to Washington institutions. You could even play a role in the national presidential conventions. Let TWC open doors you never imagined were available.
Important Issues
Several times each year, The Washington Center’s Academic Seminars bring students together to explore the intersection of current affairs, politics, international relations and society. Academic Seminars are timely, relevant, and comprehensive. The time you spend in D.C. will open your mind for years to come. You’ll gain a better appreciation of the complexities facing world leaders, and see things from points of view you’ve never considered before.
Academic seminars will explore the inner workings of the nation’s capital, and topics such as the relationship between politics and the media, the sensitive and complex issues of Israeli-Palestinian conflict [10], and the challenges to national security [11] in a global society.
Presidential Campaign SeminarsEvery four years, a special series examines the race for the Presidency for students interested in learning more about how our democratic processes really work. The year begins with a special in-depth look at the politics of the nation and the processes that exist today. The following summer, you could travel to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions to do a variety of field-work and see how politics work from the center of the action. The series ends with the President’s inauguration and an in-depth study of the issues facing the capital, the country, and the world for the next four years.
Distinguished Speakers
When you attend an academic seminar at The Washington Center, you’ll do much more than read books and sit in a classroom. Washington, D.C., offers myriad opportunities to learn from the people and the institutions that affect the very issues you’ll be studying.
Over the course of the seminar, you’ll get to interact with the men and women who are shaping national policy, leading international discussions and making news. In the past, speakers have included:
- Juan Zarate, Fmr. Deputy, National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism [ Watch His Speech ] [14]
- Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff [ Watch His Speech ] [15]
- Mickey Edwards, Fmr. Congressman from Oklahoma [ Watch His Speech ] [16]
- Ed Gillespie, Fmr. RNC Chairman [ Watch His Speech ] [17]
- Juan Williams, NPR News Analyst [ Watch His Speech ] [18]
- Brian Lamb, C-SPAN Founder [ Watch This Video ] [18]
- Ann Compton, ABC News
- Charlie Cook, Cook Political Report
- Andrea Mitchell, ABC News
- Sam Donaldson, ABC News
- Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune
- Chuck Hagel (R-NE), U.S. Senate
- Ted Koppel, ABC News
- Dana Perino, White House Press Secretary
- Antonin Scalia, U.S. Supreme Court
- Bob Schieffer, CBS News
- Bob Woodward, The Washington Post
- Ambassador Nabil Fahmy, Arab Republic of Egypt
- Ambassador Husain Haqqani, Islamic Republic of Pakistan
- Mike McCurry, Fmr. White House Press Secretary
Attend an Academic Seminar
Unique perspectives, important issues, insider’s access and distinguished speakers form the basis of every academic seminar available only through The Washington Center. There are even more great reasons to come to Washington, though.
Academic CreditTWC’s seminars are designed to qualify for academic credit at many colleges and universities. You may even be able to attend with one of your own classes or professors from your home college or university.
Behind-the-Scenes in Washington, D.C.This is a fascinating city and a fast-paced hub of politics, business, arts, diplomacy, and science. In addition to the regular access to major institutions and distinguished leaders, you’ll have time to explore a city that is rich in cultural diversity, historical significance and artistic flair.
HousingHousing is guaranteed and included in the cost of the seminar. You’ll stay in one of our comfortable, fully furnished apartments at the Residential and Academic Facility in NoMa or the Residential Facility at Solaire. All apartments are located near the Metro subway system, so it’s easy to go out and enjoy the city. Learn more about our housing [19].
Highly FocusedNot everyone can dedicate the time to a semester-long internship, but everyone can spend time pursuing academic excellence in the nation’s capital. Seminars last from several days to a few weeks and are intensely focused on the issues at hand. You’ll get a semester’s worth of study in a fraction of the time.
Upcoming Seminars
Presidential Inauguration Program
January 12–22, 2013The Presidential Inauguration is a special ten-day academic seminar focusing on the newly elected presidential administration. Students from all across the country converge in the nation’s capital to be a part of the historic moment when the President will be sworn into office.
Learn more [21]
In Others' Words
“My Washington, D.C., experience has given me the initiative to become more involved not only politically in my community but in other aspects as well.”
Tracy Tomlinson, University of San Diego
Gandhi once said: ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ I think this seminar helped exemplify this statement, giving each and every one of us the necessary tools to be that change.”
Joseph Vithayathil, Honors College at Miami Dade College
“I think the greatest thing about this experience was the fact that every speaker and site visit provided me inspiration in one way or another. We are the future, and this seminar was geared directly towards us.”
Yeeka Yan, Mount Olive College
"The most exciting part is the chance to hear from amazing speakers that most people just get to see on TV or read about"
Chelsey Hood, Quinnipiac University
"The Washington Center allowed me to learn about my government, my school, and myself. They helped me escape the apathy of young people around me, and to hear the political beliefs of young people all over the country."
Richard V. Gello, Suffolk University
“A college education is a necessity for a better life. But there are things that just can not be learned in a classroom. The Washington Center lets you learn and experience them.“
Andre Gilchrist, Kean University
“The Washington Center provides an experience unlike any other. The mixture of fieldwork, speakers on many sides of various issues, exposure to academic discussion…all these have helped me grow and better define myself. I am a better person and more informed citizens now. I have made contacts that will help me in my road to success. I am so glad that I came to the RNC and that The Washington Center provided worked so hard to provide me with this exceptional experience.”
Erin Walker, Washington State University
Getting Started
The Washington Center’s Academic Seminars will help you explore and form informed opinions on the major topics of the day. The schedule of seminars changes from year to year; those scheduled for 2011 are listed here [13]. Details for Campaign 2012 - a special series focusing on the race for the presidency - will be announced next year.
Joining a Seminar
All college and university students in good standing are welcome to apply to any seminar they’re interested in. Recent graduates, TWC’s alumni and college faculty are also welcome to attend as students. Some seminars may have additional requirements or have an ideal student profile. Explore the individual sections for each seminar to learn more.
Applications are accepted online. Check the information for the seminar you’re interested in for specific deadlines, fees or requirements. More information on the application process is available here [5].
Program TuitionThe cost for each seminar varies; check the information for the seminar you’re interested in for the price schedule. Your tuition will include all programming and housing costs. Food, transportation and other expenses are not included. Scholarships may be available for some students. Visit each seminar page to see costs. [13]
