Interdisciplinary Studies, MAIS

▲ Concentration in Community College Teaching (CCT)

This concentration qualifies students to teach entry-level courses in rapidly growing fields at community colleges. In addition, it may be an appropriate graduate credential for some faculty currently teaching in community colleges.

In addition to required courses and a knowledge area, students pursuing this concentration are required to take a one-credit proposal course and complete a project or thesis. The concentration in community college teaching is administered by the Higher Education Program.

▲ Concentration in Computational Social Science (CSS)

Computational social science (CSS) is a relatively new interdisciplinary science in which social science questions are investigated with modern computational tools. Computational social scientists investigate complex social phenomena such as economic markets, traffic control, and political systems by simulating the interactions of the many actors in such systems on computers.  They hope to gain insights which will lead to better management of the behavior of the larger social systems, i.e., prevention of market crashes, smoothed traffic flow, or maintenance of political stability.  The intractability of many social problems calls for the new approaches provided by computational social science. 

CSS is a highly interdisciplinary field that requires teams to plan and complete projects, be they undertaken by government, industry, or non-profit entities. Project managers of such teams, overseeing all elements of project design and execution, tend to hold PhDs. The MAIS concentration will train students to be members of these project teams, able to meaningfully contribute to background research and to project design, execution, and communication.

Prior background should include a bachelor’s degree in one of the social sciences, in computer science, in engineering, or in a relevant discipline, as well as undergraduate courses in these and related areas. Bachelor’s degrees in other areas are also eligible, but the student may be required to take additional courses in social science, mathematics, or computer science as prerequisites to admission.

▲ Concentration in Energy and Sustainability (EAS)

This concentration is particularly relevant for students who are pursuing or interested in pursuing careers in energy and environmentally related applications in the law, national and international policy, government, print and media journalism, public and social service, teaching, advanced graduate studies, ethics, business, and basic and applied research.

Sustainability by definition aims to meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. A sustainability education lies within the intersection of environmental science and engineering, economics and business, public policy, and many other areas. Energy is a crucial component of sustainability.  

▲ Concentration in Film and Video Studies (FAVS)

The concentration emphasizes film and video studies and its components including videoconferencing, multimedia, and editing. As low-end, high-quality video equipment becomes more affordable, more organizations (for profit and nonprofit) are investing in in-house production studios and staff. Their needs include traditional videography, videoconferencing, web design, multimedia, and digital editing.

Five academic units offer courses relevant to the concentration: Within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the English Department offers a course in film theory. College of Education and Human Development offers courses in interactive and distance learning, which provide a background for pedagogy and a wide spectrum of interactive skills. Within the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Film and Video Studies Program offers courses in the theory and practice of video production and screenwriting and the Art and Visual Technologies Department offers courses on computer-mediated visual applications, including the study of multimedia tools and design, digital and electronic art, animation, and virtual reality.

Students must have a basic knowledge of video production. Students with little or no video experience must take FAVS 599  (when the topic is Video Production) within the first 9 credits of the program. Students with video experience who wish to waive this requirement must provide a demo reel of their past work.

▲ Concentration in Folklore Studies (FLKS)

This concentration explores the processes of tradition that move through multiple expressive forms, such as folktales, folk beliefs, folk medicine, folk art, folksong, and literature. A discipline based on ethnographic fieldwork, folklore offers students a chance to work in communities and collect living traditional materials that are critical to human identity and values. Interdisciplinary by nature, folklore thrives on local particularities and compelling global connections. Internships in the many Washington, D.C., metropolitan area folklore organizations are central to students’ experiences. This course of study prepares students for careers in cultural agencies, governmental organizations, teaching institutions, and advanced study in the humanities.

Students pursuing this concentration must complete at least 6 credits of courses from outside the English Department.

▲ Concentration in Higher Education (HEDU)

This concentration prepares individuals for administrative and leadership positions in colleges and universities, associations, and government agencies whose activities affect higher education. Within the concentration, students may choose to emphasize administration or student affairs.

▲ Individualized Concentration (IND)

This concentration is for students who wish to design a graduate program to meet the special needs of their careers and life plans. Students usually choose this option because traditional graduate programs do not meet their specific goals. Students, with help from their faculty advisor, design a unique program of study that includes courses from several academic departments.

Students have access to most graduate courses offered by Mason but must meet all course prerequisites.  Each student must submit a curriculum worksheet approved by the student’s advisor and director during the first semester enrolled. Any subsequent amendments must have the approval of the student’s advisor and the director.

▲ Concentration in Neuroethics (NETH)

The concentration in neuroethics offers students the opportunity to study ethical issues arising from recent scientific and medical advances in conjunction with advanced training in neuroscience. The curriculum helps students develop their skills in critical, analytical, and imaginative thinking and to make well‑founded ethical decisions. Students will become familiar with the basic theories of current neuroscience, as well as the philosophical issues raised by these theories.

