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.
Program-specific curriculum (below).
Achievement of a minimum grade of C- in any course that counts toward the degree.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisites | ||
| SOC 1001 | Introduction to Sociology | |
| or SOC 1002 | The Sociological Imagination | |
| SOC 1003 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| SOC 2101 | Social Research Methods (recommended to be taken before the senior year) | |
| SOC 2102 | Techniques of Data Analysis (recommended to be taken before the senior year) | |
| SOC 2135 | Youth and Delinquency | |
| SOC 2136 | Criminology | |
| SOC 2145 | Criminal Law | |
| SOC 4195 | Senior Research Seminar | |
| or SOC 4195W | Senior Research Seminar | |
| or SOC 4196 | Criminal Justice in the Field | |
| Electives | ||
| Five courses selected from the following, including at least one Sociology (SOC) course and at least one non-Sociology course: | ||
| AMST 1160 | Race, Gender, and Law | |
| ANTH 3513 | Anthropology of Human Rights | |
| or ANTH 3513W | Anthropology of Human Rights | |
| ECON 2167 | Economics of Crime | |
| HIST 2341 | History of FBI Counterintelligence | |
| FORS 2107 | Fundamentals of Forensic Science | |
| HIST 3370 | U.S. Constitutional History | |
| PSC 2213 | Judicial Politics | |
| PSC 2215 | U.S. Constitutional Law and Politics II | |
| PSYC 2011 | Abnormal Psychology | |
| PSYC 2554 | Psychology of Crime and Violence | |
| SOC 2137 | Transnational Crime | |
| SOC 2139 | Alternatives to Imprisonment | |
| SOC 2143 | Criminal Justice System Arrest Through Appeal | |
| SOC 2146 | The Bill of Rights and Criminal Justice | |
| SOC 2164 | Sociology of the Holocaust and Genocide | |
| SOC 2167 | Sociology of Law | |
| or SOC 2167W | Sociology of Law | |
| SOC 2178 | Deviance and Control | |
| SOC 2184 | Violence and the Family | |
| SOC 2185 | Victims, Victimization, and the System | |
| SOC 2189 | Special Topics in Criminal Justice | |
Note: A student majoring in sociology may not declare a second major or a minor in criminal justice, or vice versa.
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, students must maintain a 3.5 grade-point average in the major, must be registered for 3 credits of SOC 3195 Research during their senior year, and must receive a grade of A on the research paper.