Undergraduate Search Results Page
Many of our accountancy professors have ties to high-profile firms and agencies. They work hard to provide students with unprecedented access to executives, government officials and internships. The students, in turn, get unusual hands-on experience, such as the opportunity to study the stock market in a classroom that looks like a Wall Street trading venue. Accountancy at GW’s School of Business has its own undergraduate degree: Bachelor of Accountancy.
GW's Africana Studies Program promotes an interdepartmental, interdisciplinary course of study examining the diverse histories, cultures, politics and people of the African diaspora. Regional coverage includes the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. Students in the program are introduced to methodology from core areas of the humanities and social sciences to develop skills in comparative, cross-cultural analysis and research.
An innovative department with 12 core faculty and 20 affiliated faculty members, American Studies teaches interdisciplinary cultural analysis with approaches from anthropology, architectural history, art history, English, film studies, folk life, geography, media studies, history, performance studies and political theory. Undergraduate studies focus on politics and culture, especially issues of religion, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality. Students make global connections with the African Diaspora, the Middle East and Latin America.
GW’s Anthropology program includes four concentrations. Biological anthropology explores human evolution, anatomy and primatology. Sociocultural anthropology examines the role culture plays in shaping human action. Linguistic anthropology considers the role of language in human thought. And archaeology examines both human origins and more recent issues of state formation and urbanization. In our teaching and research, we collaborate with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, as well as departments within the university.
The applied science and technology program is offered through the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, which is located in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. It is a broad-based, engineering-oriented program coupled with liberal arts coursework. It is designed for students seeking careers in fields that employ engineering and science, such as law, medicine, business, education or the media. Students in the program choose an allied minor.
Arabic courses cover four levels/years of language instruction at the undergraduate level. In the first and second year, students can choose between the college-wide standard four-credit track and an intensive six-credit track.
Language courses are communicative-based and student-centered. They emphasize four language skills—listening, reading, writing and speaking—in addition to fostering cultural competency. From the first course onward, Arabic classes strive to maximize the students’ exposure to the language in the classroom.
Students learn about ancient peoples and civilizations and conduct field work in remote locales as well as in the D.C. area. Part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the program combines anthropology, art history, classics and history. It offers one of the few bachelor's degrees in the discipline nationwide.
The Art History program encourages observation and direct, interpretive engagement with the visual arts. Curriculum spans ancient to contemporary art, with significant emphasis on research and writing. Students become skilled in utilization of narrative qualities and rhetorical persuasiveness as related to art historical writing and dialogue with art objects, spaces and performances.
The Elliott School’s bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies program begins with a foundation in political science, economics, history, and anthropology that prepares students to deal with issues that cross political and cultural boundaries. From this base, students explore a wide variety of subjects beginning with international politics and policy, moving through trade and economics, development and human rights, culture, and regional studies.
Housed in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Physics, the astronomy and astrophysics program includes coursework on the origins of the cosmos, life in the universe and space astrophysics.
As one of the natural science departments in GW’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, biological sciences explores the science of life, from biomolecules to ecosystems. Faculty members are engaged in research on campus and around the world, regularly collaborating with other leading researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
GW’s biomedical engineering program is offered through the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, which is part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. This innovative program takes advantage of the unique combination of resources and opportunities that the engineering school provides through its connection with GW’s medical school and hospital and with the biotech industries and world-class laboratories in the Washington metropolitan area.
The world of business is broad, dynamic and ever evolving. GW students acquire the base disciplines that give them strong business knowledge. But they are also given unusual experiential opportunities. They undertake internships at places like the World Bank and the White House, they examine case studies that look beyond the bottom line to also explore ethics, they do problem-solving for real corporations and they have contact with high-profile executives willing to talk about the challenges of their industries.
Students engage in cutting-edge research alongside expert faculty and graduate students studying problems of critical importance to our world. Housed in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, GW’s chemistry program provides a hands-on approach to modern laboratory practices and instrumentation supported by a balanced introduction to the basic divisions of chemistry that emphasizes problem-solving skills.
GW’s program in Chinese language and literature equips students with an oral and written proficiency in Chinese and an understanding of Chinese history, literature and culture through language, literature and film courses.
