The George Washington University

DO NOT ENROLL IN THE ONLINE PROGRAM!!! Advising is beyond appalling. GWSPH has vastly overenrolled since 2020 and can't deliver what they advertise online. Impossible to finish in one year, very challenging to finish in two. Not enough spots in required classes. Glorified independent study at best. The recorded lectures from GW faculty are fantastic. Most of the section leaders were great except for two during the entire program (one was almost impossible to understand and the other was rude and... Read More unprofessional to several students in my section). But they have vastly overenrolled during the pandemic and cannot handle the number of students they already have. Academic, practicum and master's thesis (CE) advisers do not return emails or process required paperwork for days or weeks (sometimes not at all), have no available appointments for weeks or months, most do not know the program well enough to competently advise students, and they have had a very high turnover in the last year. So many people I know have tales of being ghosted by their advisers. I got into another great MPH school but chose GW in the end because I wanted to work in DC and thought the practicum and connections from GW would be valuable for my career. Huge mistake. Everyone is on their own finding a practicum, and the only suggestions they give you are for full-time, usually unpaid, jobs. I did end up getting a great job after graduation, but not because of anything GW did for me other than putting their brand on my diploma. That is what you are paying for in the end, but in my opinion, that won't be worth much if they keep running the online program the way they have been for the last 2 years. Incredibly frustrated and disappointed. I'm in my last term and can't wait to be done with this whole experience. I ended up with a 4.0, but I did not get the experience I thought I was paying for. GW needs to stop enrolling so many students to make money, hire more competent advisers, and start actually delivering on the promises they advertise all over the internet.

While an online program offers flexibility and convenience my experience is that you lose the connectivity and personal attention a traditional program provides. In my experience I felt like I was working alone and when issues arose it was difficult to connect to professors on a human level I instead felt like a "student". I had started my FNP at a different institution where I attended classes and participated in groups and I felt like I was making a much larger impact then at GWU. Trying to solve... Read More problems on a blackboard can get frustrating as you are in your Masters program and as well dealing with children, husbands, employment and life issues. GWU requires you come in for testing at various points in your school program and again it felt unorganized and not true to life.

Loved the campus and worked there as well. The program was a perfect match for my skills and interests - and there were many options for electives. The faculty were well-known in the field. However, not all were great teachers although they were great mentors and very supportive advisors. The focus of the program was laying a theoretical foundation and building practical skills in the field of organization development. From there I was able to practice and go on to build another doctoral program... Read More in OD in Minnesota. I would have enrolled in the PhD in organizational psychology, instead of the EdD, which is viewed by some as less rigorous. Find your passion, find the best school that offers advanced graduate programs in your field, learn all you can, network like crazy, and do what you love to do.