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

Introductory requirements (22 credits)
Required
IAFF 1001 is not required for internal or external transfer students.
IAFF 1001First-Year Experience (fall of first year)
IAFF 1005Introduction to International Affairs (required in the first year)
ECON 1011Principles of Economics I
ECON 1012Principles of Economics II
HIST 1011World History from 1500 to Present
PSC 1001Introduction to Comparative Politics
One of the following introductory anthropology or geography courses:
ANTH 1002Sociocultural Anthropology
ANTH 1004Language in Culture and Society
GEOG 1001Introduction to Human Geography
GEOG 1003Society 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 Latin American and Hemispheric 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 language.

If a student wishes to take any course not listed here, prior approval of the program director is required.

Foundation (3 credits)
Required
IAFF 2090Latin America: Problems and Promise
Language (credits vary)
Students must demonstrate third-year Spanish or Portugeuse proficiency 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 language examinations is available from the academic advisor.
Spanish
Option one:
SPAN 1001Elementary Spanish I
SPAN 1002Elementary Spanish II
SPAN 1013Intermediate Spanish I: the Spanish-Speaking World
SPAN 1014Intermediate Spanish II: the Spanish-speaking world
SPAN 2005Advanced Spanish I
SPAN 2006Advanced Spanish II
Or
Option two:
SPAN 1012Intensive Elementary Spanish: the Spanish-speaking world
SPAN 1034Intensive Intermediate Spanish
SPAN 2056Intensive Advanced Spanish through Sustainability Literacy

Regional Foundations (3 credits)

One course from the following in any region other than Latin America. 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.

Africa
ANTH 3708Anthropology of Africa
GEOG 3164The Geography of Africa
HIST 3530Women in Africa
IAFF 2093Africa: Problems and Prospects
IAFF 2190WSpecial Topics (North Africa and the World) *
IAFF 3189Special Topics in African Studies (Africa Declassified)
IAFF 3189Special Topics in African Studies (Africa and Globalization: Culture and Context)
IAFF 3189Special Topics in African Studies (African Literature and Politics)
IAFF 3189Special Topics in African Studies (Africa in the Global Economy)
IAFF 3189Special Topics in African Studies (Ethnic and Religious Conflict in Africa)
IAFF 3189Special Topics in African Studies (International Affairs in Africa)
IAFF 3189Special Topics in African Studies (Women and Leadership in Africa)
PSC 2381Comparative Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa
PSC 2482African 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 3704Cultures of Southeast Asia
ECON 2169Introduction to the Economy of China
GEOG 3165Geography of South Asia
HIST 3615History of Chinese Communism
HIST 3621History of Modern Japan
HIST 3631History of Modern Korea
HIST 3640History of Southeast Asia
IAFF 2091East Asia-Past and Present
IAFF 3186Special Topics in Asian Studies (Asian Order and Community Building)
IAFF 3186Special Topics in Asian Studies (Central Asia Security)
IAFF 3186Special Topics in Asian Studies (Comparative Politics in Southeast Asia)
IAFF 3186Special Topics in Asian Studies (Economic Development of East Asia)
IAFF 3186Special Topics in Asian Studies (Economic Lessons from East Asia)
IAFF 3186Special Topics in Asian Studies (Indo-Pacific Security Challenges)
IAFF 3186Special Topics in Asian Studies (South Asian Politics Via Literature and Film)
IAFF 3186Special Topics in Asian Studies (Women in Asia)
IAFF 3752WEquitable Development in Southeast Asia
IAFF 3753International Relations of South Asia
IAFF 3756Christianity and Islam in East Asia
PSC 2368Politics in the Two Koreas
PSC 2371Politics and Foreign Policy of China
PSC 2374Politics and Foreign Policy of Japan
PSC 2373Comparative Politics of Southeast Asia
Europe and Eurasia
GEOG 3197Special Topics in Regional Geography (Geography of Russia and Its Neighbors)
HIST 1121The War of Ideas in European and International History, 1750-Present
HIST 2125Twentieth-Century Europe
HIST 3101Topics: Europe (All sections of HIST 3101 are approved for this requirement.)
HIST 3168Divided and United Germany Since 1945
IAFF 2092Russia and Eastern Europe: An Introduction
IAFF 2094Europe in Transition
IAFF 3185Special Topics in European and Eurasian Studies (Nationalism in Eurasia)
IAFF 3185Special Topics in European and Eurasian Studies (The West and Russia)
IAFF 3185Special Topics in European and Eurasian Studies (Ukraine and Georgia between Russia and the West)
IAFF 3185Special Topics in European and Eurasian Studies (Ukrainian Security)
IAFF 3190Special Topics in International Affairs (European Economies and Crisis of Integration)
PSC 2330Comparative Politics of Western Europe
PSC 2331Comparative Politics of Central and Eastern Europe
PSC 2332European Integration
PSC 2366Russian Politics
PSC 2994Special Topics in International Relations (International Politics of Central and Eastern Europe)
PSC 3192WProseminar: 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 3702Anthropology of Latin America
ANTH 3791Topics in Regional Anthropology (Anthropology of the Caribbean)
GEOG 3161Geography of Latin America
HIST 3701Topics in Latin American History (Democracy in Latin America)
HIST 3701Topics in Latin American History (Violence, Drugs, and Democracy in Latin America)
HIST 3710History of Latin America I
HIST 3711History of Latin America II
IAFF 2090Latin America: Problems and Promise
IAFF 3177Political Economy of Latin America
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Cuba in the Global Arena)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Democracy in Latin America)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Democracy Under Siege in Latin America)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Economic and Social Development of Latin America)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Feminist Movements in Latin America)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Geography of Latin America)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latin America Geopolitics and Geoeconomy)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latin American Migration)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Racial and Ethnic Politics of Latin America)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Security in the Americas)
IAFF 3191WPopulism and Regime Change in Latin America
IAFF 3855Argentina in Global Context
PSC 2383Comparative Politics of Latin America
PSC 2993Special Topics in Comparative Politics (Democratic Experiments in Latin America)
SPAN 3200Bilingualism 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 3707Anthropology of the Middle East
GEOG 3154Geography of the Middle East and North Africa
HIST 3801Topics in Middle Eastern History (The Middle East Since WWII)
HIST 3810History of the Middle East to 1800
HIST 3825Land and Power in Israel/Palestine
IAFF 2095The Middle East in International Affairs
IAFF 2190WSpecial Topics (Arab Politics)
IAFF 2190WSpecial Topics (North Africa and the World)
IAFF 2190WSpecial Topics (Politics and Culture in the Middle East)
IAFF 2190WSpecial Topics (Turkey and Its Neighbors)
IAFF 3188Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Iran in the Middle East)
IAFF 3188Special Topics in Middle East Studies (National Security Lab Middle East)
IAFF 3188Special Topics in Middle East Studies (The Middle East Since WWII)
IAFF 3352Israeli and Palestinian Peacebuilding
PSC 2377Comparative Politics of the Middle East
PSC 2476The Arab-Israeli Conflict
or PSC 2476W The Arab-Israeli Conflict
PSC 2478International Relations of the Middle East
PSC 2993Special 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:

