Who is your faculty advisor ?

• Every undergraduate student in the Computer Science department is assigned a faculty advisor. You must work with your faculty advisor to make sure that you meet the program/degree requirements. As a student in the CS department you have been assigned to one of the two faculty advisors – Prof. Rhys Price Jones (from Fall 2006) and Prof. Bhagi Narahari. If your advisor prior to Fall 2006 was Prof. Feldman, your new advisor is Prof. Price Jones.
• To determine your faculty advisor, you should check either in the CS department office or with the Office of Student Records in the Engineering School (SEAS) Tompkins 104.

Can I meet any of the advisors ?

• Yes, you can meet either of the two faculty advisors in CS, although it is strongly recommended that you work with your assigned advisor to ensure continuity in the advising process. Advisors have posted office hours which you can check on their webpage or in the department office.

Registering for Courses:

• How do I register for courses and how do I remove the registration hold ?
• As a student in SEAS you will have a “registration hold” on your account that will prevent you from registering online using Banner. To remove this hold you must meet with your advisor.
• To remove your registration hold you must meet your advisor and submit the completed undergraduate advising form. The advisor will check your proposed course schedule to make sure you are following the curriculum requirements and then sign the form. You must then take this form, with advisor approval, to the SEAS Student Records Office in Tompkins 104 to get the hold removed. Once the hold is removed you may register online on the registration date that has been assigned to you.
• What courses do I register for ?
• This is where you need to consult with your advisor so that you are registering for courses that meet the program requirements. The advisor can determine whether or not a course fits into your curriculum requirements.
• Your curriculum requirements depend on the degree and option you are pursuing. For example, if you are enrolled in the BS program with a Bioinformatics Option you have a specific set of course requirements which may be different from the requirements for a BA degree in Digital Media.
• To determine the requirements for your degree program, you should refer to the curriculum requirements posted at this page.
• It is strongly recommended that you keep a copy of the Curriculum sheets so that you can track your own progress. The advisors have access to this information and can provide them to you.
  
• Are prerequisites really prerequisites ?
• Yes. It is important that you meet the prerequisite for each course that you register for. Meeting the pre-requisite also means that you have not failed the course. In case the prerequisite is not clear, you must speak to the instructor of the course to get their permission.
• Can I and How do I take a course outside GWU ?
• Yes, you can take courses outside GWU while you are a student at GWU but you must get prior permission of the advisor and the Dean’s office in SEAS before you take the course.
• To get prior permission, you must provide a copy of the course description of the course outside GWU and the description of the equivalent GWU course to your advisor. You must submit the Prior Permission Form along with these course descriptions. The total number of courses that you can take outside GWU is limited to six total and three SEAS courses.
• How do I take courses at a Consortium School ?
• You must have the permission of your advisor in order to take a consortium course. Typically the student must provide the course descriptions and fill out a consortium registration form.
• Can I take Graduate courses as an Undergraduate ?
• You should take the courses that are required for your curriculum. However, it is possible that your curriculum has enough electives which may allow you to take graduate courses. But you must satisfy the prerequisites for these graduate courses. If you take the graduate course as an Undergraduate you will not get graduate credit – the exception is if you are in the five year integrated Bachelors and Masters programs. If the graduate course is not counted towards your undergraduate degree requirement, then you can use up to 6 credit hours towards a graduate degree at GWU.

How do I transfer credits from courses I have taken outside GW ?

• To actually get credit for courses that you have taken outside GWU (before coming to GWU or after), you must complete the Transfer of Credit Worksheet and get your advisor approval for the course transfers.

