Mason Online allows students to take the same classes offered on campus in an online format while at home, stationed abroad, or traveling. Programs and courses maintain the same academic rigor and integrity as their campus-based counterparts, while offering the flexibility to fit your needs. The degree is the same as if you took classes on campus.
Join Mason Nation from a Distance
Opportunities to become engaged and involved in leadership experiences, organizations, exciting events, and meaningful programs abound at the university, even from a distance. Several units of University Life are dedicated to student involvement and engagement throughout your Mason student career, including the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership Education and Development.
Take Classes Your Way
Mason offers hundreds of online courses each semester, including several that allow undergraduates to complete core requirements.
In hybrid online courses, 51 to 99 percent of scheduled class time is online, with the rest requiring face-to-face meetings. For fully online courses, 100 percent of class time is online, although you might have to come to campus for orientation, tests, final exams, or labs.
Courses are taught in two ways:
- Classes are held on a set schedule, and students virtually attend an instructor-led session on a regular basis. This is called synchronous scheduling.
- Students can study at their own pace, accessing instructional materials online at any time. This is called asynchronous scheduling.
“Students have emailed me to let me know that what they learned in this course has helped with their jobs and really prepared them for other courses.”
Get the Support You Need
Mason provides an extensive array of services, ranging from help logging in to an online course to virtual appointments at the Online Writing Lab, an email-based tutoring service.
We’ll Work With Your Learning Style
The Assistive Technology Initiative and the Office of Disability Services will ensure your needs are accommodated to enable you to take classes online, and will provide the services you require to meet course requirements.
"In my opinion, the greatest benefit to the online learning environment is the flexibility it offers both the students and the instructor. A lot of Mason students are taking classes while working or raising families, and online courses can make it a bit easier to juggle all of that."
Available Online Programs
With more than 50 online and hybrid program options, you can earn your degree in a way that fits your life. Programs by topic include:
For 2015, Mason’s online RN-to-BSN program is ranked as one of the best in the nation for registered nurses with two-year degrees seeking four-year degrees in nursing. Photo courtesy of Mason Creative Services.
George Mason University’s online Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is ranked as one of the best in the nation for registered nurses with two-year degrees seeking four-year degrees in nursing. Listed among the top 50 RN-to-BSN programs for 2015, website valuecolleges.com notes that Mason prepares students for the workforce by providing high-quality professional development through project-based courses.
Teaching online takes a special skill—it’s not about just posting PowerPoint slides, said Dr. Carol Urban, Director of the School of Nursing and an Associate Dean in the College of Health and Human Services. School of Nursing instructors take the time to engage with students through online message boards and email.
Students can complete the program in as little as one year. Completing two seven-week classes, along with one semester-length class, allows Mason students to finish their degrees in a year. They take just three classes per semester instead of loading up on five, Urban said.
Virtually Travel on a TOUR
In Dr. Rebecca Kelley’s online section of TOUR 200, students conduct a site visit analysis at any destination or attraction of their choice, such as the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy of Mason Creative Services.
When the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism approached her to help create an online section of TOUR 200: Introduction to Travel and Tourism, Dr. Rebecca Kelley knew that her training and experience with teaching online combined with a high-demand course would lead to a great online opportunity for Mason students. The online option has served as a great complement to any program while helping to meet high enrollment needs.
“We have three exclusively online sections in spring and fall semesters and two in summers,” says Dr. Kelley. “TOUR 200 is a great course for anyone at Mason. It’s good for students to get familiar with a different industry from the industry perspective, not the tourist perspective, and learn how it impacts the economy, their career path, and their lifestyle.”
For the online section of TOUR 200, Dr. Kelley uses recorded lectures to cover course content, weekly discussions or case studies where students are required to read and respond to each other, and exams or projects that serve as checkpoints. Because the course material translates well and is easy to comprehend in an online format, her students rarely have difficulty with the format.