Department of Computer Science
The George Washington University
801 22nd Street NW, Suite 704
Washington DC 20052
Voice: (202) 994-7181
Fax: (202) 994-4875
E-mail: cs@gwu.edu

Prospective Students

Reasons to consider CS @ GW

Overall

Academics

• The CS department offers the B.S and B.A. programs, as well as special tracks for Medical and Law schools.
• The B.S. program is for students interested in a strong computer science degree covering fundamentals, and various application areas in depth. After completing most core CS courses by the junior year, B.S. students complete the year-long Senior Design project in which they design, produce and learn to present a fully-functional engineering product.
• The B.A. program has fewer Computer Science course requirements than the B.S., covers fundamentals but offers students a more flexible liberal-arts style program that encourages students to explore other disciplines, and pursue dual-majors in fields in the Columbian School of Arts and Science and the Elliot School of International Affairs.
These newly-designed curricula stresses practical, hands-on skills in addition to a solid theoretical foundation.
• The CS department has multiple instructional and research labs for undergraduates.
• Class sizes are modest, and most courses have teaching assistants who provide additional tutoring help.
• The CS department has ties to prominent local industry. One example is the SmartHome project supported by America OnLine that explores technologies for the "smart" home of the future.

People

• The CS department is a collegial environment with friendly, accessible faculty, and outstanding staff.
• Both the undergraduate students and graduate students are truly diverse: not only from around the nation but around the world.
• Because class sizes are small, faculty get to know students and develop positive relationships. This has led to a strong sense of community within the department, and a number of undergraduate students work closely with faculty on various projects including the AOL SmartHome project.

Work and funding opportunities

• CS students easily find on-campus and off-campus jobs to support educational expenses. The DC area is home to tens of thousands of information technology companies, many of whom offer internships and part-time jobs. In addition, a number of students work as research assistants with faculty.
• Many scholarships and financial aid options are available after an offer of admission is made - talk to the GW Admissions Office (undergraduate or graduate), or talk to the GW Office of Student Financial Assistance.

Area opportunities

• There are 477 federally-supported labs and research facilities in the Greater Washington area.
• The Greater Washington area is home to many of the nation's information and communication technology companies, and has been among the fastest-growing technology areas in the nation.
• TIME magazine recently called the I-270 corridor (about 15 miles from GWU) "DNA Alley", a reference to the large number of biotechnology companies in the area. A significant part of this growth is in the area of genomics, in particular, bioinformatics - a computer science-related "bio" area.
• Culture. Washington, DC is like no other place with its unique and vast combination of museums, fine arts and entertainment, and a top-quality newspaper. Some websites to explore: Greater Washington Community Network, DCPages, DC-Bestbets, The Washington Post.
• Things to do. Apart from DC, Northern Virginia, and Suburban Maryland (the Greater Washington Area), there is much to do within a few hours drive. Examples: Baltimore, the Chesapeake Bay, the mountains of West Virginia.
• Some facts about the Greater Washington area: 4th highest gross-regional-product in the nation (after NY, LA and SF), 12,300 technology companies (highest in the nation), 242,130 high-tech workers (highest in the nation), 54.7% of high-tech workers in the area are in Computing and IT, 38% of population has a Bachelor's or higher (highest among metropolitan areas). , median home price in 1999 was $176K (Compare: $365K in SF, $205K in LA, $233K in Boston).
• Moderate climate: all the seasons, none too extreme.