For information about the admission process, including deadlines, visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions website. Applications can be submitted via the Common Application.
Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to:
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
The George Washington University
800 21st St NW Suite 100
Washington, DC 20052
For questions visit undergraduate.admissions.gwu.edu/contact-us.
The following requirements must be fulfilled:
The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Undergraduate Programs.
The program-specific curriculum.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| AMST 2010 | Early American Cultural History | |
| AMST 2011 | Modern American Cultural History | |
| AMST 3900 | Critiquing Culture | |
| AMST 3901 | Examining America | |
| AMST 4500W | Proseminar in American Studies | |
| Electives | ||
| Five courses (15 credits) selected from the following. No more than two of these courses may be at the 1000 level. | ||
| AMST 1000 | Dean's Seminar | |
| AMST 1050 | Explorations in American Culture | |
| AMST 1070 | The American Cinema | |
| AMST 1100 | Politics and Film | |
| AMST 1160 | Race, Gender, and Law | |
| AMST 1200 | The Sixties in America | |
| AMST 2000 | Sophomore Colloquium | |
| AMST 2020 | Washington, DC: History, Culture, and Politics | |
| or AMST 2020W | Washington, DC: History, Culture, and Politics | |
| AMST 2071 | Introduction to the Arts in America | |
| AMST 2120W | Freedom in American Thought and Popular Culture | |
| AMST 2125 | Varieties of Feminist Theory | |
| AMST 2144 | Explorations in Historical Geography | |
| AMST 2210 | The African American Experience | |
| AMST 2320 | U.S. Media and Cultural History | |
| AMST 2350 | U.S. Religion and Politics | |
| AMST 2380 | Sexuality in U.S. History | |
| AMST 2385 | Sex and Citizenship | |
| or AMST 2385W | Sex and Citizenship | |
| AMST 2410 | Modern U.S. Immigration | |
| or AMST 2410W | Modern U.S. Immigration | |
| AMST 2430 | Capitalism and Culture | |
| AMST 2440 | The American City | |
| or AMST 2440W | The American City | |
| AMST 2490 | Themes in U.S. Cultural History | |
| or AMST 2490W | Themes in U.S. Cultural History | |
| AMST 2495 | Special Topics in African American History | |
| AMST 2520 | American Architecture I | |
| AMST 2521 | American Architecture II | |
| AMST 2533 | Material Culture in America | |
| AMST 2600 | U.S. Popular Music and Culture | |
| AMST 2610 | Science, Technology, and Politics in Modern America | |
| or AMST 2610W | Science, Technology, and Politics in Modern America | |
| AMST 2620 | Human Mind and Artificial Intelligence | |
| AMST 2630 | Discovering the Mind | |
| AMST 2680W | Hashtag America | |
| AMST 2710 | The United States in the World | |
| AMST 2730 | World War II in History and Memory | |
| or AMST 2730W | World War II in History and Memory | |
| AMST 2750W | Latinos in the United States | |
| AMST 3324 | U.S. Urban History | |
| AMST 3351 | U.S. Social History | |
| AMST 3352 | U.S. Women's History to 1865 | |
| or AMST 3352W | U.S. Women's History to 1865 | |
| AMST 3353 | U.S. Women's History II | |
| AMST 3360 | African American History to 1865 | |
| AMST 3361 | African American History Since 1865 | |
| AMST 3362 | African American Women's History | |
| or AMST 3362W | African American Women's History | |
| AMST 3367 | The American Jewish Experience | |
| AMST 3600 | Popular Music and Politics | |
| AMST 3625 | Ethnographic and Historical Perspectives on Data Ethics | |
| AMST 3810 | Planning Cities | |
| AMST 3811 | Historical Archaeology | |
| AMST 3835 | Historical Archaeology Field Program | |
| AMST 3950 | Special Topics | |
| or AMST 3950W | Special Topics | |
| AMST 4701W | Epidemics in American History | |
| AMST 4702W | Race, Medicine, and Public Health | |
In addition to the University General Education Requirement, undergraduate students in Columbian College must complete a further, College-specific general education curriculum—Perspective, Analysis, Communication (G-PAC) as well as the course CCAS 1001 First-Year Experience. Together with the University General Education Requirement, G-PAC engages students in active intellectual inquiry across the liberal arts. Students achieve a set of learning outcomes that enhance their analytical skills, develop their communication competencies, and invite them to participate as responsible citizens who are attentive to issues of culture, diversity, and privilege.
Coursework for the University General Education Requirement is distributed as follows:
-
One course in critical thinking in the humanities.
-
Two courses in critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, or scientific reasoning in the social sciences.
-
One course that has an approved oral communication component.
- One course in quantitative reasoning (must be in mathematics or statistics).
- One course in scientific reasoning (must be in natural and/or physical laboratory sciences).
- UW 1020 University Writing (4 credits).
- After successful completion of UW 1020, 6 credits distributed over at least two writing in the discipline (WID) courses taken in separate semesters. WID courses are designated by a "W" appended to the course number.
Coursework for the CCAS G-PAC requirement is distributed as follows:
- Arts—one approved arts course that involves the study or creation of artwork based on an understanding or interpretation of artistic traditions or knowledge of art in a contemporary context.
- Global or cross-cultural perspective—one approved course that analyzes the ways in which institutions, practices, and problems transcend national and regional boundaries.
- Local or civic engagement—one approved course that develops the values, ethics, disciplines, and commitment to pursue responsible public action.
- Natural or physical science—one additional approved laboratory course that employs the process of scientific inquiry (in addition to the one course in this category required by the University General Education Requirement).
- Humanities—one additional approved humanities course that involves critical thinking skills (in addition to the one course in this category required by the University General Education Requirement).
- CCAS 1001 First-Year Experience
Certain courses are approved to fulfill GPAC requirements in more than one category.
Courses taken in fulfillment of G-PAC requirements may also be counted toward majors or minors. Transfer courses taken prior to, but not after, admission to George Washington University may count toward the University General Education Requirement and G-PAC, if those transfer courses are equivalent to GW courses that have been approved by the University and the College.
Lists of approved courses in the above categories are included on each undergraduate major's page in this Bulletin.
In addition to the general requirements stated under University Regulations, in order to be considered for graduation with Special Honors in American Studies, a major must receive a grade of A on the senior paper written for AMST 4500 Proseminar in American Studies.