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:

Prerequisites
One of the following options:
Option A:
GER 1005
& GER 1006		Intensive Beginning German I
and Intensive Beginning German II
Option B:
GER 1001
& GER 1002		First-Year German I
and First-Year German II
GER 1003
& GER 1004		Second-Year German I
and Second-Year German II
Required
GER 2009
& GER 2010		Intermediate German I
and Intermediate German II
GER 2109
& GER 2110		Advanced Conversation and Composition
and Germany in the Age of Globalization
Two courses from the following:
GER 2091
& GER 2092		Introduction to German Literature—in English I
and Introduction to German Literature—in English II
GER 2161
& GER 2162		German Culture–in English I
and German Culture–in English II
Electives
Two courses from the following:
GER 2111Business German
GER 2161
& GER 2162		German Culture–in English I
and German Culture–in English II (if not taken above)
GER 2165Twentieth-Century German Literature–in English
GER 3181History of German Cinema—in English
GER 3182The Fairy Tale from the Grimms to Disney
GER 3183Berlin Before and After the Wall (in English)
GER 3184German Thought—in English
GER 3185Literary Voices and the Fascist Experience—in English
GER 3186German Women Writers of the 19th and 20th Centuries (in English)
GER 3187German Cinema after 1945 (in English)
GER 3188The Lives of East Germans (in English)
Four courses from the following:
GER 3189Dealing with the Communist Past in Germany and Eastern Europe
GER 4171The Age of Goethe—in German (in German)
GER 4172From Romanticism to Realism (in German)
GER 4173Naturalism to Expressionism (in German)
GER 4174Inside/Outside the Third Reich (in German)
GER 4175Literature of two Germanies (in German)
GER 4176Contemporary German Literature (in German)

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, candidates must have attained a 3.5 grade-point average in the major and at least a 3.0 average overall. Students must apply for honors candidacy by the end of the first semester of the junior year; must attain speaking proficiency at the advanced level, as measured by the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Oral Proficiency Interview; and must successfully complete an honors thesis (GER 4197 Senior Honors Thesis I–GER 4198 Senior Honors Thesis II).