Undergraduate Student Resources

Virtual in person office hours with Professor Tien, the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), are available during the Fall 2021 semester by appointment. Appointments can be made through Calendly.

Appointments are updated on a weekly basis, and there may be last minute cancellations, so if there is no availability please check back.

You can also e-mail the DUS your advising questions ([email protected]).   

All major/minor declaration will be handled electronically. To declare your economics major or minor, please click on the relevant google form link below. The google form will guide you through the process of building your course plan. You are welcome to schedule an appointment with the DUS to discuss your course plan, but the google form still needs to be completed.

It is useful to have read the major/minor requirements and recommended schedules on our website and construct a tentative 4 year plan before you attempt to fill out the relevant google form to declare your major or minor. 

The DUS will look through the declaration submissions carefully. If there are no issues, you will receive a signed declaration form from the DUS electronically. If the DUS has any questions or concerns about your plan, you will be contacted. After you receive the signed declaration form, follow the instructions on the form to finish declaring your major. 

During Fall and Spring semesters while classes are in session, allow a minimum of 5 business days for the request to be processed. During winter and summer breaks, the processing time cannot be guaranteed.

Minor Declaration (Link to Google Form)

BA Major Declaration (Link to Google Form)

BS Major Declaration (Link to Google Form)

Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak and telework policies put into place by the university administration, approved transfer credit requests will be e-mailed to students rather than printed for pick-up in person.  Please allow a minimum of 5 business days for responses and forms.

1. Complete the Transfer Credit Approval Form (PDF). Leave the “GW Equivalent,” “Dept. Approval Name” and “Approval Signature” fields blank.
2. Send the completed form to [email protected], along with relevant syllabi or course descriptions.
3. The DUS will confirm by email whether the request is approved or if more information is needed.  If approved, the DUS will return the scanned form via email.

View the list of previously approved courses and associated institutions. Use the list as a guide when exploring classes to take outside of GW. Even if a course is listed, it does not mean transfer approval is guaranteed. Students will still need to complete the formal credit transfer process.

Students who enroll in a summer abroad program that is outside of GW’s approved study abroad programs should also follow this transfer credit process. Students who travel with an approved GW Office for Study Abroad program follow a separate transfer credit process.

• Study Abroad Transfer Credit
• Study Abroad vs. Study Away Credits

The DUS will provide letters of certification to international students seeking Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The DUS can also provide certification letters to Elliott School students majoring in economics who have completed the BS in Economics requirements.

While classes are in session, please allow a minimum of 10 business days from the initial completed request for the letter to be ready. The letters can be provided as a hard copy or a scanned PDF file. During winter or summer breaks, requests will be handled per the DUS’s availability, and the time required for the requests to be honored cannot be guaranteed.

Please email the DUS with your request with the required information:

For international students requesting OPT letters

• GWID
• Expected date of program completion (typically the last day of exams for your final term).

For international students requesting CPT letters

• GWID
• A training proposal letter. The letter must describe the type of training you would like to do and how the proposed training is directly related to economics.
• An official offer letter from the entity that is offering the training. The letter must indicate the name and address of the entity, title of your position, detailed description of your duties, number of hours of training per week and exact training starting and ending dates. 

For Elliott School students requesting BS certification letters

• GWID

Due to the current circumstances all registration issues for Fall 2021 will be handled online through email to Cristin, the Academic Department Administrator.   When emailing please include your GWid and allow at least 48 business hours for responses.

Non 4198 Registration:

RTFs will only be signed by the Academic Department Administrator, instructors will not sign RTFs.  The only circumstances for which an RTF will be signed are:

1. If you are a student who is graduating in December and all seats in all sections of a course you require to graduate are filled. Please email [email protected] as soon as you know you will not be able to register online.
2. If you are a student who is taking a prerequisite for a course at another institution over the summer.  In this case, you must email [email protected] with an image of completion of the course and the signed transfer credit form.  If the course is being taken at the end of the Summer and will overlap with the Fall semester you may email a screenshot of progress in the course in lieu of an image of course completion.
3. You need to repeat a course for credit.

Please note that if a course is closed, the RTF will put the student on the digital waitlist not register the student for the course.

4198 Registration:

• Alls sections of 4198 will be open starting with Priority registration April 15.
• On April 26th all sections of 4198 will be set to Department Approval and will require paperwork to register even for switching sections.  
• Seniors who have taken both 2101/2103 and 2102/2104 will be able to register for 4198 through GWeb.
• Seniors who have not taken both 2101/2103 and 2102/2104 will not be able to register for 4198 through GWeb.
• Rising Seniors (coded as a junior at the time of registration) will not be able to register for 4198 through GWeb.  
• If you are unable to register for 4198 through GWeb for any reason you will need to sign up for the registration list through the Google Form that will be sent out at 9 am on April 19th to the Econ Majors listserv.
• Registration from the list will begin after the Department Approval restriction is in effect.  Students will be contacted in the order in which they signed up on the form and will be sent paperwork for their indicated preferred section.  If none of your preferences are available you will be given a list of sections with seats available to choose from.