By Ruth Steinhardt
The George Washington University is eliminating obstacles to interdisciplinary study across its schools, identifying a new set of general education requirements for all undergraduates, streamlining transfers between schools and standardizing rules and regulations across the university.
Most schools already have begun to implement these initiatives over the year, and all changes will be reflected in the 2015-16 University Bulletin. The standardized regulations will become effective for all students in fall 2015.
The changes stem from the university’s strategic plan, Vision 2021, which calls for a “unified undergraduate educational experience.”
“One of the great strengths of GW is that it offers an incredible liberal arts curriculum surrounded by world-class professional schools,” said Forrest Maltzman, senior vice provost for academic affairs and planning. “We want students to have the opportunity to take advantage of both.”
Many barriers to study across schools at GW have been eliminated and many of the rules and regulations that remain have been standardized across the university, Dr. Maltzman said.
A working group that included the deans of undergraduate studies in the School of Business, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Elliott School of International Affairs and the Milken Institute School of Public Health and representatives from the Provost’s office worked to standardize these policies over the past year.
For instance, the regulation from the Columbian College that prohibited CCAS students from taking more than 18 credits at other schools has been eliminated.
Under the new guidelines, if students opt to change schools, they will no longer have to reapply through the Admissions Office. Instead, transfers will be handled through Colonial Central. Students who have completed the necessary eligibility requirements may transfer between schools after two semesters at GW. Information about prerequisites for transfer is available on the registrar’s website.
One of the most important changes to facilitate flexibility is the identification of a university-wide general curriculum. Beginning with the class entering in fall 2015, all undergraduate students will be required to complete a 19-credit core curriculum in the areas of writing, natural or physical science, mathematics or statistics, social science and the humanities, plus two writing-in-the-disciplines (WID) courses.
The core is required in all schools, but schools will retain some additional requirements that previously were part of each school’s general curriculum requirement. For example, the Elliott School of International Affairs will continue to require graduates to know a modern foreign language.
While the courses required to graduate in some schools may not have changed, “the identification of a substantial common core increases student flexibility for students to transfer between schools,” explained Cheryl Beil, associate provost for academic planning and assessment.
Dr. Maltzman said the changes take into account that some 17 year olds arriving at college could change their minds about their course of study. “We don’t want to lock our students in, so we eliminated rules and regulations that unintentionally had the effect of limiting student options,” he said.
Bhagi Narahari, associate dean of undergraduate studies in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, said that “some of the most interesting innovations happening right now take place at the intersection of various fields, and we want to facilitate that.”
A handful of the changes required faculty votes. Thanks to a vote by Columbian College faculty, Advanced Placement credit, International Baccalaureate credit and college courses taken prior to students’ first semester at GW will count toward the general education curriculum if they are deemed to be equivalent to university courses. Previously, Columbian College required students to take their general education courses at GW.
“These changes will allow our students more flexibility in designing their academic programs and help our students to more easily navigate across programs and schools,” said Dan Ullman, associate dean of undergraduate studies in Columbian College.
Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, associate dean for undergraduate programs in the School of Business, said the goal of the plan “is to give students flexibility, clarity and consistency.”
To help students understand their options, in 2014 the Office of the Registrar added a “What If” feature to DegreeMAP that enables students to understand what their curriculum would look like if they decide to change their major a different department or school. When used in conjunction with a discussion with an academic advisor, DegreeMAP can help a student understand precisely what needs to be done to expand or change an area of study.
“Student response to the What-Ifs has been tremendous. The tool has facilitated lots of exploration into the possibilities for minors and double majors,” said Elizabeth Amundson, university registrar.
Finally, the new academic plan standardizes rules and regulations governing Dean’s Lists, academic standing, adding and dropping courses, double degrees, graduation requirements and other academic issues across the university.
“This is all part of our goal to deregulate the undergraduate environment at GW so that two undergraduates—an engineer and a mathematician, say—are served by the institution in the same way,” Dr. Ullman said.