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 Global Bachelor's Program was designed for top students in the Columbian College to spend multiple semesters abroad as part of their GW studies. Participants will leave GW with significant international experience having explored and learned to adapt to diverse social, cultural and academic situations in at least three countries. Students will study their own major from leading scholars and teachers at GW and abroad and will encounter a broad international perspective. They will learn how to communicate with others from diverse cultural backgrounds while establishing a network of colleagues around the world. Successful completion of the program will earn students a Global Bachelors designation on their GW transcript.    

How does it work?

The first semester abroad will be together as a cohort during the spring semester of sophomore year at Fudan University in Shanghai, one of the most prestigious universities in China. Global Bachelor's students will study in English alongside Chinese and international students. Students will live on campus in dorms while one of the world’s most dynamic cities lies just beyond the campus gates.  
 
After the Shanghai semester, Global Bachelor's students will choose two additional international experiences.  One semester must be at an approved study abroad location somewhere else in the world (that is, not in China). The second experience may be a 10 week full-time international internship during a summer term, or during a semester of leave, or, a third semester of study abroad at any approved location of your choice.
 
This program is open to CCAS students in the following majors:
  • Anthropology
  • Chinese Language and Literature
  • Economics (the BA degree option compliments this international program well)
  • Environmental Studies
  • Geography
  • Political Science 
  • History
After the semester in China, the additional study abroad semesters must be chosen from a list of pre-eminent international universities that include Sciences Po in France, the London School of Economics in U.K., the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and the National University of Singapore.  The study abroad location must be appropriate to the student’s major as determined in consultation with the student’s advisors. It is recommended that students interested in this program enroll in Chinese language courses in preparation for traveling abroad in their Sophomore year.  CCAS students will complete one of the following capstone requirements: 1) A capstone or proseminar required for their major on a topic related to their global experiences; or 2) Presentation of their research/scholarship related to their global experiences in a CCAS forum or on GW Research Day.
Courses taken during the study abroad semesters will transfer for GW credit towards majors, minors and electives as long as they're approved by the appropriate academic department. 
For more information about finances, please refer to the Office for Study Abroad website. 

What's the Timeline?

  • Spring of Freshman year - apply to Global Bachelor's Program
  • Fall of Sophomore year - enroll in 1 credit cohort course along with other coursework towards degree program 
  • Spring of Sophomore year - travel to China with cohort and enroll in International Economics, along with other coursework for degree
  • Summer between Sophomore and Junior year - optional international internship
  • Fall of Junior year - optional semester abroad in chosen location, enroll in 1 credit cohort course
  • Spring of Junior year - optional semester abroad in chosen location
  • Summer between Junior and Senior year - optional international internship
  • Fall of Senior year - continue to work on completing degree on campus
  • Spring of Senior year - continue to work on completing degree on campus, graduate

Is there required coursework?

Students are required to have completed at least the first half of the Principles of Economics sequence (ECON 1011) as well as at least the first half of beginning Chinese prior to traveling to China in their Sophomore year. In addition to Chinese language, students are required to complete at least the first level of a foreign language, if Chinese is not the chosen language to pursue. Students are also required to register for International Economics while abroad, complete the three 1 credit hour cohort courses during their time at GW, and one of the senior capstone options as listed above. Students can view a semester planning worksheets for the program below.

What's required for the application?

Students can apply through the passport.gwu.edu website through the Office for Study Abroad. A personal statement, transcript, and academic recommendation are required as part of the application. Students must meet with their Advising POD prior to submitting the application in order to review a 4 year plan with the student's intended degree coursework provided. Students should consult DegreeMAP and the University Bulletin when creating a 4 year plan. The application deadline is March 18th.
Students can make an appointment with their Advising POD by clicking on their POD based on their last name and choosing "Developing your Academic Plan" as the reason for the appointment. 

Am I eligible?

In order to apply to the program, CCAS students must be rising sophomores, be in good judicial standing as well as have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. 

Semester Planning Worksheets: