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Published on Leave a comment on Policy Reminder: Using Language Courses to Count Toward Your MA Degree

Most of our MA programs require students to demonstrate proficiency in a modern foreign language. Some students choose to take language courses as preparation to meet the language requirement. If you are considering taking a language course, please review the following policy on how many credits of language coursework, if any, can count toward the 40 credits required for your degree:

Regional Programs: With Program Director approval, graduate students in regional programs can apply a maximum of 6 credits of advanced, content based courses (i.e., not language acquisition courses) toward their degree.

Non-Regional Programs (*except SPS, ISTP, IDS): With Program Director approval, graduate students can apply a maximum of 6 credits of language courses toward the electives.  In consultation with the student, the Program Director will determine which level language course and how many credits of language are appropriate for the student’s Plan of Study.

SPS, ISTP, IDS: No foreign language credits can be applied toward the graduate degree unless approved by Program Director under special circumstances.

Students are welcome to take language courses in addition to their required 40 credits. Please note, language courses are not accepted as transfer credit.

Published on Leave a comment on How to Contact Your Academic Advisor

As of June 15, all academic advising services are available to you as an incoming Elliott School graduate student. This means you can get in touch with your advisor before classes begin, even if you aren't in DC!

If you have general questions, consider Online Advising on Tuesdays, 11am -1pm. During this time you can chat with an academic advisor to get immediate answers to your questions. Please note that, while you may be able to access the chat at any time, advisors are only available during designated online advising hours.

If you have more detailed questions, consider scheduling an appointment with your advisor. If you're not local, you can schedule a phone appointment. Alternatively, you can email your question to your advisor. We try to respond to emails within 1-2 business days, but during busy times (like orientation and registration) it may take us a little longer to get back to you.

Published on Leave a comment on Elliott School Graduate International Student Orientation

Picnic IDP

Announcing the Elliott School Graduate International Student Orientation!

August 17-21, 2015

The Elliott School of International Affairs

RSVP Today!

The Elliott School is hosting a graduate international student orientation the week before the International Services Orientation and Elliott School New-Student Orientation. This event will include valuable resources and connections and is highly encouraged for all Elliott School graduate international students. See below for an example of what will be included in the program:

 

  • Research workshop
  • Best practices for the career search for international students
  • Academic  Integrity
  • Health and Safety
  • Academic Advising
  • Elliott School faculty
  • A DC tour
  • Outings to Target, IKEA, and the grocery store, led by local Elliott School students
  • Evening activities with Elliott School domestic students

The day schedule will generally be from 9am to 5pm with optional evening activities and occasional free time to find your new apartment, get your books for class, buy your American cell phone, or set up your bank account.

Lunch will be provided every day

RSVP as soon as you can! We look forward to seeing you there

Published on Leave a comment on FAQ of the week: How do I take a language course?

The most commonly asked question among incoming students this week was about enrolling in language courses at GW. Here's more information on that topic:

All language courses at GW, with the exception of the professional skills language courses (IAFF 6504) are undergraduate courses, but graduate students can enroll in these courses.

To enroll in professional skills language courses, you will need to take an online diagnostic test and follow the process outlined here.

To enroll in a traditional language course, you will need to take a placement exam offered through that language's department:
Department of Romance, German, and Slavic languages
 Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations
Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures

As a reminder, not all programs allow language courses to count for credit toward the degree, and not all programs allow the foreign language requirement to be met through coursework. Check your program's Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement page for more information on meeting the requirement.

Published on Leave a comment on FAQ of the week: What are the ECON Review Courses?
The most commonly asked question among incoming students this week was regarding preparing for economics coursework and/or meeting the micro- and macrcoeconomics admissions requirement. Here is one available option to review economics prior to your first semester:
The Institute for International Economic Policy will offer two separate sets of economics review sessions immediately prior to the fall semester, located on the Foggy Bottom campus.

Introductory economics sessions (one in Microeconomics and one in Macroeconomics) will provide a review for students who have only taken one or two previous economics courses. The introductory sessions are particularly appropriate for those students preparing to take ECON 6250 (Survey of Development Economics) and ECON 6280 (Survey of International Economics). If you can only attend one, micro is more helpful for ECON 6250.Intermediate economics sessions (one in Microeconomics and one in Macroeconomics) will provide a review for students who have a more extensive economics background. The intermediate sessions are more helpful for students planning to take ECON 6283 (International Trade Theory and Policy) and ECON 6284 (International Macroeconomics Theory and Policy). Also note, Micro sessions are a better preparation for ECON 6283 and the Macro sessions are better for ECON 6284.Students will not receive graduate credit for these sessions.

Students who are required to complete an introductory OR intermediate Micro and Macroeconomics requirement may do so by passing a proficiency exam, offered on the afternoon of September 12th.

(Note: The Security Policy Studies program's economics requirement cannot be fulfilled by taking the summer review sessions and passing the proficiency exam).

Review Session Dates:

August 17-22, 24-27, 29 (a total of 11 sessions of review)

Proficiency exams will be offered on Saturday, September 12.

For more information, visit the Institute for International Economic Policy (IIEP) website.

Published on Leave a comment on Completing Your Initial Plan of Study

Attention students who began programs this spring: Your Plan of Study is due March 16th.

