ADVANCE Program Milestones:

All ADVANCE students must adhere to the following requirements. For Milestones #1-#3, failure to meet these milestones will prevent a student from matriculating to Mason and/or result in termination from ADVANCE. For Milestones #4-#7, failure to meet these milestones may delay matriculation to Mason.
1. Students must complete their 91³Ô¹Ï degree within 4 years of being admitted into ADVANCE. Students are highly encouraged to be continuously enrolled at 91³Ô¹Ï/Mason to support progress towards degree completion.
2. Students must maintain a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA at 91³Ô¹Ï and must have a minimum 2.5 GPA upon matriculation to Mason.
3. Students who wish to enroll at Mason for the fall semester must apply for 91³Ô¹Ï spring graduation by March 1 or summer graduation by June 1. Students who wish to enroll at Mason for the spring semester must apply for 91³Ô¹Ï fall graduation by October 1.
4. Students must begin developmental coursework no later than the first semester in ADVANCE at 91³Ô¹Ï.
5. Students must take first college-level MTH course and ENG 111 in the semester immediately following the completion of any MDE or EDE courses (excluding summer).
6. In the first 30 credits, students must complete ENG 111 and ENG 112 with a C or better.
7. Students must complete a Mason Core Quantitative Reasoning course equivalent with a C or better no later than one semester before 91³Ô¹Ï graduation. Refer to your pathway to select the appropriate MTH course(s).

The School of Art offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in the Art and Visual Technology major. The BA degree offers a studio arts program with 12 studio art credits in combination with supporting art history and theory coursework. BA students are required to demonstrate 200-level proficiency in a foreign language or declare and fulfill minor area of study in addition to their major. The BFA is a more comprehensive studio focused program that has 24 studio art credits along with additional critical thinking courses, providing BFA students with an enhanced studio portfolio and potential graduate study.

ADVANCE Program-Specific Requirements:
1. Students must have a minimum 2.85 GPA upon matriculation to Mason in order to be admitted to the AVT, BFA program.
2. The AVT, BFA program requires a significant time investment in upper level studio art courses at Mason. Therefore, students pursuing the AVT, BFA program are highly encouraged to earn a C or higher in all studio art (AVT-equivalent) courses, both to earn transfer credit and to support future academic success in the program. To learn more about both the BA and BFA degree requirements email: avt@gmu.edu

A.F.A. Visual Arts

91³Ô¹ÏMASON
91³Ô¹Ï Degree Requirement 91³Ô¹Ï Course Credits Transfer to MASON As MASON Degree Requirement
SDV Course SDV 101 Orientation to Fine Arts 1 UNIV 100 General Elective
ENG 111 ENG 111 College Composition I1 3 ENGH XXX General Elective
ART 101 ART 101 History of Art: Prehistoric to Gothic 3 ARTH 200 Art
ART 121 ART 121 Foundations of Drawing 3 AVT 222 Major
ART 131 ART 131 Two-Dimensional Design 3 AVT 104 Major
ART 140 ART 140 Introduction to Graphic Skills 3 AVT 110 Info Tech
ART 102 ART 102 History of Art: Renaissance to Modern 3 ARTH 201 Major
ART 122 ART 223 Life Drawing 3 AVT L323 Major or General Education Elective
ART 132 ART 132 Three-Dimensional Design 3 AVT 105 Major
ART 199 ART 199 Supervised Study: Portfolio Review2 1 See ART 299 None
ENG 112 ENG 112 College Composition II1 3 ENGH 101 Written Comm
MTH 154 MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning 3 MATH 106 Quantitative
ART or PHT Elective #1 Graphic Design Concentration: 3 Major
ART 116 Design for the Web I or AVT 217
ART 141 Typography I or AVT 215
AVT 217 Introduction to Web Design3 or *
AVT 217
AVT 253 Digital Photography I3 *
AVT 253
Studio Arts Concentration:
ART 153 Ceramics I AVT 153T
ART 241 Painting I or AVT 232
ART 271 Printmaking I or AVT 243
ART 231 Sculpture I or AVT 262
PHT 101 Photography I or AVT 253
PHT 103 Black and White Darkroom Photography or AVT 252
AVT 232 Painting I3 or *
AVT 232
AVT 243 Printmaking I3 or *
AVT 243
AVT 252 Darkroom Photography I3 or *
AVT 252
AVT 253 Digital Photography3 or *
AVT 253
AVT 262 Sculpture I3 or *
AVT 262
AVT 280 Introduction to New Media Arts3 *
AVT 280
ART or PHT Elective #2 Graphic Design Concentration: 3-4 Major
ART 116 Design for the Web I or AVT 217
ART 141 Typography I or AVT 215
AVT 217 Introduction to Web Design3 or *
AVT 217
AVT 253 Digital Photography I3 *
AVT 253
Studio Arts Concentration:
ART 153 Ceramics I AVT 153T
ART 241 Painting I or AVT 232
ART 271 Printmaking I or AVT 243
ART 231 Sculpture I or AVT 262
PHT 101 Photography I or AVT 253
PHT 103 Black and White Darkroom Photography or AVT 252
AVT 232 Painting I3 or *
AVT 232
AVT 243 Printmaking I3 or *
AVT 243
AVT 252 Darkroom Photography I3 or *
AVT 252
AVT 253 Digital Photography3 or *
AVT 253
AVT 262 Sculpture I3 or *
AVT 262
AVT 280 Introduction to New Media Arts3 *
AVT 280
ART or PHT Elective or General Education Elective HIS 101 Western Civilizations Pre-1600 CE or 3 HIST 101 Global History
HIS 102 Western Civilizations Post-1600 CE or HIST 102
HIS 112 World Civilizations Post-1500 CE (recommended) HIST 125
ART 299 ART 299 Supervised Study: Portfolio Review2 2 AVT 202 Major
Science Course BIO 101 General Biology I or 3 BIOL 103/105 Nat Science
CHM 101 Introductory Chemistry I or CHEM 103
ENV 121 General Environmental Science I or EVPP 108/109
GOL 105 Physical Geology or GEOL 101/103
GOL 111 Oceanography I or GEOL 120/121
PHY 100 Elements of Physics PHYS 103
ART or PHT Elective or General Education Elective GEO 220 World Regional Geography or 3 GGS 101 General Elective
HIS 111 World Civilizations Pre-1500 CE or HIST L387
PLS 140 Introduction to Comparative Politics or GOVT 133
PLS 241 Introduction to International Relations or GOVT 132
PSY 219 Cross-Cultural Psychology or PSYC L379
REL 237 Religions of the East or RELI 212
REL 238 Religions of the West RELI 211
ART 106, ART 250, PHT 110, or General Education Elective Graphic Design Concentration: 3 Major
ART 250 History of Design AVT L318
All Other Concentrations:
ART 215 History of Modern Art or AVT L318
ART 250 History of Design or AVT L318
PHT 110 History of Photography ARTH L350
Social/Behavioral Sciences ECO 201 Principles of Macroeconomics or 3 ECON 104 Soc/Behav
ECO 202 Principles of Microeconomics or ECON 103
GEO 210 People and the Land: An Introduction to Cultural Geography or GGS 103
PLS 135 U.S. Government and Politics or GOVT 103
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology or PSYC 100
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology or PSYC 211
SOC 200 Introduction to Sociology or SOCI 101
SOC 211 Cultural Anthropology ANTH 114
CST Course CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking or 3 COMM 100 Oral Comm
CST 110 Introduction to Human Communication COMM 101
ENG Literature Course ENG 225 Reading Literature: Culture and Ideas or 3 ENGH 202 Major
ENG 245 British Literature or ENGH 202
ENG 246 American Literature or ENGH 202
ENG 255 World Literature or FRLN L330
ENG 258 African American Literature or ENGH 202
ENG 275 Women in Literature or ENGH 202
ENG Any 200-Level ENG Literature course4 ENGH 202
Total Credits: 62

