Undergraduate Resources & Funding
Chemistry students shape an individual academic path to match their interests, whether that means searching for cures to critical diseases in a lab or analyzing evidence at crime scenes. And along the way, our faculty offer caring mentorship and top-level experience. Find the resources and support you need to make your time in the Chemistry Department as productive and enjoyable as possible.
Prospective Students
At the Department of Chemistry, undergraduates can learn from American Chemical Society award winners, work on cutting-edge research in our labs or intern with the Smithsonian Institution. They don’t just live in D.C. — they become a part of the nation’s capital and make a difference in it every day.
Current GW Students
ALEKS Chemistry Prep Course
All incoming students who intend to pursue certain academic fields including chemical sciences must complete the ALEKS Chemistry Preparatory Course. The ALEKS course occurs over the summer before undergraduate students begin at GW.
Declaring a Chemistry Major or Minor
Enrolled students may print or retrieve a Declaration of Major/Minor Form (PDF) from the Columbian College Undergraduate Academic Advising Office and complete it with their Chemistry Department advisors. The completed form should be submitted to the office. For more information, visit the Declaring a Major page.
Undergraduate students in the Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA), the School of Business (GWSB), the Milken Institute School of Public Health (GWSPH) or the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) can pursue a chemistry minor. To apply, students should fill out a Secondary Field of Study Form obtained from their home school and bring it to their advisor for approval.
Honors
In addition to meeting the general requirements stated under university regulations, a candidate for graduation with special honors in chemistry must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA in chemistry courses and take CHEM 4195 or CHEM 4195W for at least three credits over two semesters. Along with the final report required for the research course, honors-track students also complete a poster or oral presentation.
Advising and Tutoring [button, move page under here]
Transfer credit approval [button link to form page]
Transfer Students
- A maximum of 24 hours of credit may be transferred from AP and/or IB combined.
- Students are responsible for sending transcripts from all previous institutions to the Office of the Registrar and all scores on AP, IB or A-Level exams to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for evaluation.
- GW will accept a maximum of nine transfer credits, or three courses, from other institutions.
- File an Undergraduate Transfer Credit Approval Form. You can download the form from the Columbian College Undergraduate Academic Advising website or pick it up at Phillips Hall, Suite 107.
- Gather the text to be used in the course and the approximate number of chapters that will be covered. Also collect the syllabus, if possible. Course descriptions are not as crucial as the text and syllabus.
- Obtain approval of your form with the Chemistry Department.
- Bring the signed form to Phillips 107 for the adviser's approval.
Funding
The Chemistry Department awards annual A.D. Britt, Madeleine Reines Jacobs and Charles R. and Elma M. Naeser scholarships. These $5,000 awards honor outstanding chemistry students by supporting summer research opportunities in one of the department’s laboratories.
Recipients select an adviser on faculty and then work with them to choose a suitable research goal to be completed during the summer. Students complete a written report describing the results of the project. The Chemistry Department awards at least six of these scholarships each year. Note: Students who hold Luther Rice or George Gamow scholarships are not eligible for the monetary award but will be acknowledged.
Criteria for candidacy:
- Student must be a declared GW chemistry major.
- Student must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.00.
- Student must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 in the sciences.
- Student must have completed CHEM 2122, 2151, 2152, 2153 and 2154 by the end of the spring 2018 semester.
- Students enrolled in the BA/MD program are not eligible.
To apply, submit the following to the Chemistry Department using the application form:
- GPA
- Grades to date in completed chemistry courses
- Name of an adviser who has agreed to serve as your research mentor
Questions about scholarships? Contact Michael King.
The office offers financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, loans, Federal Work Study, tuition benefits and exchanges. For graduate and certificate students in particular, the office also coordinates Federal Direct Stafford, Federal Direct Graduate PLUS and private alternative loans.