Located in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the civil engineering program teaches the fundamentals in five major areas of civil engineering: environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, water resources engineering, and transportation engineering. Using these fundamentals, our students participate in some very exciting projects—such as the clean-up of the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, earthquake protection of bridges and roads, and crash protection for children in car seats.
Students encounter the ideas of ancient thinkers, study ancient history on the Acropolis in Athens, learn about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire and follow the adventures of the gods in mythology. Part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Classical and Semitic Languages and Literatures, the program provides students with a greater understanding of the modern world by concentrating on the sources and values of Western civilization.
In this interdisciplinary program, students gain fluency in cognitive neuroscience, develop their analytical thinking and refine their ability to present compelling scientific arguments in both written and oral form.
Students explore how people find meaning in an abstract world, how this meaning creates alternatives, how to decide on a meaningful course of action, how to live with the choices we make and how we share these choices with others. Communication events are examined intrapersonally, didactically, in small groups, in organizations, across cultures and in public settings.
The computer engineering program at GW's School of Engineering and Applied Science prepares students to specialize in computer systems architecture, computer communications networking and very-large-scale integrated (VLSI) systems. Students build on this through high-profile research projects and internships made possible by our location in the nation’s capital. These are one-of-a-kind opportunities to be involved in cutting-edge research and internships at federal laboratories and high-tech companies.
The computer science program is part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. In this program, you learn software design, algorithms, and problem solving using computers, programming languages, and architecture of computer systems and networks. You can earn either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science and prepare for careers that span the spectrum from information technology, health sciences and homeland security to business, law and entertainment.
One of the social and behavioral science disciplines in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the program examines the historical development of criminal justice and its evolution into modern legal systems. Students analyze how different forms of criminal justice affect individuals and society.
The dance program emphasizes the development of a technically trained body and the creative processes involved in dancing. It builds a strong theoretical base for understanding movement. As part of the arts and humanities discipline in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the program prepares students for a professional career in the multifaceted field of dance as an artist, entrepreneur, manager or dance specialist.
The study of economics investigates the consequences of scarcity, which forces people, organizations and governments to choose among competing objectives. Economics looks at these choices and how they affect the production of goods and services, market prices, national output, unemployment, inflation, economic growth and the use and distribution of resources within and across nations.
In the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s electrical engineering program, you will learn the fundamentals of the fast-evolving technology that is fueling the explosion in modern electronic devices and communication systems. From wireless technologies to nano-scale systems, you will discover the basics of electrical engineering design. so that you can take your place alongside the engineers who make daily advances in sustainable energy, telecommunications, health care, defense and other sectors.
Students can study literature and creative writing with renowned scholars and award-winning authors in GW’s English program. Part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ arts and humanities program, the Department of English fosters critical reflection on literature and culture, connecting reading practices with lucid writing and persuasive argumentation. Students explore issues including community, creativity, cultural conflict and history within an extraordinary range of texts.
Part of GW’s Department of Geography in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the environmental studies program offers coursework related to sustainability with an emphasis on the science of the environment. It includes a variety of offerings in the social sciences, physical and life sciences, and the humanities. The program serves as preparation for analyzing broad-based environmental and development policy, both domestically and internationally.
GW’s program offers outstanding educational and professional opportunities. We prepare undergraduates to become skilled in the basic exercise and/or nutritional sciences in order for them to practice these skills in a laboratory-, clinic-, school-, or community-based environment.
Housed in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the Film Studies Program covers classical film aesthetics, surveys the history of world cinema and takes an in-depth look at films from America, France, Germany, Japan, Russia and the Hispanic world.
Emphasizing a finance-focused education, this degree directly targets the financial industry including commercial banks, investment banks, investment companies, and insurance companies.
The Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts program (B.A.) at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design allows students to balance fine arts courses with other academic programs of study by fostering an experimental approach to art-making. The B.A. program is less studio intensive than the B.F.A. Students take coursework across a wide range of studio arts, including ceramics, photography, new media and graphic design. With a foundation in the liberal arts, this program emphasizes a critical and creative relationship between content and form as well as an awareness of art historical connections.
