The Washington, D.C. Programs is rigorous and challenging. Students balance working full time four days a week, taking at least two three-credit courses and actively participating in elective class after a full day of work once a week.
Courses are taken in conjunction with students and faculty from a variety of campuses and backgrounds. In addition to working with undergraduates from other universities in elective classes, WUSTL undergraduates work side-by-side with professional and graduate students in the required core course and colloquium. Course work is as rigorous as at the Danforth Campus of Washington University, with expectations commensurate with students’ academic level and experience.
During the fall or spring semester participants in one of the programs offered by the College of Arts & Sciences will be registered as full time students at Washington University. This will appear in WebSTAC as 12-15 units of coursework.
Students will be automatically enrolled in the courses which they indicated on the study plan in the application to the semester in Washington, D.C. Programs. If a student elects to take a non-WUSTL elective course, they will be enrolled in three credits of L99 as a placeholder credit. They will select the appropriate elective course from the UCDC consortium offerings once they arrive in Washington, D.C.
All A&S students participating in the Semester in D.C. Programs will be enrolled in the following courses:
All A&S students participating in the Semester in D.C. Programs will be enrolled in ONE of the following courses:
All A&S students participating in the Semester in D.C. Programs may choose to enroll in WUSTL independent study (course number and credit options assigned by relevant WUSTL department, overseen by WUSTL faculty in St. Louis).
*Students may choose to substitute a 6-credit directed fieldwork course option for the internship. This must be arranged with the relevant SAA and faculty mentor prior to departure and indicated on the Study Plan.
**Students electing to take a course offered by the UCDC Consortium will be placed into 3 credits of L99 8001 placeholder credit while in Washington, D.C. Students must pass the course with a grade of C- or better to receive academic credit for the course on their WUSTL transcript. The credits may be used to satisfy major or minor requirements at departmental discretion. Upon return to WUSTL, you will receive an e-mail with a Credit Award Request. Overseas Programs will review this together with your Study Plan and Washington, D.C. Certificate of Completion and forward your file to the appropriate office for evaluation and recording of credits. If students wish to receive general elective credit toward graduation for the course, Overseas Programs will assign the course number “L32 3003 D.C. Elective” to the work and forward the file to the College Office to have the credits recorded. If students plan to receive major/minor credit for the work, Overseas Programs will forward the file to the appropriate departmental Study Abroad Advisor (SAA). The SAA will then review the file, assign a course number to the credits, and forward the file to the College Office so that the credits may be recorded. If the department from which a student plans to receive credit requires a portfolio or research paper, this project must be submitted before a student can receive credit for their elective course in Washington, D.C. Once the credit has been awarded, it will appear on the academic record or transcript under the semester in which you studied in Washington, D.C.
As part of the application process for admission to the Washington, D.C. Programs students submit an approved study plan to the Office of Overseas Programs. This explains how they intend to use the credits they earn in Washington, D.C. (general graduation credit vs. credit towards a specific major and/or minor). This plan will remain on file until a Certificate of Completion from the Washington, D.C. Programs, which details the courses taken, arrives. Students should amend this plan if they end up enrolling in significantly different courses than they originally planned on taking. This can be done by e-mail in consultation with a departmental study abroad advisor. Save the e-mail exchange. Upon completion of the program, the original plan of study with any amendments, plus your Certificate of Completion will be reviewed and processed by the Office of Overseas Programs, in consultation with the advisor as needed. Please refer to the Overseas Programs Study Abroad Advisors page for contact information.
Up to three WUSTL units of credit per semester in Washington, D.C. may be used to satisfy an area distribution requirement outside a cluster if the course involves the appropriate subject matter. Credit may only count towards LA, NS, TH, and SS, but will not be accepted for WI, QA, SD, or CD.
Preliminary guidance is available from academic advisors or a college dean, but final approval depends upon a review of the coursework upon return to WUSTL.
Courses taken in Washington, D.C. may count towards satisfying the requirements of a WUSTL major or minor. However, the appropriate department (or school) has the discretion to decide which courses will count for which requirements and the minimum performance necessary.
Please make sure to keep track of deadlines within your majors and minors, as well as for leadership positions throughout campus because students in Washington, D.C. are not exempt from these deadlines.
Satisfactory academic performance in appropriate courses normally results in an award of 12-15 units of credit per semester in Washington, D.C. Students are expected to maintain enrollment in the number and type of courses recommended by WUSTL. Typically, no more than 6 or 9 units per semester away from campus may be used to satisfy the minimum requirements of a given major or minor, but each department sets its own limits and performance standards. The summer maximum is 10 units.
Classes taken in Washington, D.C., other than a non-WUSTL elective, will appear like classes taken any other semester at Washington University. In addition, students transcripts will show enrollment in a zero credit course, L99 8000 Semester in Washington, D.C. Programs, for the semester in Washington, D.C. This is to document participation in the Washington, D.C. Programs and acknowledge that the credits earned in that semester were completed in Washington, D.C.
A non-WUSTL elective will appear as a L99 placeholder course, L99 8001. If you have received the credits from your elective, L99 8001 will be listed as 0 credits. If L99 8001 is still listed as 3 credits, this is the placeholder credit and your credit has not been processed. If you have completed the Credit Award Request describe above, but have not received credit, you can check with Overseas Programs about the status of the credits. Registration times will not be affected by any potential delay in credit processing due to enrolling in a non-WUSTL elective.