Change of Curriculum/Major/Advisor

• Can I change my curriculum year  and How ?
• Yes. The basic rule is that the student is in the curriculum that was in effect in the academic year that the student started at GW (whether you started at the beginning or transferred in). Changes to curriculum do not apply automatically retroactively. However, you are allowed to change your curriculum year to a newer curriculum year (i.e., a latter year curriculum such as going from a 2004 curriculum to a 2006 curriculum). To do this, you should complete the Change of Major/Advisor/Curriculum Year form and get your advisor approval and submit the form to Student Records in SEAS Tompkins 104.
• Can I change my degree or concentration option and How ?
• Yes. You can declare your new degree and/or concentration by completing the  Change of Major/Advisor/Curriculum Year form and get your advisor approval and submit the form to Student Records in SEAS Tompkins 104.  For example, if you want to change from a BS degree with Bioinformatics Option to a BA degree in Digital Media you must complete this form and get your advisor approval.
• You should note that changes to curriculum year, degree, options, etc. may result in significant changes to your program of study. Courses that count in one curriculum may or may not count in a different curriculum.
• Can I change my major ?
• Yes. You can declare a different major (within SEAS or outside SEAS). To change your major within SEAS you must complete the Change of Major/Advisor/Curriculum Year form and get your advisor approval and submit the form to Student Records in SEAS Tompkins 104. To transfer out of SEAS, you should go to Student Records in SEAS Tompkins 104.

What are the policies and rules for Humanities and Social Science Electives , and are there any forms I need to fill out to declare my electives ?

• There is a menu of courses that satisfy the Humanities and Social Science electives requirements. In addition to these, the BS degree also requires additional breadth electives that you need to take. You should refer to the curriculum requirements posted here.

• Once you have decided what courses you will take (or have taken) to meet the Humanities and social science requirements, you must fill out the Humanities & Social Sciences Electives declaration Form and get advisor approval.

How do I declare a Second Major or/and a Secondary Field (Minor) ?

• To declare a second major you must complete the Declaration of Second Major form and get it approved by your advisor in CS and an advisor in the department of your second major. For example, if your second major is Economics you must get your program of study (indicated in the Form) approved by an advisor in the Economics Department. To meet requirements for the second major you must complete all the courses listed in this Form.
• To declare a secondary field (minor) you must complete the Declaration of Secondary Field form and get it approved by your advisor in CS and an advisor in the department of your second major. For example, if your secondary field is Biology then you must get your program of study (indicated in the Form) approved by an advisor in the Biology Department.
• If you are in the BA degree program, you must do a second major or two secondary fields to meet the degree requirements.

Can I waive a required course and substitute a different course for it ?

• Waiver of a required course requires advisor and curriculum chair approval. You must complete the Waiver Form and get it approved by your advisor. A waiver may be granted if you demonstrate that you have knowledge of the material covered in the required course – an example of such a situation is if you have successfully completed a more advanced course (at a prior institution or at GWU), or have taken the Advanced Placement exam. You must provide documentation to show your prior knowledge (for example, course description and transcript if you have taken a course elsewhere that covered equivalent subject material). Typically, the advisor may also require you to meet with the course director and get their approval for the waiver.
• If a course required in the curriculum is waived, the corresponding credit hours must be earned by satisfactory completion of a university level academic course approved by your advisor. If this substituted course is part of the required curriculum then the grade will be used in determining the grade point average. The course used to substitute for the required course must be approved by the advisor, and typically must be relevant to the topic of the waived course. For example, if you get a waiver for CS 192 (Network Security) because you have taken CS286 (Graduate version of Network Security)  then the substituted course must be in the networks or security related area such as Wireless Security or Network Defense. You must complete the Course Substitution Form and get your advisor approval and submit it to SEAS Student Records in Tompkins 104. 

What is Graduation Pre-Clearance ?

• In your final year you must complete the graduation pre-clearance form. You must complete the form in the semester prior to your final semester and submit it to Student Records in Tompkins 104. The student records office, and your advisor, will perform an audit of the courses you have taken and provide the list of courses remaining for you to earn your undergraduate degree. It is essential that you complet this prior to the pre-registration period so that you can plan the schedule for your final semester.

What do I need to do to graduate ?

• In your final semester, you must complete the application for graduation form. After you have completed your final semester the Student Records office and your advisor will audit the courses you have taken and if you meet all the requirements for your degree, you will be cleared for graduation.