A truly international language, French is spoken in 53 countries by nearly 200 million speakers. A thorough knowledge of French language and Francophone cultures opens opportunities to students who will live and work in an increasingly global society. French is part of the arts and humanities discipline in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
A geographic information system (GIS) captures, analyzes, stores and presents data linked to location. Housed in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Geography, the geographic information systems program covers geographic data acquisition, geospatial database construction and management, spatial analysis and geovisualization.
One of the social and behavioral sciences disciplines in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, GW’s geography program investigates how people in different places interact with the environment and how the environment influences their lives. Geography majors understand society and environmental dynamics, the significance of scale, the uneven distribution of resources and levels of development and the uses of geospatial techniques, including GIS and remote sensing.
Geological sciences’ faculty members are engaged in research on the geology and paleontology of the Appalachian and Rocky mountains, Asia and elsewhere. They collaborate with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and other international organizations. Research scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, environmental firms, the Smithsonian Institution and other agencies in the Washington, D.C., area augment the full-time faculty, providing a broad capability for education and hands-on training.
In our rapidly changing world, communication is key to understanding other peoples and cultures. Courses in the German program examine everything from the age of Goethe and the fairy tale to business German and the Berlin Wall. While studying the language and culture of the German-speaking world, students gain important background into political and cultural developments in that world—from the early modern period to the present. German is part of the arts and humanities program in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
The Graphic Design program at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design begins with a strong foundation in design principles and technical skills, and learning both about design history and contemporary practices. By learning through making and using tactile practices and professional analog skills in tangible products, the students develop the required sensibility and sensitivity that also expands into creating professional interactive and screen-based projects.
Learn the language of the birthplace of Western civilization, read classical texts in their original language and explore the ancient Greek civilization through GW’s Greek program. Part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Classical and Semitic Languages and Literatures, the program offers courses in the Greek language and classical literature and civilization.
Learn one of the world’s oldest living languages through GW’s Hebrew program. Part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Classical and Semitic Languages and Literatures, the program offers language courses taught by native speakers as well as classes in Hebrew fiction and Israeli culture. The program emphasizes speaking, reading, writing and listening.
Students gain a thorough understanding of history and its lessons through GW’s Department of History. The program’s proximity to and partnerships with the National Archives, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the National Security Archives and the Smithsonian museums make GW an ideal place to take on diverse fields of study, including early modern Europe, America since the Civil War, the international history of the Cold War, the history of colonialism and imperialism and modern East Asia.
One of the most hands-on majors at GW, the human services program helps students become effective leaders to serve people and communities in need. Building upon empathy and commitment to social justice, students actively engage in mentoring, community-based research and service projects. The program is one of the social and behavioral sciences disciplines in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
The Interaction Design program at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design offers students hands-on training that emphasizes the quality of interactions between people, the designed world, and the natural world. Our students learn strategies to address complex challenges and apply their skills in the development of a wide variety of objects, environments, and processes. We believe in a human-centered collaborative approach that enables our students to create meaningful solutions that will impact everything from smart digital devices to healthcare services.
GW’s interior architecture program offers a comprehensive study of the visual arts and the design process through in-depth instruction on design theory, design methodology, and technical problem-solving skills. Students study all types of habitable environments, ranging from small, basic residential spaces to larger, more complex commercial, hospitality, and institutional ones.
The bachelor’s degree teaches students how to look beyond the events of the day and understand the basic forces that drives those events. It begins with the fundamental concepts that still will need to interact with the international community that surrounds the school, concepts that draw from political science and economics, from history and anthropology, from language and culture.
The language and literature of Italy have played a key role in world culture, politics and commerce. One of the arts and humanities disciplines in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the program exposes students to Italian culture through study of its language, literature and film traditions while developing students’ critical thinking, writing skills and awareness of intercultural exchange.
The Japanese program equips students with oral and written proficiency in Japanese and an understanding of Japanese history, literature and culture through language, literature and film courses. The program is housed in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.
Study news and public affairs with respected scholars and award-winning journalists in the world’s most newsworthy city. Learn and experience digital, broadcast and print reporting. The School of Media and Public Affairs, part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, provides a strong foundation to meet the challenges of a changing global media landscape. It helps students understand the media’s impact on the way we live, govern and connect. Admission is through a competitive process.
The Program in Judaic Studies educates students in the history, languages and cultures of the Jewish people from ancient times through our own. Its interdisciplinary courses, which range from biblical archeology to American Jewish literature and from moral philosophy to material culture, highlight the complexities of the Jewish experience.
