External Transfer Students

Welcome to the Milken Institute School of Public Health here at the George Washington University (GWSPH)!

This page is designed as a resource for external transfer students--students transferring into GWSPH from another college or university. Here you will find information on GW and GWSPH-specific policies, and resources to support a smooth transition. This guide is based on the SPH Undergraduate Student Handbook, the University Bulletin, and current Program Guides. Always defer to these resources for the most up-to-date information.

For information on transferring to GWSPH from another school within GW, please see our Internal Transfer Student page.

External Transfer Process

New Student Checklist

Upon acceptance to GW, all transfer students should consult and complete the Office of Student Affairs New Student Checklist. This checklist provides comprehensive guidance on:

• Essential First Steps, including paying your deposit, activating your GWID, and obtaining your GWorld card.
• Registering for Classes, including placement exams for certain Math, Chemistry, and Language courses.
• Finances
• Joining the GW Community
• Health & Safety Requirements
• And more!

Transfer Credit for External Transfer Students

To receive transfer credit, students must request that their previous institution(s) send an official transcript with final grades directly to GW’s Registrar’s Office. Once received, the Registrar will issue a Transfer Credit Worksheet at the time of admission showing how your credits were evaluated. For more information, visit the Undergraduate Transfer Credit page.

Transfer Credit Limitations

• Pre-matriculation Transfer Credit: There is no limit to the number of transfer credits you may bring in prior to starting at GW.
• Residency Requirement: Regardless of how many credits transfer, you must complete at least 60 credits at or through GW, including 30 upper-level credits.
• Post-matriculation Transfer Credit: Once enrolled, students may take a maximum of 3 additional courses (between 9 and 12 credits) outside GW for transfer. Always consult your advisor before registering for non-GW courses. For more information, click here.

Major Requirements

All GWSPH core courses must be completed at GW. However, if an external transfer student believes they have completed relevant course work for their intended major, they can submit the syllabi via the External Transfer Credit Evaluation Form.

• Depending on the course content and competencies, pre-matriculation coursework can be approved as either a core requirement or a Guided Elective.
• This form is only for pre-matriculation coursework and should not be used by current GW students seeking permission to take core courses elsewhere.
• Program Directors will review all petitions submitted and an advisor will notify you of the outcome.
• Even if a course appears to be transferring as a core course equivalent in DegreeMAP, it will not fulfill your major requirement(s) if you do not receive the Program Director's approval.

GPAC Requirements

Pre-matriculation transfer credit and AP/IB credit may count toward GPAC if the course is equivalent to an approved GPAC course.
Once enrolled at GW, any remaining GPAC requirements must be completed in residence. 

External transfer students are not required to take PUBH 1010 First-Year Experience. More information about degree requirements is available below.

Four-Year Plans

All GWSPH students are expected to create a Four-Year Plan, which maps out the sequence of courses and requirements they will complete on their path to graduation. This plan helps students visualize their academic progression, stay on track with vital prerequisites, and make informed decisions about course scheduling.

• Why it matters: Planning early sets students up for success and ensures they can meet all core, prerequisite, GPAC, and (if applicable) concentration requirements on time.
• Getting started: We recommend using our Four-Year Plan Template, which includes links to program guides, automated formulas, and sample progressions for each major.
• Next steps: Once complete, students should schedule an appointment with an advisor to review their plan. Advisors will provide feedback, suggest edits, and assist the student with declaring their major once the plan is approved.

Schedule Appointment

Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors whenever making adjustments to their Four-Year Plan. It is solely the responsibility of each student to check in with their advisor(s) when there has been a change in their study plans, and to confirm with they're advisor(s) that they remain on-track for their graduation timeline.

Degree Requirements

Overview

To earn a bachelor’s degree from GW's Milken Institute School of Public Health, students must:

• Fulfill the University Writing and General Education (GPAC) requirements.
• Earn a C- or higher all core requirements and prerequisites of at least one declared major, as outlined in the University Bulletin and their Program Guide.
• Complete a minimum of 120 credits towards their undergraduate degree.
• Satisfy the institutional residency requirement of at least 60 credits completed at GW.
• SPH General Requirements (Non-Academic) as outlined in the University Bulletin and their Program Guide. 

Writing in the Disciplines

• UW 1020 University Writing (4 credits) | Prerequisite for Writing in the Discipline (WID) courses.
• At least two (2) WID courses totaling a minimum of 6 credits. A course is indicated as a WID if it has a W in the course number (e.g., EXNS 3111W, PUBH 3135W).

For more information, visit the Writing in the Disciplines website.

General Education (GPAC)

All GW undergraduates must complete Tier One of the University's General Education Curriculum (GPAC). GPAC courses are designed to help students build critical thinking, communication, and reasoning skills across disciplines that they will use in their studies, careers, and beyond.

In addition to the aforementioned Writing requirements, students must satisfy the following requirements with courses from the GPAC Course List as part of their general education:

• Quantitative Reasoning: 1 course in mathematics or statistics
• Scientific Reasoning: 1 course in natural and/or physical laboratory sciences
• Critical Thinking in the Social Sciences: 2 courses
• Critical Thinking in the Humanities: 1 course
• Oral Communication: 1 approved course with an oral communication component
  • BS Public Health students must select an Oral Communication course from the pre-approved list in their Program Guide (see Appendix B).

