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:

Required
At least one course from six of the seven categories below and one additional course from any category for a total of 21 credits.
Classical, ancient Near East, and medieval worlds
CAH 3101Ancient Art of the Bronze Age and Greece
CAH 3102Ancient Art of the Roman Empire
CAH 3103Art and Archaeology of Egypt and the Near East
CAH 3104Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age
CAH 3105Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology
CAH 3106Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands
CAH 3111Early Christian and Byzantine Art and Architecture
CAH 3112Proseminar in Romanesque and Gothic Art and Architecture
CAH 4109Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology
CAH 4119Seminar in Medieval Art and Architecture
Islamic spheres
CAH 2113Survey of Early Islamic Art and Architecture from the Seventh to Fourteenth Centuries
CAH 2114Survey of Islamic Art and Architecture from the Fourteenth Century to the Present
CAH 3113Islamic Art and Architecture
CAH 3114Art of the Book in the Medieval Muslim World
or CAH 3114W Art of the Book in the Medieval Muslim World
CAH 4165Topics in Islamic Art and Architecture
Renaissance and global Baroque
CAH 3120Italian Art and Architecture of the Thirteenth through Fifteenth Centuries
CAH 3121Italian Art and Architecture of the Sixteenth Century
CAH 3122Topics in Early Northern Renaissance Art and Architecture
or CAH 3122W Topics in Early Northern Renaissance Art and Architecture
CAH 3123Topics in Northern Renaissance Art and Architecture
CAH 3123WTopics in Northern Renaissance Art and Architecture
CAH 3131Italian Art and Architecture of the Seventeenth Century
CAH 3132Topics in Northern European Art and Architecture of the Seventeenth Century
CAH 3134Topics in Spanish and Portuguese Art through the Sixteenth Century
or CAH 3134W Topics in Spanish and Portuguese Art Through the Sixteenth Century
CAH 3135Topics in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Spanish and Portuguese Art
CAH 4129Seminar in Renaissance Art and Architecture
CAH 4139Seminar in Baroque Art and Architecture
Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
CAH 2145History of European Decorative Arts
CAH 2154American Architecture I
CAH 2161History of Decorative Arts: American Heritage
CAH 3140European Art of the Eighteenth Century
CAH 3141European Art of the Early Nineteenth Century
or CAH 3141W European Art of the Early Nineteenth Century
CAH 3142European Art of the Late Nineteenth Century
or CAH 3142W European Art of the Late Nineteenth Century
CAH 3152American Art in the Era of National Expansion
Modern and contemporary
CAH 2071Introduction to the Arts in America
CAH 2155American Architecture II
CAH 2162History of Photography
or CAH 2162W History of Photography
CAH 3060History of Design
CAH 3065Digital Media Culture
CAH 3143Early Twentieth-Century Art
or CAH 3143W Early Twentieth-Century Art
CAH 3146Modern Architecture in Europe and America
or CAH 3146W Modern Architecture in Europe and America
CAH 3150Theories and History of Graphic Design
CAH 3150WTheories and History of Graphic Design
CAH 3153American Art of the Twentieth Century
CAH 3165Later Twentieth-Century Art
or CAH 3165W Later Twentieth-Century Art
CAH 3530Art and Architecture of Washington, D.C
CAH 4149Seminar in Modern European Art and Architecture
CAH 4150Seminar in Modern Art
or CAH 4150W Seminar in Modern Art
CAH 4157Seminar in Photography
CAH 4159Seminar in American Art and Architecture
or CAH 4159W Seminar in American Art and Architecture
CAH 4169Seminar in Contemporary Art
CAH 4179Topics in Design History and Theory
Asia and the Indian Ocean
CAH 2190East Asian Art
CAH 2191South Asian Art
CAH 2192Art of Southeast Asia
CAH 3181Special Topics in Asian Art
CAH 3182Special Topics in South Asian Art
or CAH 3182W Special Topics in South Asian Art
CAH 4181Topics in Asian Art
CAH 4182Topics in South Asian Art
Central and South America
CAH 3107Ancient Mexican Civilizations
CAH 3116Aztec Empire
CAH 3117Special Topics in Precolumbian Art and Archaeology
CAH 3160Topics in Latin American Art and Architecture
Junior and senior seminars
At least two of the following seminars for a total of 6 credits:
CAH 4109Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology
CAH 4119Seminar in Medieval Art and Architecture
CAH 4129Seminar in Renaissance Art and Architecture
CAH 4139Seminar in Baroque Art and Architecture
CAH 4149Seminar in Modern European Art and Architecture
CAH 4150Seminar in Modern Art
or CAH 4150 Seminar in Modern Art
CAH 4157Seminar in Photography
CAH 4159Seminar in American Art and Architecture
or CAH 4159W Seminar in American Art and Architecture
CAH 4165Topics in Islamic Art and Architecture
CAH 4169Seminar in Contemporary Art
CAH 4179Topics in Design History and Theory
CAH 4181Topics in Asian Art
CAH 4182Topics in South Asian Art
CAH 4189Seminar: Topics in Art History
Fine arts
One Fine Arts (FA) course at any level for a total of 3 credits.
Electives
Any two courses from the categories above and/or from the following list for a total of 6 credits. With prior approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies up to 6 of these credits may be from relevant coursework in another department.
CAH 1000Dean's Seminar
CAH 1031Survey of Art and Architecture I
CAH 1032Survey of Art and Architecture II
CAH 1070The American Cinema
CAH 1090Art History I: Art Now, Contemporary Perspectives in the Visual Arts
CAH 1091Art History II: Historical Perspectives in the Visual Arts
CAH 1099Variable Topics
CAH 1135History of Spanish Art From the Golden Age to Goya
CAH 1136History of Spanish Art From Goya to the Present
CAH 2001Special Topics
or CAH 2001W Special Topics
CAH 3099Variable Topics
CAH 3170Materials, Methods, and Techniques in Art History
CAH 4197Senior Thesis
CAH 4198Independent Study
CAH 4199Internship in Art History

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.

To be eligible to write a Senior Thesis and for Honors in Art History, students must have attained, by the end of the junior year, a grade-point average of at least 3.5 in the major and 3.3 overall. By the end of the junior year, students should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies regarding eligibility and selection of an area of research and the appropriate faculty members to supervise the project. We recommend that students strongly consider taking the full two semesters to complete the thesis. If writing the thesis in one semester, students should consider basing their project on pre-existing research from a previous course. The student registers for CAH 4197 Senior Thesis, which may count toward an elective in fulfillment of the major. The student works closely with a Thesis Advisor on the thesis, gaining additional feedback from one or two Readers at the draft stage.