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Washington, DC · Public policy & social work

Public policy & social work at GW

GW graduates about 16 public policy & social work majors a year. That puts it 35th of 554 schools we score for public policy & social work, a standout program at 84 out of 100. Graduates in the major earn a median $65,000 four years out, 1.28× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $26 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

84/100Standout#35 of 554 for public policy & social work →
Graduates a year16under 1% of the class
Median pay 4 years out$65,0001.28× the same major nationally
Research in the field$26Ma year, NSF
Admit rate47%whole school
SAT middle 50%1310–1450whole school

Around GW

Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC
Bottles of blue Gatorade ready for shelvingPhoto: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
America's Gate and Baussell Walk on the campus of George Washington University i
America's Gate and Baussell WalkPhoto: APK · CC BY 4.0 · source
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., September 22, 2024 - 061Photo: Another Believer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Building in Washington, D. C., United States
Buildings in Washington, D.C. 02012Photo: Sebastian Wallroth · CC BY 3.0 · source

Where public policy & social work happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Public History, GW Solar Institute, Hall of Government, School of Media & Public Affairs, GWU School of Public Health & Health Services.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 32 · Dorm 18 · Athletics 6 · Student housing 6 · Arts 3 · Chapel 2.

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Nearby in the public policy & social work ranking

  1. University of Arizona 85
  2. New York University 84
  3. Georgia Institute of Technology 84
  4. Rutgers University–New Brunswick 84
  5. Virginia Tech 83
  6. University of Washington 83
  7. CUNY–Hunter College 83
  8. Southern Methodist University 83

Other strong majors at GW

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares GW with every school we score in public policy & social work. It weighs what graduates earn four years out against the same major nationally (35%), research spending in the field (20%, NSF), how many undergraduate courses the department lists (20%), the student body's test scores (15%) and the size of the program (10%, capped so size alone can't win). 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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