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.
Elliott School bachelor's degrees engage students with global issues through multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches. Students begin their studies in the first year with foundational courses in political science, economics, history, and anthropology or geography. They supplement these courses with others in the traditional liberal arts categories of writing, oral communication, natural or physical science, mathematics or statistics, and the humanities/creative arts, plus two writing in the disciplines courses. Language study also is emphasized early to enable students to satisfy the third-year language proficiency requirement of the bachelor's degree in a timely manner.
Elliott School bachelor's degrees require a minimum of 120 credits. The following three sets of requirements must be fulfilled:
1. University General Education Requirements
2. Elliott School Introductory Requirements
3. Major Requirements
1. University General Education Requirements
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).
- Students in the BS in international affairs program are required to take a calculus-based course to fulfill the University General Education requirement in quantitative reasoning. Options include MATH 1220 and MATH 1221; MATH 1231; MATH 1232; or MATH 1252. Students must complete all required prerequisites for their intended analytic core courses. Students are encouraged to consult their advisor with any questions.
- One course in scientific reasoning, with lab (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.
2. Elliott School Introductory Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory requirements (22 credits) | ||
| Required | ||
| IAFF 1001 is not required for internal or external transfer students. | ||
| IAFF 1001 | First-Year Experience (fall of first year) | |
| IAFF 1005 | Introduction to International Affairs (required in the first year) | |
| ECON 1011 | Principles of Economics I | |
| ECON 1012 | Principles of Economics II | |
| HIST 1011 | World History from 1500 to Present | |
| PSC 1001 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | |
| One of the following introductory anthropology or geography courses: | ||
| ANTH 1002 | Sociocultural Anthropology | |
| ANTH 1004 | Language in Culture and Society | |
| GEOG 1001 | Introduction to Human Geography | |
| GEOG 1003 | Society and Environment * | |
| *GEOG 1003 does not meet the prerequisite requirement for all upper-level geography courses. | ||
| One additional course from the University General Education "Critical Thinking in the Humanities" course list or from the GPAC "Creative or Critical Thinking in the Arts" course list. | ||
3. Major Requirements
In addition to the University General Education Requirements and Elliott School Introductory Requirements, Elliott School students must complete the Major Requirements for their individual major:
If you are an Elliott School student who started at GW before Fall 2024, you are following a different version of the curriculum. Please find your degree requirements in the archived Bulletin for your matriculation year.
Students pursuing the BA in Middle East Studies as a second major must complete all of the major requirements listed below, including any prerequisites for these courses. These requirements are taken in addition to the requirements for the student's primary major, which typically includes completion of the University General Education requirement and other requirements specific to the primary major. Students are encouraged to talk with their home school's academic advisor for more information about their primary major requirements.
The following requirements must be fulfilled:
The general requirements stated under Elliott School of International Affairs, Undergraduate Degree Requirements.
A minimum grade of C- must be earned in all major requirement courses, to include the last course used to prove third-year proficiency in a modern regional language .
If a student wishes to take any course not listed here, prior approval of the program director is required.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation (3 credits) | ||
| IAFF 2095 | The Middle East in International Affairs | |
| It is strongly recommended that students take IAFF 2095 before more advanced coursework in the major. | ||
| Language (credits vary) | ||
| Students must demonstrate third-year proficiency in a modern language (Arabic, Hebrew or Persian) by examination or coursework. If taking coursework, students can satisfy the language requirement by taking a course that is equivalent to third-year proficiency, or by taking a course beyond the third year which has a listed prerequisite of the second semester of the third year. Please note that the language placement exam determines the level at which students begin their language study. Additional information regarding the Elliott School foreign language examinations is available from the academic advisor. | ||
| Arabic | ||
| Option one: | ||
| ARAB 1001 | Beginning Arabic I | |
| ARAB 1002 | Beginning Arabic II | |
| ARAB 2001 | Intermediate Arabic I | |