The degree is intended for students interested in doctoral work in neuroscience, cognitive science, or bioethics. It also can help students who will work on medical and scientific research projects in government or the private sector.

This concentration is offered jointly by the Department of Philosophy  and the Neuroscience Program .

Admission to the neuroethics concentration is open to students with undergraduate degrees in any field. All students should have taken the following basic courses in life science and philosophy (or their equivalents) before admission to the program or should complete them shortly thereafter: PHIL 173 - Logic and Critical Thinking , BIOL 213 - Cell Structure and Function , BIOL 482 - Introduction to Molecular Genetics , CHEM 314 - Organic Chemistry II .

Students without the biology and chemistry pre-requisites can fill these requirements once admitted to the program by taking NEUR 600  and other courses recommended by the concentration director. These courses cannot be applied to degree requirements.

▲ Concentration in Religion, Culture, and Values (RCV)

The concentration in religion, culture, and values is particularly relevant for students who are interested in careers in law, national and international government, print and media journalism, library sciences, archives and museums, public and social service, teaching, advanced graduate studies, and religious communities and institutions. The Washington, DC metropolitan area is rich in the presence of many major religious traditions and their places of worship.

The core courses introduce students to the study of religion as a unique and rigorous intellectual discipline. Students learn to evaluate a variety of perspectives on religion and gain a clear understanding of the dimension of the sacred in all aspects of human life including those commonly designated “secular”. Students discover how religious perceptions of the sacred respond to an evolving world and relate to and influence cultures, institutions, and values.

Students also examine the effects of historical crises and the forces of change on religions including contemporary religious pluralism and inter-religious dialogue. Students gain a deeper knowledge of specific traditions and a more profound understanding of values and worldviews from the viewpoint of cultural diversity and religious pluralism.

▲Concentration in Social Entrepreneurship (SOCE)

This concentration promotes advanced scholarship that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. Students combine required coursework in social entrepreneurship, management, public policy, public and international affairs, and leadership with courses aimed at individual student’s areas of specialization and hands on learning activities. Through this powerful blend of academic courses and experiential learning opportunities (i.e., the practical and the theoretical), students will graduate with the knowledge of leading edge concepts and research-based approaches, as well as the field experience necessary to succeed as social innovators.

Students earning an MAIS with a concentration in social entrepreneurship will learn about the roles that technology, public policy, market based approaches, research, leadership, strategy, and communication play in implementing solutions to urgent challenges around the globe. Whether they work in government, industry, or the citizen (non-profit) sector, these future leaders will be exposed to cutting edge knowledge related to sustainability, ethical leadership, strategic management, and working effectively within complex networks made up of divergent groups of stakeholders. Further, students will be equipped with the experience, strategic knowledge, technical support, and the social networks needed to create, operate, develop and accelerate startups, bring ideas to scale, and improve program effectiveness.

▲ Concentration in Social Justice and Human Rights (SJHR)

The social justice and human rights concentration is designed to cultivate a deep theoretical understanding of the social, political, cultural, historical, and economic implications of a wide array of social injustices and human rights issues. Students are engaged in the applied process of imagining and actualizing holistic and complex strategies for creating and sustaining a more equitable, just, and humane world.

▲ Concentration in War and the Military in Society (WMS)

Recent events have demonstrated the degree to which military issues affect social groups, global politics, and the world economy. Understanding the ways in which armies are raised and funded, the reasons troops serve, the conditions military personnel and civilians endure during wartime, and the multifaceted and evolving ways in which nations conceive of the military apparatus has direct bearing on future policy decisions.

The concentration in war and the military in society emphasizes scholarship that examines issues of international security and conflict in the past, present, and future. It equips students with the skills to understand the interconnected nature of those elements and to examine critically the ways in which they have changed and continue to change over time.

▲ Concentration in Women and Gender Studies (WGST)

The concentration in women and gender studies promotes advanced scholarship that transcends traditional boundaries. Students combine required coursework in women and gender studies with courses in a discipline of interest such as history, literature, sociology, anthropology, health, education, philosophy, social work, conflict analysis and resolution, or the arts. The program accommodates both full-time and part-time students.

Of the coursework required for this concentration as described below, at least 24 credits must be in courses related to the study of women and gender and 12 credits in courses in a field focus.  All courses related to the study of women and gender must be approved by the head of the concentration in women and gender studies.  Students must earn a grade of B or higher in the core courses.

Students interested in pursuing a dual master’s program linking the MAIS degree and a master’s degree in another discipline should discuss their interest with the graduate program directors of both programs and review the university policies regarding Individualized Dual Master’s Degree Programs. Students approved to pursue dual master’s study linking the MAIS degree with a concentration in women and gender studies and the MA philosophy degree will complete WMST 630 /PHIL 658  and 3 additional credits of WMST courses to apply to the philosophy degree as elective credit. Six credits of approved PHIL credits will apply to the MAIS degree as elective credit.