Graduation Requirements

The graduation requirements for the baccalaureate degree in Statesmanship are comprised of work in the following areas: core liberal arts, foreign language, field experience, simulations, comprehensive oral examination.

Core Curriculum & Schedule

The entire undergraduate curriculum is available online, including course descriptions and readings.  Specific syllabi are provided upon enrollment, on or before the first day of class.  You may view the curriculum and course availability at the following links:

• Freshman Year
• Sophomore Year
• Junior Year
• Senior Year
  

On and off-campus students use the same curriculum.  This is a four year undergraduate degree. Actual time to complete a degree program varies by student.

Foreign Language

Each undergraduate student must complete twelve credits of foreign language study.

GWU accepts language transfer credits from other institutions of higher education. We also accept examination results from qualified language examination centers (offered at many colleges and universities), although students must purchase the corresponding credit if they did not already do so elsewhere.

In addition to language courses taught occasionally by faculty members, George Wythe has partnered with Rosetta Stone to provide online language training.  Rosetta Stone courses are available year-round.

View available languages »

Field Experience

Each undergraduate student must complete two field experiences (two credits each). These may include substantive jobs, internships, volunteer work, etc. The student must enroll in a Field Experience class and the internship must be approved in advance by the student's mentor.

An internship must include a minimum of 100 hours of work though most will consist of much more. Most internships range from two to four months in length.  After completion, students submit a comprehensive report detailing setbacks, accomplishments, principles applied, lessons learned, and how the experience gained will be applied in their continued studies and future plans.

Students typically complete the field experiences during the summer months, but they maybe completed at any time.

Learn more about field experiences »

Simulations

Each undergraduate student must complete three simulation credits. Each Spring, GWU hosts a week-long, stand-alone simulation for one credit. These credits are in addition to regular simulations held throughout each semester as part of other courses.

Learn more about simulations »

View simulations on the academic calendar »

Comprehensive Oral Examination

All students must pass two comprehensive oral exams administered by the Graduation Committee.

• The first exam is taken at the end of the sophomore year (after earning approximately 70 credits) and must be passed before enrolling in Junior year courses. 
• The final exam is a comprehensive oral defense. This is conducted only after all other requirements have been satisfactorily completed for graduation at the end of the senior year.

The final oral defense exam is usually conducted during the month prior to the graduation ceremonies.  Students register for this exam at the beginning of their final semester while registering for their regular courses.

Both exams are taken for zero credit and there is no charge to the student.  The student does, however, pay a re-take fee if they fail either exam.

* An asterisk next to a course's credit hours indicates that this course may be "swapped" for elective or transfer credit. Click here for more information on elective and transfer credit.