| ARAB 2002 | Intermediate Arabic II | |
| ARAB 3001 | Advanced Arabic | |
| and one of the following courses: | ||
| ARAB 3301 | Modern Arabic Literature | |
| ARAB 3302 | Media Arabic | |
| ARAB 3311 | Business Arabic | |
| Or | ||
| Option two: | ||
| ARAB 1201 | Intensive Elementary Arabic I | |
| ARAB 1202 | Intensive Elementary Arabic II | |
| ARAB 2201 | Intensive Intermediate Arabic | |
| ARAB 3201 | Intensive Advanced Arabic: Mass Media | |
| Hebrew | ||
| HEBR 1001 | Beginning Hebrew I | |
| HEBR 1002 | Beginning Hebrew II | |
| HEBR 2001 | Intermediate Hebrew I | |
| HEBR 2002 | Intermediate Hebrew II | |
| HEBR 3001 | Hebrew Conversation and Writing | |
| and one of the following courses: | ||
| HEBR 3301 | Modern Hebrew Fiction | |
| or HEBR 3301W | Modern Hebrew Fiction | |
| HEBR 3302 | The Israeli Media | |
| Persian | ||
| PERS 1001 | Beginning Persian I | |
| PERS 1002 | Beginning Persian II | |
| PERS 2001 | Intermediate Persian I | |
| PERS 2002 | Intermediate Persian II | |
| PERS 3001 | Advanced Persian | |
| PERS 3002 | Media Persian | |
| or PERS 3002W | Media Persian | |
Regional Foundations (3 credits)
One course from the following in any region except the Middle East. IAFF, ANTH, ECON, GEOG, HIST, and PSC courses pertaining to a region of the world with a focus on the contemporary, post-World War II era. Includes courses focused on single and multiple countries in a region.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | ||
| ANTH 3708 | Anthropology of Africa | |
| GEOG 3164 | The Geography of Africa | |
| HIST 3530 | Women in Africa | |
| IAFF 2093 | Africa: Problems and Prospects | |
| IAFF 2190W | Special Topics (North Africa and the World) * | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Africa Declassified) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Africa and Globalization: Culture and Context) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (African Literature and Politics) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Africa in the Global Economy) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Ethnic and Religious Conflict in Africa) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (International Affairs in Africa) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Women and Leadership in Africa) | |
| PSC 2381 | Comparative Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa | |
| PSC 2482 | African International Politics | |
| *IAFF 2190W (North Africa and the World) is not approved as a regional foundations course for students in the Middle East Studies program due to the degree of overlap between issues in North Africa and the Middle East. | ||
| Asia | ||
| (Students in the BA in Asian studies program must fulfill the regional foundations requirement using a course focused in a world region other than Asia.) | ||
| ANTH 3704 | Cultures of Southeast Asia | |
| ECON 2169 | Introduction to the Economy of China | |
| GEOG 3165 | Geography of South Asia | |
| HIST 3615 | History of Chinese Communism | |
| HIST 3621 | History of Modern Japan | |
| HIST 3631 | History of Modern Korea | |
| HIST 3640 | History of Southeast Asia | |
| IAFF 2091 | East Asia-Past and Present | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (Asian Order and Community Building) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (Central Asia Security) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (Comparative Politics in Southeast Asia) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (Economic Development of East Asia) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (Economic Lessons from East Asia) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (Indo-Pacific Security Challenges) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (South Asian Politics Via Literature and Film) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (Women in Asia) | |
| IAFF 3752W | Equitable Development in Southeast Asia | |
| IAFF 3753 | International Relations of South Asia | |
| IAFF 3756 | Christianity and Islam in East Asia | |
| PSC 2368 | Politics in the Two Koreas | |
| PSC 2371 | Politics and Foreign Policy of China | |
| PSC 2374 | Politics and Foreign Policy of Japan | |
| PSC 2373 | Comparative Politics of Southeast Asia | |
| Europe and Eurasia | ||
| GEOG 3197 | Special Topics in Regional Geography (Geography of Russia and Its Neighbors) | |
| HIST 1121 | The War of Ideas in European and International History, 1750-Present | |
| HIST 2125 | Twentieth-Century Europe | |
| HIST 3101 | Topics: Europe (All sections of HIST 3101 are approved for this requirement.) | |
| HIST 3168 | Divided and United Germany Since 1945 | |
| IAFF 2092 | Russia and Eastern Europe: An Introduction | |
| IAFF 2094 | Europe in Transition | |
| IAFF 3185 | Special Topics in European and Eurasian Studies (Nationalism in Eurasia) | |
| IAFF 3185 | Special Topics in European and Eurasian Studies (The West and Russia) | |
| IAFF 3185 | Special Topics in European and Eurasian Studies (Ukraine and Georgia between Russia and the West) | |
| IAFF 3185 | Special Topics in European and Eurasian Studies (Ukrainian Security) | |
