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George Mason University

George Mason University

George Mason University is a large public university located in Fairfax, Va. The university is named after American revolutionary, patriot, and founding father George Mason. The University enrolls over 30,000 students annually. U.S. News & World Report ranked George Mason University 1st in its new category of up-and-coming National Universities for 2009.

The main campus is located in Fairfax, Virginia and it covers 670 acres of land. The other campuses are located nearby in Arlington, Prince William County, and Loudoun County. GMU also has an international campus in Ras al-Khaimah and in the United Arab Emirates. The university offers more than 65 undergraduate degree programs and over 90 graduate programs.

GMU’s sports teams are nicknamed Patriots. They participate in the NCAA's Division I, and are members of the Colonial Athletic Association, or CAA.

Overview of George Mason University

Students attend George Mason in Fairfax, VA, a large suburb. The school is a public institution. George Mason degrees go up to the Doctoral degree.

Areas of Study

The school is known for its programs in art studies and liberal arts.

George Mason Selectivity

George Mason is selective and does not offer open admission. Three quarters of students in 2007 had SAT verbal scores of at least 510. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 520 and 610.

Faculty

George Mason has a tenure system for senior faculty. The full-time faculty at the school is well-paid, which often goes with faculty quality.

Student Body

There are 30,276 students at George Mason (as of 2007).

Student Life

The school offers students meal plans. George Mason values student athletics, and belongs to the Colonial Athletic Association.

The school reports its educational mission is:
"George Mason University will be an institution of international academic reputation providing superior education for students to develop critical, analytical, and imaginative thinking and to make well-founded ethical decisions. It will respond to the call for interdisciplinary research and teaching, not simply by adding programs but by rethinking the traditional structure of the academy. The university will prepare students to address the complex issues facing them in society and to discover meaning in their own lives. It will encourage diversity in its student body and will meet the needs of students by providing them with interdisciplinary and innovative undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses. The university will energetically seek ways to interact with and serve the needs of the student body. The university will nurture and support a faculty that is diverse, innovative, excellent in teaching, active in pure and applied research, and responsive to the needs of students and the community. The faculty will embody the university's interactive approach to change both in the academy and in the world. The university will be a resource of the Commonwealth of Virginia serving private and public sectors. It will be an intellectual and cultural nexus between Northern Virginia, the nation, and the world. (Adopted January 1991)"

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting George Mason

George Mason University
4400 University Dr
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
General Phone: (703) 993-1000
http://www.gmu.edu

George Mason Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts1,952political science and government, interdisciplinary studies, speech and rhetoric, economics, English, international relations, history, liberal arts and humanities, ...
Education And Teaching1,014curriculum and instruction, special ed, educational administration, health teaching, school counseling, physical education teaching, education, ESL instruction, ...
Business And Management915business management, accounting, finance, marketing, business and related services, business administration, MIS
Engineering545various engineering courses, systems engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering courses, industrial engineering
Therapy And Counseling378psychology
Science361biology, biological and biomedical sciences, chemistry, geology, physics courses, physics, astronomy, biostatistics, ...
Family And Social Work285public administration, public policy analysis, social work, social service professions
Computer Science And Engineering280computer and info science, information science, computer engineering, software engineering
Nursing And Emergency Medicine279registered nursing, various nursing
Law213law, legal professions, legal research
Art Studies188visual and performing arts, art studies, arts management
Security And Law Enforcement165criminal justice and police
Media124communication and journalism, communication studies
Medicine67health professions, neuroscience, gerontology
Mathematics61mathematics, mathematics and computer science, statistics, mathematics and statistics
Music60music performance, music, various music studies
Drama And Performing Arts32drama, dance
Medical Administration19health care administration, health care facilities management
Religion And Philosophy14philosophy, religion
Medical Support And Technology10clinical lab tech
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy5athletic trainer
Science And Laboratory Technician4science tech

Number of programs and degrees for George Mason in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree3,72650
Master's degree2,54454
Postbaccalaureate certificate31128
First-professional degree2061
Doctor's degree18116
Post-master's certificate31

George Mason Student Body

In 2007, George Mason had a total enrollment of 30,276 students (21,608 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men44%
Women56%
Full-Time98%
Part-Time2%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate57%
Graduate41%
First Professional2%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White55%
Black8%
Hispanic6%
Asian13%
American Indian0%
Unknown13%
(Foreign Students)6%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 181%
18-1914%
20-2118%
22-2420%
25-2920%
30-349%
35-396%
40-497%
50-644%
65+0%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Virginia78%
Maryland4%
New Jersey3%
State unknown3%
Pennsylvania2%
New York2%
(International Students)1%
Massachusetts1%
Washington, DC1%
New Hampshire1%
Connecticut1%

George Mason Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time85 %
Part-Time67 %

George Mason Room and Board (2007)

George Mason offers campus housing for 4,400 of its 21,608 (full-time) students.

