GWSB Graduate Programs Academic Advising
Academic advisors serve as the academic resource for graduate students in the GW School of Business. Each student is assigned an academic advisor based on their program. In addition, MBA students are assigned an academic advisor based on the first letter of their last name. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their advisors for questions concerning, but not limited to:
- Academic policies
- Administrative procedures
- Concentration information
- Course planning
- Curriculum requirements
- DegreeMAP questions
- International Services Office requests
- Personal concerns
Location and Hours
To determine your academic advisor's location and office hours, visit the Academic Advisors and Appointment Scheduling page, find your advisor's name, and click on it to be taken to his or her individual appointment scheduling page.
Academic Progress Tracking
- DegreeMap
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DegreeMAP is an online planning tool located through GWeb that allows students to independently track their academic progress. Once inside DegreeMAP, students will find an outline of their degree requirements, including courses completed and those that are outstanding.
Students should plan to review their academic progress through DegreeMAP prior to registration each semester to ensure that they are enrolling in the correct degree requirements and making adequate academic progress towards their graduate degree.
Students who have any questions or see any issues with their DegreeMAP should contact their academic advisor for clarification.
Your Responsibilities
- Graduate Student Academic Responsibilities
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While your academic advisor and professors have specific and significant roles in your education at GW, you – the student – have an equally significant role with specific responsibilities. Academic advising is a two-way street and you must be proactive in your relationship with your academic advisor. In the advising relationship, you are responsible for:
Knowing your degree requirements. Degree requirements are available online at the MBA Programs and Specialized Master's webpages. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with this information and discuss questions and options with your academic advisor.
Tracking your degree progress. You are expected to utilize the tools available to you in order to plan each semester to make continued academic progress towards graduation and to remain in good standing with the University. These tools include:
Adding and dropping courses. You must register for your classes each semester through GWeb (with the exception of the first-year Global MBA students who are registered by MBA Programs). Accordingly, you must drop any course you do not attend by the appropriate deadline for fall/spring or summer. To drop a course after the add/drop period, you must complete a Registration Transaction Form and submit it to your academic advisor. Notifying a professor or academic advisor in person or via email that you are dropping a course does not initiate a course drop in the registration system. Refunds for dropped course are assigned according to a schedule determined by the University Registrar.
Planning ahead. You should always anticipate your short-term and long-term needs and work with your academic advisor early and often to prepare for and meet those needs.
Communicating with your professors. Whether you are sick, struggling academically, expecting to miss a class, or seeking career advice, you must initiate communication with your professors. You can speak with the professor after class, make use of their office hours, or communicate via email.
Checking your GWMail. Email is our primary means of communicating with you. You are responsible for reading emails sent to your GWMail account from any University office, faculty, or staff member and responding by the timelines outlined in the email. Students may forward their GWMail account to a personal account.
Knowing and following policies and procedures. The University Bulletin, GWSB Bulletin, and the policies and procedures listed on the Current Graduate Student website are updated each academic year. You must review all policies and procedures each year as they are subject to change.
Taking action and closing the loop. It is up to you to follow-up on any academic or financial action you have requested until issues are resolved.