| IAFF 3190 | Special Topics in International Affairs (European Economies and Crisis of Integration) | |
| PSC 2330 | Comparative Politics of Western Europe | |
| PSC 2331 | Comparative Politics of Central and Eastern Europe | |
| PSC 2332 | European Integration | |
| PSC 2366 | Russian Politics | |
| PSC 2994 | Special Topics in International Relations (International Politics of Central and Eastern Europe) | |
| PSC 3192W | Proseminar: Political Science (British Politics) | |
| Latin America | ||
| (Students in the BA in Latin American and hemispheric studies program must fulfill the regional foundations requirement using a course focused in a world region other than Latin America.) | ||
| ANTH 3702 | Anthropology of Latin America | |
| ANTH 3791 | Topics in Regional Anthropology (Anthropology of the Caribbean) | |
| GEOG 3161 | Geography of Latin America | |
| HIST 3701 | Topics in Latin American History (Democracy in Latin America) | |
| HIST 3701 | Topics in Latin American History (Violence, Drugs, and Democracy in Latin America) | |
| HIST 3710 | History of Latin America I | |
| HIST 3711 | History of Latin America II | |
| IAFF 2090 | Latin America: Problems and Promise | |
| IAFF 3177 | Political Economy of Latin America | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Cuba in the Global Arena) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Democracy in Latin America) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Democracy Under Siege in Latin America) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Economic and Social Development of Latin America) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Feminist Movements in Latin America) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Geography of Latin America) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latin America Geopolitics and Geoeconomy) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latin American Migration) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Racial and Ethnic Politics of Latin America) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Security in the Americas) | |
| IAFF 3191W | Populism and Regime Change in Latin America | |
| IAFF 3855 | Argentina in Global Context | |
| PSC 2383 | Comparative Politics of Latin America | |
| PSC 2993 | Special Topics in Comparative Politics (Democratic Experiments in Latin America) | |
| SPAN 3200 | Bilingualism in the Spanish-Speaking World | |
| Middle East | ||
| (Students in the BA in Middle East studies program must fulfill the regional foundations requirement using a course focused in a world region other than the Middle East.) | ||
| ANTH 3707 | Anthropology of the Middle East | |
| GEOG 3154 | Geography of the Middle East and North Africa | |
| HIST 3801 | Topics in Middle Eastern History (The Middle East Since WWII) | |
| HIST 3810 | History of the Middle East to 1800 | |
| HIST 3825 | Land and Power in Israel/Palestine | |
| IAFF 2095 | The Middle East in International Affairs | |
| IAFF 2190W | Special Topics (Arab Politics) | |
| IAFF 2190W | Special Topics (North Africa and the World) | |
| IAFF 2190W | Special Topics (Politics and Culture in the Middle East) | |
| IAFF 2190W | Special Topics (Turkey and Its Neighbors) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Iran in the Middle East) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (National Security Lab Middle East) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (The Middle East Since WWII) | |
| IAFF 3352 | Israeli and Palestinian Peacebuilding | |
| PSC 2377 | Comparative Politics of the Middle East | |
| PSC 2476 | The Arab-Israeli Conflict | |
| or PSC 2476W | The Arab-Israeli Conflict | |
| PSC 2478 | International Relations of the Middle East | |
| PSC 2993 | Special Topics in Comparative Politics (Political Violence in the Middle East) | |
Research methods (3 credits)
One course pertaining to qualitative or quantitative social science research methods, computer programming, or other analytical competencies, from the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 3531 | Methods in Sociocultural Anthropology | |
| APSC 3115 | Engineering Analysis III | |
| CSCI 1012 | Introduction to Programming with Python | |
| DATS 1001 | Data Science for All | |
| DNSC 1001 | Business Analytics I: Statistics for Descriptive and Predictive Analytics * | |
| DNSC 2001 | Business Analytics II: Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics ** | |
| ECON 2123 | Introduction to Econometrics | |
| or STAT 2123 | Introduction to Econometrics | |
| GEOG 2104 | Introduction to Cartography and GIS | |
| IAFF 2101 | Qualitative Methods in International Affairs | |
| IAFF 2102 | Quantitative Methods in International Affairs | |
| IAFF 2190 | Special Topics (Political Risk Analysis) | |
| IAFF 2190 | Special Topics (Program Design in International Affairs) | |
| IAFF 3180W | Special Topics in Security Policy (Security Policy and Qualitative Analysis) | |
| IAFF 3190 | Special Topics in International Affairs (International Conflict and Politics Research Seminar) | |
| IAFF 3502 | Strategic Management and Qualitative Methods in International Affairs | |
