Washington, DC Center

About the Campus

The Bernstein-Offit Building also serves as the administrative office for Advanced Academic Programs. Admissions, Registration, Online, Information Technology, and Outreach staff are located at this center just two blocks south of Dupont Circle accessible by Metro.

The center includes a Library Resource Center, faculty and student lounges, a large administrative/program management suite for faculty and staff, classrooms or seminar rooms, a teaching computer lab, a large presentation room, and an executive conference room. The Washington Center provides an excellent learning environment for Advanced Academic Programs, and many Arts and Sciences Washington-based initiatives.

Learning Commons

The Johns Hopkins D.C. Learning Commons located on the 3rd floor of the Bernstein-Offit Building (1717 Massachusetts Ave.) is open to students at Carey Business School, SAIS, and AAP.

It features conference rooms, group study rooms, open group study areas, printing services, and a student kitchenette. The space is designed to accommodate a broad variety of learning styles including self-study, small group study, open group study, and technology-enhanced study.

The Learning Commons also offers an online scheduling tool to make reserving a group study room easy. To make a reservation, log in with your JHED ID, click on the “Reservation” tab, select your location, highlight the time desired, and fill out the necessary information.

Library Services

Under the direction of the JHU Eisenhower Library, students in Washington are welcome to do research in the Washington Library Resource Center (WLRC). The center’s staff provides reference consultation, instruction and facilitates access to a vast array of electronic databases, journals, the online catalog, reserve services, and a collection of materials supporting each of the programs offered by the schools.

Students and faculty can also obtain journal articles, books, and audio-visual material not available at the central library. Articles can be delivered to the desktop, and material can be delivered to the center for pickup. The J-Card is used for identification and borrowing privileges. The Library Resource Center has 10 workstations in the Electronic Research Room. Additionally, students may access electronic resources from off-campus.

The library is open year-round. Librarians are available to assist students in person from noon to 7 pm Monday through Thursday and noon to 5 pm Friday. The library is open but not staffed from 7 to 8 pm Monday through Thursday and 9:30 am to 1:30 pm on Saturday. When librarians are not at the library, students may self-checkout books and use the Help Kiosk to meet with a librarian virtually.

Computers

The Washington, DC Center features a teaching computer lab with 24 workstations. The internet, university-wide electronic services, and various software applications are installed locally as needed for specific courses.

Online Bookstore

Advanced Academic Programs is serviced by a virtual bookstore, MBS Direct. MBS Direct provides textbook information for students taking courses at all AAP onsite locations and online. The online bookstore offers competitive pricing, new and used books, and buybacks from their large distribution center.

Visit the MBS Direct online store to begin purchasing your textbooks. The bookstore opens 4 weeks before the start of the semester/term. If your book is not listed at that time, no textbook information has been entered by the instructor. If that is the case, keep checking back as information is updated daily before the semester start. Orders can also be placed by phone 800-325-3252 or fax 800-499-0143.

Direct questions about your book order to the MBS customer service line at 800-325-3252.

Food and Refreshments

The Learning Commons on the third floor has snacks and beverage vending machines; there are additional vending machines in the lower level student lounge. Both the Learning Commons and the lounge have tables and chairs for those who stop by any of the nearby eating establishments and wish to bring food to the center. The Dupont Circle neighborhood has several fast-food restaurants that could easily be visited on the way to and from class.

Security Services

At the Washington, DC Center all students, faculty, and visitors are required to sign in with picture ID at the lobby desk or display a J-Card or other university ID to the security guard. A phone on the fourth floor, where classrooms are located, connects directly to the lobby security guard in case of an emergency. Additionally, the shuttle bus service is provided from 7:15 to 11:15 pm from SAIS’s Nitze Building at 1740 Massachusetts Avenue to the Farragut North, Farragut West, and Mount Vernon Square metro stops. The shuttle also stops at the Columbia Heights Metro Station during the 11:15 shuttle run. The shuttle bus is available in the fall and spring semesters every weekday but Friday. It does not operate during the summer term.

Parking

The Washington, DC Center parking garage is managed by Federal Parking. Johns Hopkins students can park underneath the Bernstein-Offit Building for a discounted rate of $7 between 4:00 pm–11:00 pm Monday–Friday, and on Saturdays from 7:00 am – 6:00 pm. JHU ID is required.

Students, faculty, and visitors can also park at a rate of $7 after 4:30 pm at the Central Parking Garage on 1800 Massachusetts Avenue (located underneath the SEIU Building, just one block east of the Bernstein-Offit Building). The garage is open Monday through Friday and closes at 11:00 pm.