OUR programs

 

School of Art

BA and BFA
The School of Art offers students an environment in which the pursuit of a degree is a commitment to a way of life that centers on creative thought processes and the production of artworks. The curriculum and the faculty focus on cultivating students’ appreciation of and expertise in studio and digital arts. Students are encouraged to dedicate themselves to academic excellence, skilled artistry, and employing visual literacy within an atmosphere of creative freedom. The faculty’s ongoing engagement with artistic practice forms a vital part of the student-instructor relationship. By offering instruction in traditional and contemporary technologies for art making, faculty members help students develop a strong foundation to realize their personal and professional goals.

MFA
The MFA is a terminal degree that prepares students to become professional artists, work in technology or arts-related fields, and teach at the university level. It requires 60 credits, during which time students fulfill 45 credits of core and studio requirements plus an additional 15 credits of comprehensive experience.  MFA students may choose an emphasis in digital arts, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, or Inter Arts. The latter offers students the opportunity to combine art forms in interdisciplinary projects that may be installation, performance, publishing, time-based, or writing-based, and combine creative and critical approaches in their work.

Master of Arts in Teaching in Art Education
This pre-service degree program prepares students with a BFA degree for PreK-12 art licensure by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Using a studio-based approach to art education and working closely with area public school systems, the MAT degree consists of 30 credits of graduate art education, school practicum experience, and studio work prior to pre-service teaching internship and seminar.

Master of Arts in Graphic Design
The MA degree is a 36-credit professional program aimed at preparing students for senior-level employment and design management in publishing, design, advertising, commercial and nonprofit businesses, and high tech industries. Graduates with an MA in Graphic Design will also be qualified to teach at the junior-college level.

School of Dance

BA and BFA
The School of Dance offers a BFA and a BA. Entrance to either program is by audition. Information about the audition process, including dates and audition application, can be found on the school web page, dance.gmu.edu, or by calling the dance office at 703-993-1114. Admission to the university is determined by the Admissions Office.

MFA
The MFA in dance is a 60-credit program of study grounded in the modern dance genre that emphasizes performance, choreography, and teaching. Candidates are expected to enter the program with advanced technical proficiency in ballet or modern technique, and professional competence in choreography exemplified by a significant body of work.  Acceptance into this advanced and rigorous program is highly competitive.

School of Music

BA and BM
The two undergraduate degree programs offered through the School of Music, the bachelor of art (BA) in music and the bachelor of music (BM), prepare students for graduate work in music and music literature; research and professional work in musical activities; and state licensure, or certification, to teach vocal and choral or instrumental music at the elementary and secondary school levels. Through its strategic plan, Music Outreach and the Teaching Professions, the School of Music enables students to pursue worthwhile vocational goals as teachers, performers, conductors, and composers. The School of Music also seeks to educate its students to reflect a concern for cultural and humanistic values as future ambassadors and advocates of music and other arts. Through innovative learning experiences, the School of Music provides all students in the BA and BM programs with opportunities to become effective musicians, teachers, and advocates of music. Teaching music is the principal area in which students can find employment in private studios, public and private schools, academies, and higher education within the ever-changing workplace. Because of this, all music majors at Mason receive some training in the teaching of music.

MM
The MM degree is offered as an educational channel to meet the intellectual and career needs of qualified students. It is a comprehensive and advanced program of study with a choice of concentrations in performance (single or multiple instruments), music education, composition, conducting, and pedagogy and performance. The MM with a concentration in music education does not provide licensure to teach music in public or private schools.

Doctor of Musical Arts degree calls for 60 credits beyond the master's degree in music.  The programmatic areas of concentration will be offered in Performance, Conducting, and Composition.

Admission to the Doctor of Musical Arts — Application deadlines for all degrees are as published by the university.  Applicants must have an earned master’s degree in music from an accredited college or university, with a GPA of 3.50 in graduate music courses in the proposed area of specialization.  Students in performance and conducting must schedule a formal entrance audition; composition students will be required to present a portfolio of compositions and recordings of performances of recent work.  The following materials must be submitted as part of the application process:

• Completed application form;
• A non-refundable application fee;
• GRE General test;
• Application for Virginia In-State Tuition Rates for residents;
• Appropriate international paperwork, as required by the University;
• Official transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate program attended;
• Three letters of recommendation from faculty members, or those who can evaluate the applicant’s academic potential; and
• A sample of academic writing about music, such as a graduate-level paper from a musicology course taken during master's studies.