(Please refer to our profile of Fairfax, Virginia for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Virginia Colleges).

The school offers students a meal plan with 19 meals per week.

George Mason Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total13,5637,46755%2,22930%
Men6,1773,17451%97631%
Women7,3854,29358%1,25329%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal510600
SAT Math520610
ACT Verbal2026
ACT Math2025
ACT Composite2125

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrecommended
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrecommended
Recommendationsrecommended
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT90%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT18%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

George Mason Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 6,840
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 19,728
Room and board$ 7,020
Room charge$ 4,000
Board (meal plan) charge$ 3,020
Books and supplies$ 850
Other expenses$ 2,664

Financial Aid:
George Mason participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 374900)

George Mason Faculty

George Mason has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured420176
Non-tenured, but on tenure track143117
Non-tenured and not on tenure track216230

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professorcalendar year20$177,6713$151,433
Associate professorcalendar year10$95,11611$95,492
Assistant professorcalendar year6$68,55014$83,900
Instructorcalendar year2*8$67,641
All faculty totalcalendar year38$131,73336$89,456

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year233$129,05760$111,609
Associate professoracademic year188$86,164131$79,132
Assistant professoracademic year166$72,774176$65,672
Instructoracademic year23$58,29953$55,347
All faculty totalacademic year610$97,853420$75,130

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

George Mason Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
BasketballColonial Athletic Association
BaseballColonial Athletic Association
TrackColonial Athletic Association

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total7794171
Basketball111728
Baseball26026
Track6814
All Other Sports3469103

George Mason Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General
Arts Management
Visual and Performing Arts, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business Administration and Management, General
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other
Business, Management, Marketing & Related Support Services, Other
Finance, General
Management Information Systems, General
Marketing/Marketing Management, General

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Engineering, General
Computer Software Engineering
Computer and Information Sciences, General
Information Science/Studies

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Dance, General
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
Curriculum and Instruction
Education, General
Educational Leadership and Administration, General
Health Teacher Education
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
Special Education and Teaching, General
Teacher Education/Profess Development, Levels & Methods, Other
Teaching English as Second/Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor

ENGINEERING
Civil Engineering, Other
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
Engineering, Other
Industrial Engineering
Systems Engineering

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Public Administration
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other
Public Policy Analysis
Social Work

LAW
Law (LLB, JD)
Legal Professions and Studies, Other
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies, Other

LIBERAL ARTS
Anthropology
Area Studies, Other
Creative Writing
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
English Literature (British and Commonwealth)
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General
Geography
History, General
Humanities/Humanistic Studies
International Relations and Affairs
Latin American Studies
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
Political Science and Government, General
Political Science and Government, Other
Sociology
Speech and Rhetorical Studies
Technical and Business Writing

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics and Computer Science
Mathematics and Statistics, Other
Mathematics, General
Statistics, General

MEDIA
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION
Health/Health Care Administration/Management
Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration/Management

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist

MEDICINE
Gerontology
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other
Neuroscience

MUSIC
Music Performance, General
Music, General
Music, Other

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Nursing, Other
Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Athletic Training/Trainer

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE
Astronomy
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Biostatistics
Chemistry, General
Geology/Earth Science, General
Physical Sciences
Physics, General
Physics, Other

SCIENCE AND LABORATORY TECHNICIAN
Science Technologies/Technicians, Other

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Criminal Justice/Police Science

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

George Mason Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets George Mason Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 1%George Mason Number of students
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%George Mason Number of degree programs
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%George Mason Salaries of full-time faculty
Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%George Mason Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
% students 40 years or older
(for colleges of its size and type)
Top 12%George Mason % students 40 years or older
% of degrees in liberal arts
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 14%George Mason % of degrees in liberal arts
% of degrees in computer science and engineering
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 17%George Mason % of degrees in computer science and engineering
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 18%George Mason Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
% of degrees in art studies
(vs. all colleges)
Top 19%George Mason % of degrees in art studies
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
On-campus day care
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
Has ROTC (army, air force)
Offers athletic scholarships
NCAA athletic conference member

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