HELP 2015-2016 University Catalog Bachelor's Degree (Green Leaf)/Environmental Science and Policy, Accelerated MS Print-Friendly Page

This program of study is offered by the Department of Environmental Science and Policy  in the College of Science .

This degree option allows highly qualified George Mason University students to earn an Environmental Science and Policy, MS  in less time than if they had first graduated with an environmentally-focused Green Leaf  -designated BA or BS degree and then applied to the MS program sequentially.

See the Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s Degrees  section of this catalog for policies related to this program.

Admission Requirements

Students with an overall GPA of at least 3.20 who are pursuing any Green Leaf -designated major or minor may apply for provisional acceptance into this accelerated master’s program after completing two semesters of chemistry (including CHEM 211  and CHEM 212 ) and three semesters of biology, including a course in ecology, or the equivalent, for example:

• BIOL 213 , BIOL 214 , and BIOL 308 , or
• EVPP 210 , EVPP 301 , EVPP 302 , EVPP 305 , and EVPP 306 , or
• CONS 401 , CONS 402 , and 6 credits of BIOL or CONS electives, or
• CONS 403 , CONS 404 , and 6 credits of BIOL or CONS electives

While undergraduate students, accelerated master’s students must complete the two graduate courses indicated on their Accelerated Master’s Program Application (obtained from the Office of Academic and Student Affairs) with a minimum grade of 3.00 in each course. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.00 in all coursework and in coursework applied to their major. Upon completion and conferral of the undergraduate degree in a Green Leaf -designated program, in the semester indicated in the application, they must submit the Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s Transition Form (found on the Office of the University Registrar website) and will subsequently be admitted into graduate status.

By at least the beginning of their senior year, they should seek out a faculty member in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy  who is willing to serve as their advisor (unless the student is planning to enroll in the MS concentration in Environmental Management). This advisor will aid the student in choosing the appropriate graduate courses to take and help to prepare the student for graduate studies. Admission into a research-oriented master’s concentration is dependent upon securing the agreement of a faculty advisor. Faculty from a variety of departments and colleges at George Mason (called “program faculty”) can serve as master’s advisors. Potential students are encouraged to speak with the graduate program coordinator in the department to obtain guidance on this issue.

Applicants to all graduate programs at Mason must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study as specified in the Admissions  section of this catalog. This includes obtaining a GRE score of 1100 or above (using the older ETS scale or its equivalent using the new ETS scale) and having found a faculty member willing to act as their advisor (unless enrolling in an MS with a concentration in Environmental Management). For information specific to the accelerated Environmental Science and Policy, MS , see “Graduate Admissions” on the departmental website.

Degree Requirements

Students admitted to this program may take graduate courses after completing 90 undergraduate credits, and up to 6 credits of appropriate environmentally-focused graduate coursework may be used in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the undergraduate degree. If students earn at least a 3.00 in these classes, they are granted advanced standing in the master’s program and must then complete an additional 27-31 credits to receive the master’s degree. All other master’s degree requirements  must be met.

Reserve Graduate Credits

Students may take up to 6 additional environmentally-focused graduate credits as reserve graduate credit . These credits do not apply to the undergraduate degree but will reduce the subsequent master’s degree credits accordingly (e.g., with 6 credits counted towards undergraduate degree plus the maximum 6 reserve credits, an MS could be completed with 21 post-bachelor’s credits). The ability to take courses for reserve graduate credit is available to all high achieving undergraduates with the permission of the department.

To apply these credits to the master’s degree, students must request that the credits be moved from the undergraduate degree to the graduate degree using the Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s Transition Form found on the Office of the University Registrar website.