ANTH 3531Methods in Sociocultural Anthropology
APSC 3115Engineering Analysis III
CSCI 1012Introduction to Programming with Python
DATS 1001Data Science for All
DNSC 1001Business Analytics I: Statistics for Descriptive and Predictive Analytics *
DNSC 2001Business Analytics II: Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics **
ECON 2123Introduction to Econometrics
or STAT 2123 Introduction to Econometrics
GEOG 2104Introduction to Cartography and GIS
IAFF 2101Qualitative Methods in International Affairs
IAFF 2102Quantitative Methods in International Affairs
IAFF 2190Special Topics (Political Risk Analysis)
IAFF 2190Special Topics (Program Design in International Affairs)
IAFF 3180WSpecial Topics in Security Policy (Security Policy and Qualitative Analysis)
IAFF 3190Special Topics in International Affairs (International Conflict and Politics Research Seminar)
IAFF 3502Strategic Management and Qualitative Methods in International Affairs
IAFF 4191WResearch Seminar (International Conflict and Politics Research Seminar)
IAFF 4191WResearch Seminar (Security Policy and Qualitative Analysis)
ISTM 3119Introduction to Programming
PSC 2101Scope and Methods of Political Science
PSYC 2101Research Methods in Psychology
PUBH 2142Introduction to Biostatistics for Public Health
PUBH 3131Epidemiology
PUBH 3199Topics in Public Health (Research Methods Foundations)
PUBH 4201Practical Computing
SMPA 2151Research Methods
SOC 2101Social Research Methods
SOC 2102Techniques of Data Analysis
STAT 1051Introduction to Business and Economic Statistics *
STAT 1053Introduction to Statistics in Social Science *
STAT 1111Business and Economic Statistics I *
STAT 1127Statistics for the Biological Sciences *
STAT 1129Introduction to Computing
STAT 2112Business and Economic Statistics II **
STAT 2118Regression Analysis
STAT 2123Introduction to Econometrics
or ECON 2123 Introduction to Econometrics
STAT 2183WIntermediate Statistical Laboratory: Statistical Computing Packages
STAT 4157Introduction 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.
Latin American Literature (3 credits)
One course from the following. Another literature course at the 3000- or 4000-level may be substituted with the approval of the program director.
PORT 4800Independent Study *
SPAN 3100Texts and Contexts of the Spanish-Speaking World
SPAN 3410Latin American Short Fiction
SPAN 3520Decolonizing the Empire: Colonial Latin America
SPAN 3600Special Topics
or SPAN 4600 Special Topics
SPAN 4410Contemporary Narrative in Latin America
SPAN 4800Independent Study *
*Program Director approval is required for PORT 4800 or SPAN 4800 Independent Study courses.
Multi-disciplinary Core (21 credits)
History (3 credits)
One course from the following:
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (History of Latin America II)
or HIST 3711 History of Latin America II
HIST 3701Topics in Latin American History
HIST 3710History of Latin America I
Political Science (3 credits)
One course from the following:
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Democracy Under Siege)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Racial and Ethnic Politics in Latin America)
PSC 2383Comparative Politics of Latin America
Economics (3 credits)
One course from the following:
IAFF 3177Political Economy of Latin America
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Economic and Social Development of Latin America)
Geography (3 credits)
One course from the following:
GEOG 3161Geography of Latin America
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Immigration and Weak States)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latino Migration)
Anthropology (3 credits)
One course from the following:
ANTH 3702Anthropology of Latin America
ANTH 3791Topics in Regional Anthropology (Anthropology of the Caribbean)
ANTH 3991Special Topics (Displacement & Diaspora)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latin American Environmental Politics)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latin Motion: Indigenous Movements and Media)
Students may request to use other 3000-level anthropology courses with Latin American content but this must be approved by the Program Director
International Affairs (6 credits)
Two courses from the following:
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Contemporary Mexican-US Relations)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latin America-U.S. Relations)
IAFF 3187Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latin American Geopolitics and Geoeconomics)
PSC 2484International Relations of Latin America
Undergraduate students may be able to enroll in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies graduate courses with instructor approval.
Related Coursework (6 credits)
Two courses related to Latin America from any discipline, including International Affairs (IAFF), selected with the approval of the Program Director.
Study Abroad
Students are encouraged to study in Latin America through one of GW's formal partnerships with a regional university or an approved self-designed study abroad program.