Programs Grow by 13 Percent
By Fran Rensbarger
The George Mason Board of Visitors (BOV) approved proposals in late November
for eight new degree programs planned to begin next fall, bringing the total to
16 new degrees proposed in 2001. Three degree programs approved by the BOV earlier
in 2001 are currently before the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
(SCHEV), and the council already gave the green light to five new degrees last
year. If SCHEV approves all the degree proposals, the programs will represent
a nearly 13 percent increase in degrees offered at George Mason.
At its November meeting, the BOV approved an LL.M. in Intellectual Property;
an LL.M. in Law and Economics; an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy; an
M.S. in Computational Science; an M.S. in Earth Systems Science; an M.A. in Transportation
Policy, Operations, and Logistics; a B.A./B.S. in Astronomy; and a B.S. in Information
Technology. Programs previously forwarded to SCHEV are a master’s degree
in Public Policy, a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, and a Ph.D. in Biosciences.
In December, SCHEV approved the new Engineer in Information Technology post-master’s
program and the master’s degree in Social Work. Earlier in 2001, SCHEV approved
the M.S in Enterprise Engineering and Policy, the M.A. in Communication, and the
M.S. in E-Commerce.
Because it can take up to six months to obtain SCHEV approval, the number of
programs presented to the BOV this fall was higher than usual so that the academic
units would have time to recruit students in the spring and offer the degrees
next fall, says Linda Schwartzstein, vice provost for academic affairs. “I
think [the number of proposed degrees] represents the fact that we’re meeting
student demand and trying to meet the needs of a growing enrollment,” observes
Schwartzstein. George Mason offers fewer degrees than other universities of similar
size, she says, so we have room to grow. “These new degrees really build
on the strengths of the university and its centers of excellence. ”The number
of degree programs is not static, and some degrees previously offered have been
dropped. Schwartzstein says she expects the provost will lead a review of all
the degrees again next year.
A new degree program introduced this semester is the Biology Department’s
accelerated five-year B.S./M.S. program with a concentration in microbiology or
molecular biology. “We hope that the program will encourage some of our undergraduates
to stay here for a master’s degree instead of going somewhere else,”
says department chair Paulette Royt.
To help build the M.S. program, the department also launched three new concentrations
this semester: microbiology, molecular biology, and systematics and evolutionary
biology. “We are doing our best to build our M.S. program,” says Royt,
“and feel that we will attract more students by having specific areas of
concentration.” For more information on these initiatives, visit the department’s
web site at www.gmu.edu/departments/biology.
Other changes in the Biology Department came when its Environmental Science
and Public Policy program became an independent department with the BOV’s
approval in November. Geology courses were moved to the environmental science
group, adding undergraduate degrees to the previously graduate-level program.
The new Environmental Science and Policy Department now offers a B.A. in Geology,
a B.S. in Earth Systems Science, an M.S. in Environmental Science, and a Ph.D.
in Environmental Science and Public Policy. Other master’s level degree programs
are in the review and approval process. More information on this new department
can be found online at mason.gmu.edu/~espp.
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