Graduate Student Resources archive

The College of Visual and Performing Arts graduate programs offer highly-focused study designed to prepare students for professional work in the arts and education.

Graduate Programs of Study


Arts Management

Contact: Dr. Karalee Dawn MacKay

The MA in Arts Management responds to a growing demand for graduates who can manage and coordinate the arts, bridging the worlds of performing and visual arts with applied managerial skills.

Dance, Concentration of Visual and Performing Arts MFA

Contact: Kim Harris

The MFA in Visual and Performing Arts, concentration in Dance, is a highly selective 60-credit program of study grounded in the modern dance genre that emphasizes mastery in performance, choreography, and teaching in higher education.

Music

Contact: Dr. Gregory Robinson

The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music's rigorous and extensive academic offerings prepare students for high impact, fulfilling, and meaningful careers in music.

School of Art

Contact: Robert Yi

George Mason University’s School of Art is a collaborative academic and professional community focused on advancing creativity through traditional and new media applied to varying social contexts.

Theater

The School of Theater’s mission is to use theater as a means of preparing students for a complex and challenging future, through rigorous, concentrated and individual training. We offer our graduates the best preparation for a life in the theater. 

CVPA Graduate ProSeminar (CVPA 600)


CVPA’s Graduate ProSeminar (CVPA 600) is an opportunity for all incoming graduate students to learn about the college’s practices and policies. Attendance is mandatory. This course will take place one week prior to the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Specific date and time information will be sent to you via e-mail.

If you have any questions, please contact Asma Omarzad.

Complaints/Grievances


Please refer to the information on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page.

Graduation


Graduation Policies and Procedures

The College of Visual and Performing Arts follows all graduate academic policies as reflected in the University catalog. We are highlighting details for some policies below; however, it is the student’s responsibility to review graduate policy and procedures as outlined in the catalog.

Graduate Academic Standing

  • Academic Warning. A notation of academic warning is entered on the transcript of a graduate student who receives a grade of C or F in a graduate course.
     
  • Academic Termination. All graduate students should be familiar with the university policy on Academic Termination. If a student wants to request an exception to this policy, the Graduate Termination Appeal form must be submitted to the student’s program advisor within five business of receiving notification from the Office of the Registrar. If the form is approved by the advisor, it must be submitted to the CVPA Student Academic Affairs Office for further review. If approved by the CVPA Assistant Dean for Student Academic Affairs, the request also requires approval by the Associate Provost for Graduate Education (APGE). The Student Academic Affairs Office will send approved requests and documentation to APGE for further review. Find more information about graduate academic exceptions.

Grades

The College of Visual and Performing Arts abides by the grading policies as outlined in the University catalog.

Time Limit

Graduate students who would like to request an extension of their timeline (either to advance or to graduate) must complete the graduate time limit extension form.

Withdrawals

After the drop deadline, graduate students may withdraw from classes during the unrestricted withdrawal period. Please see the Office of the University Registrar’s website for drop and withdrawal deadlines. After these deadlines have passed students may request permission to withdraw for non-academic reasons (e.g., a medical emergency, family crisis etc.). Students should email their program advisor with detailed information explaining the reason for the request and attach documentation to support the request. After the advisor has reviewed the request, it will be sent to the CVPA Assistant Dean for Student Academic Affairs. If approved, the appropriate paperwork will be sent to the Office of the Registrar for processing.

Other Resources for Graduate Students