Accelerated Master's Program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution

Overview

The accelerated master’s degree program is designed for S-CAR’s highly qualified and highly motivated undergraduates. It provides a streamlined application process with no application fee required. The accelerated master’s program allows students to apply six (6) graduate credits to the undergraduate degree, and it provides the opportunity to take an additional six (6) graduate credits to be held for reserve graduate credit and applied only to the graduate degree. As a result, students admitted to an accelerated master’s degree program have the opportunity to complete both degrees in record time. It is important that applicants understand that the accelerated master’s program is not an early admission program. Failure to meet the terms of your admission regarding the scheduled undergraduate degree conferral date or the approved graduate courses may result in termination from the accelerated master’s program.

Eligibility

Only Conflict Analysis and Resolution majors who have completed at least 75 credits toward the bachelor’s degree and no more than 90 credits toward the degree are invited to apply for the accelerated program. Students with more than 90 credits will be considered on a case-by-case basis. At least 24 credits must have been taken at Mason at time of application, and the student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of a 3.5 or higher. Students who qualify under these terms must use this application form in lieu of the standard university Application for Graduate Study to initiate the evaluation of your admissibility for the accelerated master’s program. If admitted, a maximum of six graduate credits taken while in undergraduate status will apply to your undergraduate degree requirements, and you will earn advanced standing into the master’s program.

Procedures

Before submitting an application, a student should meet with an undergraduate academic advisor to review admissibility for the program, the schedule for completion of the undergraduate degree, and appropriate graduate course work. If the student is deemed initially eligible, he or she should submit the form included in this packet, along with a goals statement, three (3) letters of recommendation, and a resume, to:

School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution
George Mason University
Attn: Graduate Admissions
3351 N. Fairfax Drive
MSN 4D3
Arlington, VA 22201

Once approved and processed by the graduate admissions staff, the applicant will receive a letter of admission to the accelerated master’s program and a graduate admissions approval letter for the term the student is to officially begin the master’s program. The official master’s start date is the fall or spring semester immediately following undergraduate graduation.

Policies Governing the Accelerated Master’s Program

• Applicants to the accelerated master’s program must meet all admission criteria as required by the specific program of study.
• No grade below a B is permitted for any undergraduate course taken after application to an accelerated master’s program.
• After completing 90 hours of undergraduate course work, students admitted to the accelerated master’s program may enroll in up to six hours of graduate course work with the approval of the undergraduate and graduate advisors.
• Each approved graduate course taken while in undergraduate status must result in a minimum grade of B.
• At the time of the undergraduate degree conferral, students’ GPAs must meet the standard required for admission to the master’s degree
• Students admitted to an accelerated master’s degree must enroll in the graduate program in the semester immediately following conferral of the undergraduate degree.

Once the student has completed all requirements for the undergraduate degree, including the graduate courses, he or she will be fully admitted to the graduate degree program in the fall or spring term (not summer) immediately following the undergraduate degree conferral. The student will then be assessed graduate tuition and will be subject to all graduate academic policies, as listed in the George Mason Catalog.

Deadlines

If your last undergraduate semester will be fall, you must submit your application by October 1 to start the following spring semester.

If your last undergraduate semester will be spring, you must submit your application by January 15 to start the following fall semester.

Questions

Please contact Brydin Banning, Director of Undergraduate Student Services, at bbanning@gmu.edu with questions regarding the accelerated Master's program.