The program equips students with an oral and written proficiency in Korean and an understanding of Korean history, literature and culture through language, literature and film courses. Korean Language and Literature is part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.
The Elliott School’s bachelor’s degree in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies program begins with a foundation in political science, economics, history, and anthropology that prepares students to deal with issues that cross political and cultural boundaries. From this base, students explore a wide variety of subjects beginning with international politics and policy, moving through trade and economics, development and human rights, culture, and regional studies.
The LGBT and Sexuality Studies Minor is housed in and administered by the Women’s Studies Program. This minor is in keeping with the mission of the Women's Studies program: an interdisciplinary program dedicated to research, teaching, and practice on gender as it intersects with race, class, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, and other socially important categories. The minor draws on the work of a significant community of faculty working in various parts of LGBT and Sexuality Studies scholarship.
Based in the Department of Anthropology in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the linguistics program’s interdepartmental minor includes course offerings in anthropology, classics, speech and hearing and East Asian and Romance languages. By combining courses from these areas, the program offers traditional approaches to linguistics, as well as those that focus on the social effects of language use. We seek both to describe language patterns and to explain the way those patterns exert an influence on human thought and action.
The GW Department of Mathematics is committed to high-quality teaching and research. The undergraduate mathematics major has three tracks: pure, applied and computational. Each is designed to give students a solid background in the theory and practice of modern mathematics.
The mechanical engineering program at GW is part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. It is the broadest of engineering disciplines. We teach you the fundamentals in statics, dynamics, design, materials, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and heat transfer—knowledge that lets you design and build creative solutions for our global challenges. You also get the opportunity to explore aspects of traditional mechanical and aerospace engineering as well as emerging research in biomedical engineering and nanotechnology.
The Elliott School’s bachelor of arts degree in Middle East Studies program begins with a foundation in political science, economics, history, and anthropology that prepares students to deal with issues that cross political and cultural boundaries. From this base, students explore a wide variety of subjects beginning with international politics and policy, moving through trade and economics, development and human rights, culture, and regional studies.
The music program within the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences offers a broad base for understanding music as an art form and as a social, economic and political practice. The department’s faculty of scholars and creative artists includes members of the National Symphony and Kennedy Center orchestras. All students, regardless of their majors, may perform with vocal and instrumental jazz groups, orchestra, choruses, bands, opera productions, chamber music groups and musical theater.
The B.S. in Neuroscience teaches the core concepts and methods involved in modern neuroscience and is ideal for students interested in graduate school, medicine, and other pre-health careers.
Nutrition Science is the study of how nutrients and food components influence growth, metabolism, health, and disease and also includes human behavior as it relates to food choices. Nutrition Science is a multi-faceted and cross-disciplinary field, encompassing chemistry, biology, physiology, and public health. Nutrition scientists work to develop, extend, and apply all aspects of nutrition through research to improve clinical practice and public health.
GW’s organizational sciences and communication program ties managerial and executive success to the integration of knowledge in three key areas: strategy and change management, leadership and communication, and performance and talent management.
In the Peace Studies program, students explore the various meanings of peace, the relationship between peace and conflict and the role of peace on local and international levels. The courses, including “Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies” (PSTD 10) and “Peace Studies Project” (PSTD 190), require students to develop a profound understanding of peace as a concept and as practice. The interdisciplinary Peace Studies program is part of arts and humanities in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
From reading the works of Plato and Aristotle to studying logic and phenomenology, students in the philosophy program are provided a broad-based learning experience. One of the arts and humanities disciplines in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the program also examines the intersection of philosophy with other subjects, including law, biomedicine, science and politics. Students bring their passion for philosophy to spirited debates during events organized by the popular Colonial Philosophy Club.
The minor in photography at GW’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design will support students interested in photography or photojournalism. This minor is structured to enable students to experiment in photography through upper-level core and elective classes currently accessible only to photojournalism and fine arts majors who are pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photojournalism program at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design is an ideal training ground for a new generation of creative visual reporters and documentarians. Students begin their first year with four foundation courses: Drawing and Surface, Form and Materials, Time and Light, and Interaction. In subsequent years, photojournalism majors learn the traditions of visual reportage and are introduced to the new media skill sets required in this rapidly changing field. Faculty include working photographers from nationally recognized news outlets.