| IAFF 4191W | Research Seminar (International Conflict and Politics Research Seminar) | |
| IAFF 4191W | Research Seminar (Security Policy and Qualitative Analysis) | |
| ISTM 3119 | Introduction to Programming | |
| PSC 2101 | Scope and Methods of Political Science | |
| PSYC 2101 | Research Methods in Psychology | |
| PUBH 2142 | Introduction to Biostatistics for Public Health | |
| PUBH 3131 | Epidemiology | |
| PUBH 3199 | Topics in Public Health (Research Methods Foundations) | |
| PUBH 4201 | Practical Computing | |
| SMPA 2151 | Research Methods | |
| SOC 2101 | Social Research Methods | |
| SOC 2102 | Techniques of Data Analysis | |
| STAT 1051 | Introduction to Business and Economic Statistics * | |
| STAT 1053 | Introduction to Statistics in Social Science * | |
| STAT 1111 | Business and Economic Statistics I * | |
| STAT 1127 | Statistics for the Biological Sciences * | |
| STAT 1129 | Introduction to Computing | |
| STAT 2112 | Business and Economic Statistics II ** | |
| STAT 2118 | Regression Analysis | |
| STAT 2123 | Introduction to Econometrics | |
| or ECON 2123 | Introduction to Econometrics | |
| STAT 2183W | Intermediate Statistical Laboratory: Statistical Computing Packages | |
| STAT 4157 | Introduction to Mathematical Statistics I | |
| *Credit for only one of the following courses can be counted toward an Elliott School undergraduate degree: DNSC 1001, STAT 1051, STAT 1053, STAT 1111, or STAT 1127. | ||
| **Credit for only one of the following courses can be counted toward an Elliott School undergraduate degree: DNSC 2001 or STAT 2112. | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-disciplinary Core (24 credits) | ||
| The following lists are not exhaustive and new courses may be added at any time. Contact the Director of the Middle East Studies program for approval to count a course not listed toward one of these requirements. | ||
| History (6 credits) | ||
| Two courses from the following: | ||
| HIST 2803 | The Ancient Near East and Egypt to 322 B.C. | |
| HIST 2804 | History of Ancient Israel | |
| HIST 2805W | Majors’ Introductory Seminar: Middle East (Plague in Islamic History) | |
| HIST 3801 | Topics in Middle Eastern History | |
| HIST 3810 | History of the Middle East to 1800 | |
| HIST 3811 | The Emergence of the Modern Middle East | |
| HIST 3820 | History of Israel | |
| or HIST 3820W | The History of Israel | |
| HIST 3825 | Land and Power in Israel/Palestine | |
| HIST 3830 | History of Iraq | |
| HIST 3850 | Modern Iran | |
| Economics (3 credits) | ||
| One course from the following: | ||
| ECON 2136 | Environmental and Natural Resource Economics | |
| ECON 2151 | Economic Development | |
| or ECON 2151W | Economic Development | |
| ECON 2180 | Survey of International Economics | |
| ECON 2181 | International Trade Theory and Policy | |
| ECON 2182 | International Macroeconomic Theory and Policy | |
| Middle East Arts and Literature (3 credits) | ||
| One course from the following: | ||
| ARAB 3301 | Modern Arabic Literature | |
| ARAB 3501 | Arabic and Arab Identity | |
| ARAB 3502 | Arab Film and Culture in English | |
| ARAB 4001 | Genres in Modern Arabic Literature | |
| ARAB 4002 | Arabic Narratives Through the Ages | |
| CAH 3113 | Islamic Art and Architecture | |
| HEBR 3101 | Modern Hebrew Literary Classics in Translation | |
| HEBR 3102 | Israeli Society and Culture: Literary Perspectives | |
| HEBR 3103 | Israeli Cinema (in English) | |
| HEBR 3104W | Gender and Sexuality in Israel | |
| HEBR 3301 | Modern Hebrew Fiction | |
| or HEBR 3301W | Modern Hebrew Fiction | |
| HEBR 4001 | Advanced Hebrew Literature I | |
| or HEBR 4001W | Advanced Hebrew Literature I | |
| HEBR 4002 | Advanced Hebrew Literature II | |
| REL 3432 | Persian Sufi Literature East and West | |
| Political Science (6 credits) | ||
| Two courses from the following: | ||
| PSC 2377 | Comparative Politics of the Middle East | |
| PSC 2379 | Politics and Foreign Policy of Israel | |
| PSC 2476 | The Arab-Israeli Conflict | |
| or PSC 2476W | The Arab-Israeli Conflict | |
| PSC 2478 | International Relations of the Middle East | |
| Religion (6 credits) | ||
| Two courses from the following: | ||
| REL 2401 | Islam | |
| REL 3405 | Shi'ite Islam | |
| REL 3414 | Islamic Philosophy and Theology | |
| REL 3425 | Islamic Political Thought | |
| REL 3431 | Sufism/Islamic Mysticism | |
| REL 3432 | Persian Sufi Literature East and West | |
| REL 3475 | Islamic Religion and Art | |
| REL 3481 | Women in Islam | |
| REL 3482 | Gender and Piety in Islam | |
| REL 3990 | Selected Topics in Religion (topic: Law and Diplomacy in the Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean. Same as REL 3990W: Law and Diplomacy in the Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean) | |
| Related Coursework (6 credits) | ||
| Two courses related to the Middle East from any discipline, including International Affairs (IAFF), selected with the approval of the Middle East Studies program director. | ||
| Study Abroad | ||
| Students are encouraged to study in the Middle East through one of GW's formal partnerships with a regional university or an approved self-designed study abroad program. | ||