NOVA to Mason
NOVA to MASON Associate's to Bachelor's Professional Credential Program
The goal of this program is to provide working adults with a seamless transition between educational institutions. The transition utilizes existing policies, procedures, and courses to provide a student-centered three-step process to earning a bachelor's degree focused on their professional area of interest. Each institution has features that make this transition effective and efficient.
In combination, these two programs allow students to efficiently transition from a certificate or an associate's degree to a bachelor's degree program. These features allow students to transition into George Mason University without losing earned credits.
NOVA's Specialized Degree Programs
NOVA has created a two-year Associate's degree schedule that allows students to take courses on Fridays, weekends, and/or online. The curriculum has been created to offer benchmarks as the student progresses through the courses. First, students can earn professional certifications such as Business Management, Accounting, Information Technology, and Administration of Justice; and lastly, complete a related associate's degree prior to transitioning to Mason. Coursework is chosen to fit the professional focus of the student and meet the general education requirements for Mason. When students have completed the course sequence from NOVA, they have acquired 75 transferable credits to finish a bachelor's degree at Mason by completing 45 upper-level course credits.
- Class meeting times that fit into Fridays, weekends, and online.
- A customized selection of courses that fit students' current employment or employment goals.
- Benchmark credentials that attest to students' increased knowledge and skills.
- Earned credits that transfer to Mason and meet general education/core requirements.
The Bachelor of Individualized Study at George Mason
The Bachelor of Individualized Study (BIS Program) at George Mason is structured to serve the needs of adult students by offering a liberal transfer credit policy and degree program design that can be customized to fit specific professional and personal educational goals.
- Allows transfer of earned credits toward graduation with little or no loss of credits.
- Allows Military Veterans to apply earned ACE credits from their Joint Services Transcript.
- A customized program of upper-level courses that includes a sequence of research and writing intensive classes that build both skills and knowledge as well as critical thinking skills.
- A degree program that is a gateway for an advanced degree depending on student needs for further credentialing.