Through GW’s physics program, you can study the fundamental laws discovered in physics and see how they apply to all the sciences and the world in which we live. Physics is part of the natural, mathematical and biomedical sciences discipline in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Through courses ranging from classical mechanics to electromagnetic theory, the physics program aims to strengthen students’ abilities to use mathematical logic, deductive reasoning, developed intuition and careful observation.
Study with cutting-edge scholars and award-winning journalists whose expertise defines this exciting field. Learn how information and media influence the actions and political fortunes of citizens, groups, movements and governments. Part of Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ School of Media and Public Affairs, political communication is a selective program where students hone their research and communication skills while benefiting from the school’s extraordinary range of extracurricular opportunities.
With Capitol Hill nearby and the White House just blocks away, GW is the ideal place to study political science. Students in the program benefit from rigorous study as well as ample opportunities to intern on Capitol Hill or at government agencies. Part of the social and behavioral sciences discipline in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the program examines politics in depth on both a national and international scale.
Psychology is one of the most popular majors at GW and the second largest undergraduate program in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. As part of the social and behavioral sciences division within the school, students are exposed to basic psychological theory. They develop research skills and learn how to approach issues within communities and societies.
GW is one of only a handful of schools that offers the full array of public health opportunities for our students; you can major or minor in Public Health, or take advantage of our five-year BS/MPH dual-degree program. Of course, all students may take Public Health classes even if you are not enrolled in one of our programs. Students must apply to our programs.
With the inclusion of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Christianity, GW’s non-sectarian program examines various faiths and their impact on contemporary society. Students majoring in religion learn about topics from the abstract to the concrete, including theories in the study of religion and analysis of Hebrew script. Religion is part of the arts and humanities discipline in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
Read Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Pushkin. Watch Russian films and TV programs. Get access to countless multimedia sites. GW’s Russian program, which is one of the arts and humanities disciplines in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, takes students on a journey through Russia, from its ancient origins to present day.
Students acquire knowledge about human social structure and activity through GW’s sociology program, one of the social and behavioral sciences disciplines in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Undergraduates can take a range of courses, from deviant behavior to sociology of sport. By living in a city that offers a rich social laboratory, students receive real-life experience conducting quantitative and qualitative research and developing skills in sociological observation and analysis.
From beginning language to advanced literature and culture, the program offers a range of courses designed to enhance students’ understanding of the central role that the Spanish language and its related cultures in Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean have played in shaping today’s world. The Spanish program is part of the Department of Romance, German and Slavic Languages and Literatures in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
Whether learning about communication sciences or the relationship between language and society, students studying speech and hearing sciences at GW receive in-depth knowledge of all aspects of communication. As part of the social and behavioral sciences discipline in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the program provides deep knowledge of language and communication, including the consequences of speech and hearing challenges on individuals and society and the treatment of communication impairments.
Statistics plays an important role throughout society, providing methodologies for making advances in medicine, genetics and other research arenas and for making decisions in business and public policy. At GW, students learn the reasoning and methods for analyzing and understanding data. They also explore how those skills can be applied to develop new initiatives. Statistics is one of the natural, mathematical and biomedical sciences programs in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
The systems engineering program at GW is located in the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, which is part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. In this program, you learn to apply engineering techniques and mathematical methods to assist decision makers in designing and operating systems optimally. You learn to do this by observing, understanding, modeling and predicting the behavior of the systems that naturally arise in fields as diverse as medicine, defense, manufacturing and management.
The program emphasizes the collaborative nature of theatrical art. Students are introduced to the arts and crafts of theatre: acting, design, technical production, dramaturgical analysis, directing, the historical antecedents of contemporary theatre and the important place of the audience in live theatre. As one of the arts and humanities disciplines in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, theatre at GW is vibrantly interdisciplinary, regularly interacting with programs in music, English, fine arts, anthropology and women’s studies.
Students gain knowledge of contemporary feminist theories and research methods. They experience and participate in the making of women’s history in Washington, D.C. Part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ arts and humanities programs, women’s studies examines women’s lives, literature, histories and cultures through the lens of feminist theory and practice.