Information on the admission process is available on 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 Street NW, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20052

Contact for questions:
gwadm@gwu.edu or 202-994-6040

Current GW students who wish to declare one of the SPH majors should visit the school's undergraduate admissions website.

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 120 total credits, including 26 credits in University General Education Requirement courses, 35 credits in core exercise science courses, 45 credits in approved guided elective courses, and 14 credits in general elective courses.

Required
Exercise science core courses
EXNS 1103Professional Foundations in Exercise Science *
EXNS 2116Exercise and Health Psychology
EXNS 2119Introduction to Nutrition Science
EXNS 2210Applied Anatomy and Physiology I
EXNS 2211Applied Anatomy and Physiology II
EXNS 3110Field Experience in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences (2 credits)
EXNS 3111WExercise and Nutrition Sciences Research Methods
EXNS 3313Kinesiology
EXNS 3314Exercise Physiology
PUBH 1010First-Year Experience in Public Health
PUBH 1101Introduction to Public Health and Health Services
And one course selected from the following:
EXNS 3328Scientific Principles of Strength and Conditioning
EXNS 3810Human Metabolism

*Students who have taken EXNS 1109 Professional Foundations in Nutrition should not take EXNS 1103. EXNS 1109 counts toward the EXNS 1103 requirement.

Electives

59 elective credits are required for this degree, including 45 credits in guided electives and 14 credits in general electives. The courses listed below have been identified as highly relevant to the BS curriculum. Guided elective courses must be selected from this list in consultation with the advisor. Courses on this list also can be used as general electives. Most courses offered by GW can be taken as general electives. Students should consult their advisor to help select general elective courses.

Exercise science guided electives

Students should review the Bulletin for the most up-to-date information related to credits taken as part of study abroad, at non-GW institutions, as independent studies, as research courses, or as Lifestyle, Sport, and Physical Activity (LSPA) courses.

Anthropology
ANTH 1005The Biological Bases of Human Behavior
ANTH 2502Anthropology of Science and Technology: Twenty-First Century Brave New Worlds
ANTH 3413Evolution of the Human Brain
ANTH 3504Illness, Healing, and Culture
Biochemistry
BIOC 3261Introductory Medical Biochemistry
BIOC 3262Biochemistry Laboratory
BIOC 3560Diet, Health, and Longevity
Biological sciences
BISC 1112Introductory Biology: The Biology of Organisms
BISC 2202Cell Biology
BISC 2207Genetics
BISC 2208Genetics Laboratory
BISC 2213Biology of Cancer
BISC 2214Developmental Biology
BISC 2220Developmental Neurobiology
BISC 2320Neural Circuits and Behavior
BISC 2322Human Physiology
BISC 2336Introductory Microbiology
BISC 2337Introductory Microbiology Laboratory
BISC 2337WIntroductory Microbiology
BISC 2581Human Gross Anatomy
BISC 3122Human Physiology
BISC 3123Human Physiology Lab
BISC 3165Biochemistry I
BISC 3166Biochemistry II
BISC 3209Molecular Biology
BISC 3208Molecular Biology Laboratory
BISC 3261Introductory Medical Biochemistry
BISC 3262Biochemistry Laboratory
BISC 3263Special Topics in Biochemistry
BISC 3320Human Neurobiology
Chemistry
CHEM 1111General Chemistry I
CHEM 1112General Chemistry II
CHEM 2151Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 2153Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
CHEM 2152Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 2154Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
CHEM 3165Biochemistry I
CHEM 3166Biochemistry II
or CHEM 3166W Biochemistry II
CHEM 3262Biochemistry Laboratory
CHEM 3263WSpecial Topics in Biochemistry
Emergency health services
EHS 1002CPR and First Aid
EHS 1040Emergency Medical Technician
EHS 1041Emergency Medical Technician Laboratory
EHS 1058EMT Instructor Development
EHS 2108Emergency Medicine Clinical Scribe
EHS 2110Emergency Department Critical Care Assessment and Procedures
Exercise and nutrition sciences
EXNS 1112Current Issues in Coaching
EXNS 1113Medical Terminology
EXNS 1114Community Nutrition
EXNS 1117Principles of Coaching
EXNS 1119WChildren and Sport
EXNS 1199Topics in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
EXNS 2110Injury Prevention and Control
EXNS 2117Sport Psychology
or EXNS 2117W Sport Psychology
EXNS 2118Sport and Nutrition
EXNS 2120Assessment of Nutritional Status
EXNS 2121Orthopedic Taping and Bracing
EXNS 2122Food Systems in Public Health
EXNS 2123Nutrition and Chronic Disease
EXNS 2124Lifecycle Nutrition
EXNS 2126WInternational Nutrition
EXNS 3101Independent Study **
EXNS 3102Applied Sport Psychology
EXNS 3110Field Experience in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences (beyond the credits required)
EXNS 3114WCultivating Food Justice in Urban Food Systems
EXNS 3117Injury Assessment
EXNS 3118Therapeutic Modalities in Sports Medicine
EXNS 3119Therapeutic Exercise in Sports Medicine
EXNS 3121Medical Issues in Sports Medicine
EXNS 3123WPsychology of Injury and Rehabilitation
EXNS 3328Scientific Principles of Strength and Conditioning
EXNS 3810Human Metabolism
EXNS 3995Undergraduate Research
EXNS 4103Training and Conditioning Program Design and Application I
EXNS 4104Training and Conditioning Program Design and Application II
EXNS 4199Advanced Topics in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences (Childhood Obesity Prevention only)
Health and wellness
HLWL 1101Special Topics
HLWL 1102Stress Management
HLWL 1106Drug Awareness
HLWL 1108Weight and Society
HLWL 1109Human Sexuality
HLWL 1114Personal Health and Wellness
HLWL 1117Lifetime Fitness
Health sciences
HSCI 2100Writing and Composition in the Health Sciences
HSCI 2101Psychosocial Aspects of Health and Illness
HSCI 2102Pathophysiology
HSCI 2110Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Concepts
HSCI 2112Writing in the Health Sciences
or HSCI 2112W Writing in the Health Sciences
HSCI 2117Introduction to Statistics for Health Sciences
Physics
PHYS 1011General Physics I
PHYS 1012General Physics II
Psychology
PSYC 2011Abnormal Psychology
or PSYC 2011W Abnormal Psychology
PSYC 2013Developmental Psychology
PSYC 2014Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 2015Biological Psychology
PSYC 2570Peer Education
PSYC 2571Helping Skills
PSYC 3128Health Psychology
Public health
PUBH 1102History of Public Health
PUBH 2110Public Health Biology
PUBH 2112Principles of Health Education and Health Promotion
PUBH 2113Impact of Culture upon Health
PUBH 2117Service Learning in Public Health
PUBH 2142Introduction to Biostatistics for Public Health
PUBH 3130Health Services Management and Economics
PUBH 3131Epidemiology
PUBH 3135WHealth Policy
PUBH 3151WCurrent Issues in Bioethics
PUBH 3995Undergraduate Research in Public Health