The Plan of Study outlines the degree requirements for each Elliott School graduate program. This is an evolving document, and we expect you to make changes and updates to your plan as you progress through your program. But you should fill out the plan of study completely with your best guess of the classes you intend to take and the semesters in which you will take them.

The Process

  1. Locate your program’s plan of study on the Elliott School website under Forms & Applications.
  2. Review your program’s curriculum using the Elliott School website.
  3. Using blue or black ink, or typing directly into the form (save a copy to your desktop first), enter complete course information and the semester you intend to complete each course on the form in the appropriate space.
  4. Submit your form to your program director for review. If you plan to meet with your program director to discuss your plan, we strongly encourage doing this well in advance of the March 16 deadline.
  5. Deliver your completed plan of study, signed by your Program Director, to the Office of Academic Advising and Student Services (1957 E Street NW, Suite 302). You do not need an appointment to submit your plan of study (you are of course welcome to schedule an appointment with your academic advisor if you have questions). You can also email your Plan of Study to advising@gwu.edu or fax it to 202-994-9537.
  6. Your plan of study will be reviewed by your Academic Advisor. Once reviewed, you will receive an electronic copy of your plan of study. This process can take up to 3 weeks. Therefore, we encourage you to complete your plan of study and submit it to Academic Advising in advance of the deadline. All plans received on or before the March 16 deadline will be returned to students before Fall 2015 registration begins.

Failure to submit a completed plan of study, signed by your Program Director, by March 16th will result in an administrative hold on your account which will prevent you from registering for Fall 2015 classes. Forms received after the deadline are subject to this hold. If the plan is received late, we will do our best to remove the hold as soon as possible, but this will not happen immediately.

Published on Leave a comment on Consortium Registration

If you are an enrolled Elliott School graduate student who is interested in taking a course at an area institution, please refer to the Consortium Registration process on the Registrar's website. Once entered into a degree program, you cannot take and transfer credit toward your degree from institutions that are part of the consortium agreement. Instead, you are required to register through the Consortium Registration process.

After you've reviewed the information provided on the Registrar's website, consider these tips from advising:

  • Complete the form in its entirety. Incomplete forms cannot be sent on to the Registrar's office for processing.
  • If you wish to have a direct equivalent assigned to the course, you are required to obtain the appropriate departmental approval and enter the equivalent on the form. Otherwise, the course is most likely to transfer as the appropriate "Special Topics" course.
  • Approval of your Consortium registration request does not constitute for approval for the course to count toward your program. You should always check with your Program Director and/or academic advisor to ensure that the credits are applicable to your degree (especially if you are planning to count the course toward anything other than electives).
  • You are not guranteed a seat in the consortium course and if you are given a spot in the course, it will likely be later in the registration period. This is because home school students receive priority registration (in the same way that you are given priority registration for GW courses before a consortium students is given a seat in a GW course). It is always a good idea to have a plan B.

If you have questions, please ask your academic advisor or contact the GW Consortium Coordinator (consortium@gwu.edu).

Published on Leave a comment on Apply for Graduation by February 1

If you intend to graduate in Spring 2014 or participate in commencement as a Summer 2014 walk-through your application for graduation is due February 1 to the Elliott School Office of Academic Advising and Student Services.

You can drop off your application in person (1957 E Street NW, Suite 302) between 9am- 6pm; scan/e-mail your form directly to your academic advisor; or, fax your form to 202-994-9537.

As stated on the form, late applications are subject to a $35 late fee assessed by the Office of the Registrar. Students who submit late applications are not guaranteed to have their names printed in the graduation program.

applicationforgraduation

Published on Leave a comment on Trending Question: I still need to make changes to my Spring 2014 schedule. Will I be charged fees?

Spring 2014 classes started today. If you still need to make changes to your schedule, you should read this post first.

Beginning on the first day of classes of each term, the Office of the Registrar’s late drop tuition penalty policy goes into effect. Essentially, if you drop a course (without adding the same number of credits in the same transaction) you will incur a late drop fee. The fee is based on when you drop the course(s):

If you drop a course… The % of tuition you’ll be refunded is…
Before the end of the first week of classes(by 10pm Sunday) 90%
Before the end of the second week of classes(by 10pm Sunday) 60%
Before the end of the third week of classes(by 5pm Friday) 40%
Before the end of the fourth week of classes(by 5pm Friday) 25%
After the fourth week of classes None

If you need to drop a course and add a course (courses must be an even exchange of credits), you’ll need to do so in the same registration transaction during the first 2 weeks of classes to avoid the late drop fees. We encourage students in this situation to consider using a Registration Transaction Form (RTF) to avoid technical glitches that may be experienced on GWeb. Here’s an example of how to complete the RTF for an even exchange of credits:

 

rtf sample

Published on Leave a comment on Announcing the Elliott School Online Graduate Community

Brought to you by Academic Programs in the Elliott School Dean's Office, the Elliott School Online Graduate Community is the newest portal of information for our graduate students!

This online community is an excellent resource to prepare for spring 2014 registration. Through the community, you can access previous course evaluations, browse through a database of course syllabi, and much more!Graduate Student Community1

To access this site, click HERE and sign into your Blackboard account. You will see the Elliott School Graduate Community link listed under "My Communities".   After entering the community, view the left navigation panel to find the information you're looking for.

If you have questions or comments, please contact esiaacad@gwu.edu.

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