Undergraduate Programs FAQs

What do students do with their degrees when they graduate?
Our students do many things with their degrees from Georgetown NHS. Students in the past five years have gone into work or graduate study in the following areas: clinical research, physical therapy, medicine, advanced practice nursing, healthcare law, public health, epidemiology, pharmaceutical sales/marketing, dentistry, physician assistant, forensics, healthcare consulting, hospital administration, and many more. Please contact the Admissions and Outreach offices to ask if any of our four majors may help you get where you want to be in four years. Our staff can put you in contact with current students and/or recent alumni so you can get a great sense if Georgetown NHS is a good fit for you.

Are there research opportunities that I can get involved with that are not part of the curriculum?
At Georgetown, there are plenty of opportunities to conduct independent research or assist in various labs with faculty or with researchers at the Georgetown University Medical Center. NHS just completed construction of its own state-of-the-art Discovery Center, which provides undergraduate students many opportunities to work with current faculty.

Are NHS students able to study abroad?
All four programs in NHS have a study abroad option. Health Management and Policy students as well as Human Science students may study with any Georgetown abroad program. International Health students are required to study abroad as part of their curriculum. Nursing students have two sites in Australia. Students may go abroad and stay on track with their program and graduate on time in four years with no required "extra" classes. All study abroad programs must be approved by the Office of Student Academic Affairs. For more information on study abroad programs, please visit the individual program pages or visit Georgetown's Office of International Programs.

Are SAT II Subject Tests required for Admissions?
Three SAT II Subject Tests are highly recommended. It is recommended that you take one Math (of your choice), one Science (of your choice), and then a third of your choice.

Can I be “Pre-Med” in NHS?
Of course...and 30% of NHS students are Pre-Health in some capacity. NHS offers many Pre-Health Professional options. The Healthcare Management and Policy major focuses on the business/administration side of health. The Human Science major focuses on the public health and research side of health. The International Health major focuses on the global issues surrounding health. And the Nursing major focuses on the clinical aspects of health. In addition to Medical school, many students go onto graduate degrees in Public Health, Epidemiology, International Health, Dentistry, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistance, Law, Public Policy, and many others.

"Pre-Med" at Georgetown is not a major. It is a concentration of classes you take as prerequisites for medical school (Biology, Chemistry, Calculus, Organic Chemistry, Physics). This means you could be a Spanish major and be Pre-Med OR you can be a Chemistry major and be Pre-Med OR you can be a Human Science major and be Pre-Med, etc.

One nice perk about having Georgetown's Medical School next door is that they have an Early Assurance program which allows Georgetown sophomores to apply to Georgetown Medical School as a sophomore and without taking the MCATs. Last year 2 Human Science sophomores and 1 International Health sophomore were accepted to Georgetown Medical School. The overall Georgetown rate of acceptance to Medical Schools is very high.

Can I take classes in other schools at Georgetown?
Yes. Please remember, you are first and foremost a Georgetown student. Therefore you will have access to most classes in all of the other schools. If you want to minor in Spanish, you absolutely can. In fact, most students do take advantage of this and minor. The most common minors are Psychology, Spanish (or another foreign language), and Philosophy. But, even if you don't want to minor, you can still take an Art class or History class, etc.

Can I minor in English or Psychology? What about minoring in Business?
Yes. You can minor in many subjects. Every department in all four of the colleges set their own guidelines for minoring within their department.

Can I mix majors within NHS, for example, Human Science and International Health?
Yes, you can definitely "combine" the majors. An easy way to do it is to pick up an International Health Certificate, which is similar to minoring in International Health, but in addition to classroom work, there are some other requirements (community-based learning OR independent study OR achieve a level of foreign language proficiency, etc.). But if you are a Healthcare Management and Policy major and want to try out a science course, you are definitely able to. Or if you are a Nursing major and want to learn more about Management and Policy, those classes are open to you as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?
Yes, financial aid is available. Georgetown University practices "need-blind" admissions; an applicant's ability to meet college costs is not a criteria for admission. Georgetown awards financial aid funds on the basis of demonstrated financial need. The University is committed to meeting 100% of the full demonstrated financial need of its eligible undergraduates. Please visit the Office of Student Financial Services web site fore more information or call them at (202) 687-4547.

Can I speak with current NHS students about Georgetown and the different NHS programs?
Yes! Sign on to AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) or Google Talk to talk to current students and/or admissions staff via the screen name: talk2nhs

What is the NCLEX (National Licensing Exam) pass rate for Georgetown Nursing students?
Over the past few years, Georgetown's nursing students' NCLEX pass rate is 97% on the first try. And this past round (2006), all of our students passed on the first try for a 100% pass rate.

As a Nursing student, when do I start clinical experience? Will I only have clinicals at Georgetown University Hospital?
Georgetown nursing students begin clinical experience during their first year of study. Students have a Foundations of Nursing class during their first semester at Georgetown. They begin clinicals second semester during the first year. Georgetown has over 200 agreements with clinical sites throughout the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area. Therefore, you will likely only spend one semester of clinical work at Georgetown University Hospital. All of the sites are accessible via public transportation. There is no University parking available for students.

If I want to apply to NHS, what is the next step?
Please visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to download an application. Please mail in your Personal Data Form as soon as possible, as this will start your file. The rest of the application may follow. The non-binding Early Action postmark deadline is November 1. The Regular Decision postmark deadline is January 10.

More Information

If you have any other questions related to any of the undergraduate programs, please feel free to email or call Patrick Durbin: ptd@georgetown.edu (202) 687-8439