To find credits from a non-WUSTL elective taken in Washington, D.C. on the student record printout on WebSTAC, look in the “Other Credits” section. The course will show up in list format with a department (e.g., L32 Political Science) and course number (e.g., 3003) and number of credits (e.g., 3). The title of the course will show up as either “D.C. elective” or a specific course title.
Once the credit for a non-WUSTL elective has been processed, the L99 8001 placeholder course for 0 units of credit with an N grade will appear in the “Grades” section on WebSTAC, meaning no grade was reported. The assigned course number will appear with the appropriate number of credits and a notation that the course was taken in the Washington, D.C. Programs.
The Washington, D.C. Programs is rigorous and challenging. Students balance working full time four days a week, taking at least two three-credit courses and actively participating in elective class after a full day of work once a week.
Courses are taken in conjunction with students and faculty from a variety of campuses and backgrounds. In addition to working with undergraduates from other universities in elective classes, WUSTL undergraduates work side-by-side with professional and graduate students in the required core course and colloquium. Course work is as rigorous as at the Danforth Campus of Washington University, with expectations commensurate with students’ academic level and experience.
During the fall or spring semester participants in one of the programs offered by the Olin Business School will be registered as full time students at Washington University. This will appear in WebSTAC as 15 units of coursework.
Students will be automatically enrolled in the courses which they indicated on the study plan in the application to the semester in Washington, D.C. Programs. If a student elects to take a non-WUSTL elective course, they will be enrolled in three credits of B53 as a placeholder credit. They will select the appropriate elective course from the UCDC consortium offerings once they arrive in Washington, D.C.
All Olin students participating in the Semester in D.C. Programs will be enrolled in the following courses:
All Olin students participating in the Semester in D.C. Programs may elect to enroll in one of the following two courses:
**Students electing to take a course offered by the UCDC Consortium will be placed into 3 credits of B53 8001 placeholder credit while in Washington, D.C. Students must pass the course with a grade of C- or better to receive academic credit for the course on their WUSTL transcript. The credits may be used to satisfy major or minor requirements at departmental discretion. Upon return to WUSTL, you will receive an e-mail with a Credit Award Request. The Olin Business School will review this together with your Study Plan and Washington, D.C. Certificate of Completion and forward your file to the appropriate office for evaluation and recording of credits If students plan to receive major/minor credit for the work, they should work with Dean Malter to figure out the appropriate course information . If the department from which a student plans to receive credit requires a portfolio or research paper, this project must be submitted before a student can receive credit for their elective course in Washington, D.C. Once the credit has been awarded, it will appear on the academic record or transcript under the semester in which you studied in Washington, D.C.
As part of the application process for admission to the Washington, D.C. Programs students must meet with and submit an approved study plan to Dean Malter. This explains how they intend to use the credits they earn in Washington, D.C. (general graduation credit vs. credit towards a specific major and/or minor). This plan will remain on file until a Certificate of Completion from the Washington, D.C. Programs, which details the courses taken, arrives. Students should amend this plan if they end up enrolling in significantly different courses than they originally planned on taking. This can be done by e-mail in consultation with a departmental study abroad advisor. Save the e-mail exchange. Upon completion of the program, the original plan of study with any amendments, plus your Certificate of Completion will be reviewed and processed by Dean Steve Malter. Please email Dean Malter for more information.
Courses taken in Washington, D.C. may count towards satisfying the requirements of a WUSTL major or minor. However, the appropriate department (or school) has the discretion to decide which courses will count for which requirements and the minimum performance necessary.
Please make sure to keep track of deadlines within your majors and minors, as well as for leadership positions throughout campus because students in Washington, D.C. are not exempt from these deadlines.
Satisfactory academic performance in appropriate courses normally results in an award of 15 units of credit per semester in Washington, D.C. Students are expected to maintain enrollment in the number and type of courses recommended by WUSTL. Typically, no more than 6 or 9 units per semester away from campus may be used to satisfy the minimum requirements of a given major or minor, but each department sets its own limits and performance standards. The summer maximum is 10 units.
Classes taken in Washington, D.C., other than a non-WUSTL elective, will appear like classes taken any other semester at Washington University.
A non-WUSTL elective will appear as a B53 placeholder course. If you have completed the Credit Award Request describe above, but have not received credit, you can check with the registrar or Dean Malter about the status of the credits. Registration times will not be affected by any potential delay in credit processing due to enrolling in a non-WUSTL elective.
To find credits from a non-WUSTL elective taken in Washington, D.C. on the student record printout on WebSTAC, look in the “Other Credits” section. The course will show up in list format with a department (e.g., B53 Management) and course number and number of credits (e.g., 3). The title of the course will show up as either “D.C. elective” or a specific course title.
Once the credit for a non-WUSTL elective has been processed, the B53 placeholder course for 0 units of credit with an N grade will appear in the “Grades” section on WebSTAC, meaning no grade was reported. The assigned course number will appear with the appropriate number of credits and a notation that the course was taken in the Washington, D.C. Programs.
For information about advising, academics, curriculum and applicaiton information for students at Washington University Law, please visit the Congressional and Administrative Law Clinic website.
Student Handbooks
Please take time to read the handbook carefully for more information and necessary paperwork before leaving for Washington, D.C.