BS graduation requirements

Students should review the Bulletin for the most up-to-date information.

  1. Credits: Students must complete 120 credits towards their undergraduate degree.
  2. Curriculum: Successful completion of required courses for the major.
  3. Grades: Students must meet all minimum grade requirements.
  4. Time limit: The degree must be completed within six years.
  5. CITI training requirement: All students are required to complete training regarding human subject protection regulation and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
  6. Integrity quiz and plagiarism requirement: All students are required to review the George Washington University Code of Academic Integrity and take the SPH Academic Integrity Quiz within their first semester of study.
  7. Professional enhancement requirement: Students must participate in eight hours of public health-related lectures, seminars, and symposia, related to their field of study.
SPH University General Education Requirement
One course in critical thinking in the humanities.
Two courses in critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, or scientific reasoning in the social sciences.
For exercise science and nutrition majors, this requirement must be fulfilled with one of the following: ANTH 1002, ANTH 1003, or ANTH 1004.
For public health majors, students are encouraged to take ECON 1011 as a General Education social science course, as it is a prerequisite for PUBH 3130.
One course that has an approved oral communication component .
For exercise science and nutrition majors, this requirement must be fulfilled with either COMM 1040 or COMM 1041.
For public health majors, students can chose any of the following pre-approved oral communication courses: AMST 2450, AMST 2620, ANTH 1004, ANTH 2502, CHEM 2118W, COMM 1040, COMM 1041, EAP 1010, ENGL 1365, ENGL 3918, FREN 2500, GTCH 2003, GTCH 3101, HSSJ 4195, ITAL 2600, ITAL 3330, PHIL 2124 or PHIL 2124W, PHIL 2134, PSTD 1010, RGSS 3400, SLHS 1011, SUST 2004, WLP 1020
One course in quantitative reasoning.
For exercise science and nutrition majors, this requirement must be fulfilled with one of the following: STAT 1051, STAT 1053, or STAT 1127.
Public health majors should avoid taking STAT 1051, STAT 1053, STAT 1111 or STAT 1127.
One course in scientific reasoning with laboratory experience.
For exercise science and nutrition majors, this requirement must be fulfilled with BISC 1111.
For public health majors, this requirements must be fulfilled with one of the following: BISC 1005, BISC 1006, BISC 1007, BISC 1008, BISC 1111, BISC 1112 or HONR 1033 Biology.
UW 1020University Writing
After successful completion of UW 1020, 6 credits distributed over at least two different Writing in the Disciplines (WID) courses taken in separate semesters (summer counts as one semester) are required. WID courses are designated by a "W" appended to the course number.

 Approved courses can be found under University General Education Requirement.