First Year Seminar

The First Year Seminar (FYS) is a dynamic, three-credit course (BADM-1101) designed to introduce first-year and sophomore transfer students at the McDonough School of Business to the intellectual foundations of business education. FYS supports students as they transition to college by fostering academic exploration, personal growth, and a deeper understanding of the role of business in society.

Each seminar is limited to approximately 20 students, creating a close-knit, supportive learning and service community. Through engaging discussions, critical reading, and rigorous writing assignments, students strengthen the academic and professional skills needed for success at Georgetown and beyond. FYS also fulfills the Integrated Writing requirement, with a strong emphasis on academic and business writing.

Key Features of FYS

• Interdisciplinary Exploration:
  Seminars connect students with diverse business disciplines, including global public policy, finance, marketing, ethics, and technology.
  
• Social Impact Consulting Project:
  A signature element of FYS, this project challenges student teams to develop strategic recommendations for a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. Each team is guided by faculty and peer mentors, with finalists presenting to the organization’s leadership team.
  
• Cohort-Wide Lectures:
  Throughout the semester, all FYS students come together for a series of special lectures led by Georgetown faculty and industry experts. These sessions highlight how academic research informs critical global business and policy issues. One lecture features the executive leader of the nonprofit partner from the Social Impact Consulting Project.

The FYS Program offers several seminars during Fall 2025:

Fall 2025 Semester Seminars

• Cooking the Books: The Ethics of Financial Reporting, Kirsten Anderson
• Digital Finance and Fintech in Africa: Advancing Financial Empowerment, Anthony Annan
• Heroes and Villains: Character and Leadership in a Global Context, Robert J. Bies
• Ambition: Finding Greatness, Jason Brennan
• The Real Estate Game, Matthew Cypher, and Ferdinando Monte
• Does Finance Benefit Society? Fr. Quentin Dupont
• Marketing in a Global and Connected World, Ronald Goodstein, 
• Psychology of Big Data, Jennifer Logg
• Bridging the Divide: Leading Across Business, Government, and Society, Nicholas Lovegrove
• Data, Technology, and Critical Thinking in the Digital World, Gregory Lyon
• Psychology at Work: Individual Differences, Teamwork, and Workplace Outcomes, Michael O’Leary
• Entrepreneurship and the Jesuit Tradition, Jeff Reid
• The Future of Work, Eliot Sherman
• Consumer Influence and Autonomy in the Digital Marketplace, Luc Wathieu

Want to learn more?
Refer to the First Year Seminar Brochure or email us for additional details.