Department of ECE Undergraduate Advising

The Department of ECE faculty advisors assist the students in developing an approved program, including assignment of transfer credits and judging the appropriateness of technical electives. However, it should be stressed that satisfaction of degree requirements is ultimately the responsibility of the student. All students are expected to understand the degree requirements and engage in careful program planning with their faculty advisor. Students must know their curriculum requirements and each student is responsible for keeping track of their progress in conjunction with their faculty advisor. It is important that students remain in close contact with their advisors and consult with them before making changes in their program. The faculty advisor's signature is required for all registration and add/drop forms. Note that, unless prior arrangements have been made, no faculty member other than the student's own advisor can sign the required forms.

The ECE faculty advisors also help with other aspects of the student's academic career, such as admission to graduate and professional schools or career planning. They may be able to direct students to other tutorial and counseling resources, provide information on internship opportunities, and direct students to independent research and guided independent studies. Faculty advisors are also a conduit for undergraduate students to provide valuable feedback on all aspects of their educational experiences to improve the undergraduate education.

All undergraduate students must see their advisor in order to register. Students must complete and electronically submit the undergraduate advising form to their advisor prior to meeting with them. For other required forms, please goto the ECE forms page. Below please find the list of advisors for the Department of ECE. If you do not know your advisor, please contact the Department of ECE main office at Phillips Hall T-607, call 4-6083 or write to ece@gwu.edu

The answers to the most FAQ on advising can be found here

List of ECE Advisors

Undergraduate Advising FAQ

Can I meet any of the advisors in the ECE Department?

To ensure continuity in the advising process, you should meet your assigned advisor who is most familiar with your academic background. Only if your assigned adivsor is unavailable and that you have an urgent matter should you meet with an alternate advisor. Even if you do so, you must inform your primary advisor of any transactions as soon as possible. Advisors have posted office hours which you can check on their webpage, the ECE Undergraduate advising page 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. Your 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. Note that some advisors may require you to submit the advising form to them electronically prior to meeting them.
  

• Your curriculum requirements depend on the degree and option you are pursuing. You must know your curriculum sheet and keep track of which courses you take through out your education at SEAS. The curriculum sheets can be found on this page. However, you MUST consult with your advisor so that you are registering for courses that meet the program requirements. Only your advisor can best determine whether or not a course fits into your curriculum requirements.
• It is strongly recommended that you keep a har and electronic 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 important?

Yes. It is important that you meet the prerequisite for each course that you register for during the course of your education. 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 degree student?

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. 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, 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.
• 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.

• 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.
• 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.
  

• To declare a second major you must complete the Declaration of Second Major form and get it approved by your advisor in ECE 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 ECE 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.

• Waiver of a required course requires advisor and curriculum chair approval. You must complete the Waiver Form [place link to appropriate 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. You must complete the Course Substitution Form and get your advisor approval and submit it to SEAS Student Records in Tompkins 104.