PhD in Music Education calls for 60 credits beyond the master’s degree in music.  This degree combines the academic efforts of the Department of Music with at least three research-based courses from the College of Education and Human Development.

Admission to the Ph.D. in Music Education —   Admission to the PhD in Music Education normally requires three years of successful full-time teaching at the elementary or secondary level or its equivalent as determined by the Graduate Committee.  Application deadlines for all degrees are as published by the university.  Applicants must have an earned master’s degree in music from an accredited college or university, with a GPA of 3.50 in graduate music education courses.  Students must schedule an interview with Music Faculty (including the Director of Graduate Studies of the Department of Music) prior to admission.  The following materials must be submitted as part of the application process:

• Completed application form;
• A non-refundable application fee;
• GRE General test;
• Application for Virginia In-State Tuition Rates for residents;
• Appropriate international paperwork, as required by the University;
• Official transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate program attended;
• Three letters of recommendation from faculty members, or those who can evaluate the applicant’s academic potential;
• A sample of academic writing about music, such as a graduate-level paper from a musicology course taken during master's studies; and
• A dossier of teaching experience and activities

school of theater

BA and BFA
The School of Theater offers BA and BFA degrees, both requiring completion of 120 hours of course work. Entrance into either program is by interview and audition or portfolio review. Information about the audition, portfolio review and interview process, including dates, can be found on the department web page, http://theater.gmu.edu/academics/admissions.html or by calling the department office at 703-993-1120. Admission to the University is determined by the Admissions Office. The department aims to prepare students for graduate study or entry into the profession through rigorous, concentrated, and individualized training; however, students are encouraged to maintain wide-ranging interests within the department and throughout the university’s extensive offerings.

The School of Theater also offers a graduate certificate program for Teaching Theater PK-12. To apply to the program, candidates must meet the following prerequisites: Completed an undergraduate major in theater, or 33 semester hours in theater, distributed among the following areas: Directing: 6 semester hours Technical theater: 9 semester hours Cultural context and theater history: 3 semester hours Performance: 6 semester hours Dramatic literature: 9 semester hours Students who have completed ALL endorsements, including Praxis I, are eligible for enrollment into the Graduate Certificate Program for Teaching Theatre PK-12. This certificate can be earned on a full time or part time basis. All Virginia requirements must be met to achieve licensure.

Arts Management

MA
The MA in arts management responds to a growing demand for graduates who can manage and coordinate the arts, bridging the world of performing and visual arts with applied managerial skills. The Washington, D.C region is home to one of the nation’s largest concentrations of performing and visual arts organizations. The demand for arts managers with skills in financial and budgetary management, strategic management and entrepreneurship, and public relations, including marketing and advertising, has arguably never been more acute. The need for arts managers with skills in philanthropy, fund raising, and ongoing relationship-building management among the private and public arts sectors also continues to grow at a fast pace.  The MA is a 36-credit program of study that provides a core curriculum in the fundamentals of arts management. Students complete a 23-credit core and then select courses from a cluster: entrepreneurship in the arts and management; finance and budgeting for the arts; marketing and public relations; or an arts-specific cluster. Students also take internal and external internships. The internal internship affords an in-depth opportunity to work with professionals in residence at Mason's Center for the Arts. The external internship provides the opportunity to work at one of 60 different visual and performing arts venues in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Students also take internal and external internships. The internal internship affords an in-depth opportunity to work with professionals in residence at Mason's Center for the Arts. The external internship provides the opportunity to work at one of 60 different visual and performing arts venues in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

COMPUTER GAME DESIGN

BFA
The 120 credit Computer Game Design program enables students to focus on the artistic components of computer game design while providing them with the technical skills prerequisite to the field. Required courses include computer science, art and visual technology, music, the humanities, and computer game design. The required internship provides students with practical experience that enhances their employ-ability post-graduation.

FILM AND VIDEO STUDIES

BA
The Film and Video Studies Program offers a 120-credit multidisciplinary BA degree, which spans many units including Art and Visual Technology, Communication, English, History and Art History, Modern and Classical Languages, New Century College, and Theater. Students study film and video production, theory, criticism, ethics, screenwriting, and business. The vocabulary of film (broadly defined) pervades the intellectual, cultural, political, and social landscape. The tools the filmmaker wields apply to an ever-widening range of tasks across the fields of human endeavor, from traditional narrative and documentary productions to academic research and pedagogical applications to projects of personal expression. Emerging technology makes the means of production available to anyone with access to a moderate level of computing power. This combination of factors makes film an important subject for academic inquiry and training.