The Washington Semester Program is offered by Siena College in a cooperative arrangement with American University. The Program includes special seminars conducted by prominent Washington decision-makers, a research tutorial consisting of working with a mentor to produce a research paper or alternatively (depending on the specific track) a regular course offered by American University, and an internship experience, which could include an assignment to a congressional committee or office, an executive branch agency, an interest group association, a think tank, a private company or firm or to a media group. In addition, students have the option of enrolling in one of three faculty-led travel courses to the Silicon Valley, Western Europe, or the Middle East." Area tracks include programs in:
- American Politics
- Foreign Policy
- Global Economics & Business
- International Law & Organizations
- Journalism & New Media
- Justice & Law
- Public Health Policy
- Sports Management & Media
- Sustainable Development
"I would tell anyone thinking about spending a semester in Washington to do it, without hesitation. The experiences I had were unparalleled to anything I’ve ever experienced. I witnessed a Presidential Inauguration, I walked through a death chamber, I had a professor who sits as a D.C. Superior Judge (which means she was nominated by President Obama) has her PhD and her JD, I saw where the opening scene of the “Silence of the Lambs” was filmed, I stood at the cusp of the West Wing, I went to the Pentagon, and I witnessed an Oral Argument in the Supreme Court of the United States. My semester in Washington D.C. was hands down the best semester I’ve ever had, and the best time I have ever had." -Sarah Klock, Class of 2014