Global Bachelor's Program

The GW Global Bachelor's Program is an exciting opportunity to make study abroad a central part of your undergraduate degree. The program was designed for top students in the Columbian College to spend multiple semesters abroad as part of their GW studies. Successful completion of the program earns students a Global Bachelor’s designation on their GW transcript.

Students must apply to the program in the spring semester of their first year. All courses taken while abroad, if approved, will transfer for GW credit towards either majors, minors, and/or electives.

Application Requirements

Required Coursework

Talk to a Study Abroad Advisor

Program Outcomes

Participants will:

Gain international experience and learn to adapt to diverse social, cultural and academic situations in at least two countries
Study their own major from leading scholars and teachers at GW and abroad while encountering a broad international perspective
Learn how to communicate with others from diverse cultural backgrounds
Establish a network of colleagues around the world

Timeline Overview

The Global Bachelor’s Program begins during sophomore year with a first semester abroad cohort experience in one of two cities: Singapore or Belfast, Northern Ireland. Students choosing the Belfast option will spend the first semester of their sophomore year at Queen's University Belfast. Students choosing the Asia-Pacific option will spend the spring semester of their sophomore year at Nanyang Technological University. All students must take a core course at their first destination and must also complete a series of three one-credit courses offered over the next three years. These are designed to engage students academically and to help students interact and reflect upon their global experiences.

After the first semester abroad, Global Bachelor's students will choose two additional international experiences chosen from a list of approved study abroad locations on the GW Office for Study Abroad Passport System. One of these additional experiences must be at an approved study abroad location somewhere else in the world (that is, not in Singapore for Asia-Pacific students or not in Europe for Belfast students). The second of these additional experiences may be an 8-week international internship during the summer term or during a semester of leave, or a third semester of study abroad at any GW-approved location.

Students in Belfast will study in classes with Northern Irish and international students at Queen's University Belfast (QUB), a top urban research institution, renowned for its programs in fields from Irish Studies to film, history, and science. The required core class, PSTD 3191: The Northern Ireland Conflict and Paths to Peace, uses the Northern Irish Troubles as a case study to examine principles of peace and reconciliation across the world. Students will live in dorms on the QUB campus in Belfast, a vibrant and growing city and currently the number one spot in growth of visitors in Europe.

Students in Singapore will study in English alongside local and international students at Nanyang Technological University. Students are free to choose courses among the various departments at NTU and are encouraged to explore classes which aren't available in Foggy Bottom. Students will live on campus in NTU dorms with easy access to classes and on-campus restaurants.