Additional Notes

• Courses taken for GPAC may also count toward program prerequisites or major requirements, as long as they are included on the approved GPAC course list.
• Students in the BS Exercise Science and BS Nutrition programs have multiple GPAC requirements are built into their core curriculum. Refer to the relevant Program Guide or your DegreeMAP for more information.
• Pre-matriculation transfer credits may fulfill GPAC requirements. However, once you have matriculated to GW, all remaining GPAC courses must be taken in residence at GW.

Undergraduate Majors

There are four undergraduate majors at the School of Public Health, each with its own unique major-specific requirements.

Exercise Science - BS

Health Data Science - BS

Nutrition - BS

Public Health - BS

Credit & Residency Requirements

Students must complete at least 120 credits towards their undergraduate degree in order to qualify for degree conferral.

At least 60 credits must be completed in-residence at GW. This is important to remember if you've previously transferred in a significant number of credits from a previous school, and/or plan to transfer additional courses later on.

As of Fall 2025, courses taken through Consortium and approved Study Abroad programs will count towards a student's institutional credit total. Policies are subject to change in future terms and any adjustments will be reflected in the University Bulletin. 

SPH General Requirements (Non-Academic)

CITI Training

• Complete the Social & Behavioral Research module. (Instructions: CITI Training Info)
• Submit your completion certificate (with GWID) to gwsphrecordsgwu [dot] edu (gwsphrecords[at]gwu[dot]edu).

Academic Integrity Quiz

• Should be completed within the first two weeks of your first semester at GWSPH.
• For first-year students, this is completed in PUBH 1010. Internal and external transfer students should complete it on their own.
• To get started or read more about the Academic Integrity Quiz requirement, click here.

Professional Enhancement

• Complete at least 8 hours of approved public health-related webinars, lectures, seminars, or events prior to graduation.
• Submit the Professional Enhancement Form once all hours are completed.
• Opportunities are regularly shared on the Undergraduate Milken Student Resources page on Blackboard, as well as various other GWSPH channels.

The CITI Training and Academic Integrity Quiz are fairly quick activities and should be completed as soon as possible. Professional Enhancement hours are best completed gradually. Attend events that interest you throughout your time at GW to build toward the 8 hours!

Student Resources

Academic Advising

All students are assigned to an advising team based on their last name. For more information on our our advising model, appointment scheduling, and the other support resources available to you at GWSPH, please click here.

Not sure if you're ready to transfer? No problem! We're happy to connect with you before you make a decision to talk about how our programs might work for you.

Program Guides

Program Guides are binding documents that reflect the necessary components of your new intended degree plan. Students are committed to the program guide for the Academic Year in which they formally declare their major.

• BS Exercise Science
• BS Health Data Science
• BS Nutrition
• BS Public Health

Some key policies to highlight across all the program guides are:

• Students must earn a C- or higher for all core courses and prerequisite requirements. Core prerequisites must be completed PRIOR to the major core requirement.
  • If a student does not earn a C- or higher in a course prerequisite, they MUST retake the prerequisite and earn a C- or above in order to proceed in the course sequence. There are no exceptions to the policy.
  • Concurrent enrollment in a core course and its prerequisite is strictly prohibited.
  • (Example: If a Public Health student earns a D+ in ECON 1011, they cannot proceed with PUBH 3130. In order to take PUBH 3130, they must either (1) retake ECON 1011 to earn a C- or higher; or (2) take another prerequisite option to earn a C- or higher.)
• All major core requirements must be completed at GW.
• Students must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 to earn their degree.
• If a student has already taken a course they believe to be equivalent to one of their core requirements, they can discuss petitioning past coursework with their advisor.
• How major-related coursework can double-count towards another major or minor is limited and varies by program. Refer to your Program Guide for more information.

It is the student’s responsibility to research and understand the requirements for their degree, to communicate with their advisor(s) when they have any questions or make changes to their plan, and to ensure they will complete each degree requirement (including course prerequisites and non-academic requirements) in a viable sequence by their intended graduation date.

Milken Undergraduate Blackboard Resource Page

Once a student's transfer is finalized, they will be added to the Milken Undergraduate Blackboard Student Resources page. This is your go-to hub for helpful resources and support throughout your time at GWSPH. Located in the Organizations tab within Blackboard, this page is a living resource is regularly updated and includes:

• Professional Enhancement requirements & tracking
• CITI Training instructions
• Information about the Academic Integrity Quiz
• Course prerequisites and planning tools
• Advising FAQs and policy guidance
• Blank forms and form submission portals
• Important announcements from the Undergraduate Advising Office

Check back often, as new information is added regularly to help you stay on track and informed. You’re automatically added to this page as a GWSPH major. If you’re having trouble accessing the page, contact sphundergradgwu [dot] edu (sphundergrad[at]gwu[dot]edu).

T.E.A.M. Milken

T.E.A.M. Milken (Transition, Engagement, Academics, and Mentorship) is the umbrella for all undergraduate support and programming at GWSPH.

From New Student Orientation and academic advising to student success initiatives and our signature Mentor Program, T.E.A.M. Milken is here to help you succeed personally, academically, and professionally. No matter your major, you’re part of the T.E.A.M. - and our goal is to make sure you have the tools, connections, and support to thrive at GW and beyond.

No matter where you are in your GWSPH journey, you're a valued member of the T.E.A.M.