George Mason University

Innovative Graduate Programs Online at George Mason University

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George Mason University appears in our ranking of the Top 15 Most Affordable Accelerated Master’s in Computer Forensics Online.

George Mason University offers more than 127 programs at the graduate level and above. Most of these are offered traditionally or online, and some are offered as hybrid programs that require some campus presence. Online graduate degrees are offered in five areas: business and management; education; engineering and technology; health and science and math.

The Master of Science in Accounting is a 30-credit-hour program that provides the required educational credits necessary in addition to undergraduate hours to sit for licensure exams. There are 15 credits of required courses and 15 credits in electives. The program does not contain any concentrations, but students could certainly construct one from the elective courses.

The completely online program is asynchronous so it is a flexible option for working adults. All students are required to take a professional colloquium. Other required courses include Identifying and Resolving Advanced Issues in Taxation; Identifying and Resolving Advanced Issues in Financial Accounting; Fraud Exam and others. All students are required to complete a week abroad as part of a global focus course.

There is a Master of Science in Applied Science, Cybersecurity Concentration that contains 30-to-36 credit hours and covers areas of cybersecurity including big data analysis; knowledge mining; social media data analytics; and the intriguing area of cyber-human interactions.

The Master of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution is 90 percent online and contains 33 credit hours. Students learn to address hostility, change negative patterns in interaction and gain competency in other areas of relationships and management.

The Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management and Homeland Security is a 15 credit-hour program. It allows professionals in the health, law enforcement, and other fields to learn aspects of emergency preparedness management. It looks at both natural disaster readiness and response to external attacks.

There are several programs in the Education Department. Among these is the Master of Education, Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning ( Gifted Child). This program is offered in a hybrid version or completely online. There are 35 credit hours in the degree and it requires an intensive summer campus session. It is intended for students with one or more years of teaching or teaching-related experience.

There are other master of education programs including MEd in Teacher Leadership; MEd, Advanced Studies in Physical Education; and master of education degrees in reading, and special education, among others.

The Master of Education, Educational Leadership, Individual School Leadership Concentration is a 30 credit-hour program. Sample courses are Organizational Theory and Leadership and Supervision and Evaluation of Instruction.

The Department of Health features several degree programs as well. The Master of Science in Health Informatics contains 39 credit hours. Mason University offers a bridge program ( MSHI) to address the needs of students entering the program without a background in math, computing, and informatics. This degree program is intended for health clinicians and administrators who want to home their information technology skills, as well as for IT professionals who want to work in healthcare.

The Master of Health Administration is a degree that contains 47 credit hours. It covers areas in management and in healthcare systems. Skills featured in the program include interpersonal relationships; critical thinking and problem-solving; leadership and ethics. It requires a field-based capstone project plus a week in studies in Washington DC.

The MSN in Nursing Education is 75 percent online and includes 41 credits. The master of Science in Nursing, Family Nursing Practitioner is a 49-credit-hour program that includes 500 hours of experiential learning at approved clinical locations.

There is a Master of Social Work that contains 60 credit hours and focuses on social justice issues as well as degree programs in law, science and even graduate degrees in the visual and the performing arts.

About George Mason University

George Mason University was founded in 1972 and is named for a Virginia planter who was responsible for the Virginia Declaration of Rights. That document was the foundation upon which the American Bill of Rights is based.

The school has more than 26,000 undergraduates and the US News and World Report rank it as # 153 of National Universities. There are four campuses in the metropolitan Washington DC area and one in Korea. The Fairfax, VA campus is the seat of undergraduate studies. GMU offers more than 210-degree programs plus certificates. The student-to-faculty ratio is 17:1.

George Mason University Accreditation Details

  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools of the Higher Learning Commission
  • American Bar Association
  • American Psychological Association
  • Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education
  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  • Council on Education for Public Health
  • National Associations of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
  • National Association of Schools of Music
  • National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
  • And others

George Mason University Admission Requirements

Graduate applicants to George Mason University are charged a non-refundable application fee of $75. Graduate applicants must meet university requisites for graduate school admission and they must apply online through a portal they create. All applicants first declare a major and then apply to the college or department housing the major. They must submit official transcripts of all undergraduate work they completed and take any exams required by their departments. Additionally, individual departments may have other document requirements such as letters of recommendation and essays. This information can be found on the department or college pages of the university website.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Graduate tuition varies by program. The graduate degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, for instance, is $707 per credit hour. The MS in Applied Technology, Cybersecurity Concentration costs $795 per credit hour. Graduate business programs cost $998, and graduate education degrees are $652 per credit hour.

There are not as many scholarship and grant opportunities for graduate students as there are for undergraduates. Still, the first step in getting financial assistance is the completion of the FAFSA form. The school will send a letter asking students to confirm the financial information contained in the application and use it to design financial aid packages for students.

While there are several department and private scholarships and grants, there are also assistantships and fellowships to help with graduate expenses. As with undergraduate students, part-time jobs and student loans are resources for financing a graduate degree at George Mason University.

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