For academic policies and procedures, please see 91³Ô¹Ï catalog - http://www.nvcc.edu/catalog/index.html

B.F.A. Art & Visual Technology - All Concentrations

Concentrations:
Graphic Design or Studio Arts

MASON Degree Requirement Sequence Course Credits MASON Core/Degree Equivalent
Studio Core & Research Practicum AVT 101 New Major Colloquium 1 Major
Gen Ed: Non-Lab Science Approved Non-lab science course5 3 Major
Gen Ed: Written Communication (Upper-level) ENGH 302 Advanced Composition 3 Written Comm
Concentration Requirement Approved Concentration course6 3 Major
Foundation Electives Approved Foundation Elective course5,6 3 Major
Art History ARTH 374 Art Now 3 Major
Critical Analysis & Contemporary Practice Graphic Design Concentration: 3 Writing Intensive
AVT 396 Writing for Designers
All Other Concentrations:
AVT 395 Writing for Artists
Concentration Requirement Approved Concentration course6 3 Major
Critical Analysis & Contemporary Practice Additional Approved Critical Analysis & Contemporary Practice course6 3 Major
Concentration Requirement Approved Concentration course6 3 Major
Concentration Requirement Approved Concentration course6 3 Major
Studio Core & Research Practicum AVT 303 Junior Core 3 Major
Critical Analysis & Contemporary Practice AVT 307 Aesthetics 3 Major
Concentration Requirement Approved Concentration course6 3 Major
Professional Practices Graphic Design Concentration: 3 Major
AVT 413 Professional Design Practices
Studio Arts Concentration:
AVT 453 Professional Design Practices
Concentration Requirement Approved Concentration course6 3 Major
Concentration Requirement Approved Concentration course6 3 Major
Concentration Requirement Graphic Design Concentration: Approved Concentration course6 0-3 Major
Studio Arts Concentration: Not Needed
Critical Analysis & Contemporary Practice Graphic Design Concentration: Approved Concentration course(5) 3 Major
AVT 408 Visual Communication Theories
Studio Arts Concentration: Not Needed
AVT 472 Critical Theory in the Visual Arts
Studio Core & Research Practicum AVT 404 Senior ProSeminar 2 Major
Gen Ed: Apex Graphic Design Concentration: 3 Apex
AVT 497 Senior Project or
Studio Arts Concentration:
AVT 498 Senior Design Project
Total Credits: 120-121

*Denotes a course that must be taken at George Mason University while attending 91³Ô¹Ï. Failure to complete your co-enrollment course(s) while attending 91³Ô¹Ï can significantly affect your timeline for Mason graduation. Please see your ADVANCE Coach for more information and to enroll.

Important Academic Information:
1Students who complete ENG 111 after Spring 2024 will earn ENGH elective for ENG 111 and ENGH 101 for ENG 112.
2Students must take both ART 199 and ART 299 to receive credit for AVT 202.
3When selecting co-enrollment courses, students should take care to select course(s) that are not equivalent to ART courses taken at 91³Ô¹Ï. For instance, students should not take Painting I at both 91³Ô¹Ï (ART 241) and through co-enrollment at Mason (AVT 232). Credit for the same course twice cannot be applied to the Mason degree.
4200-level ENG literature classes include: ENG 225, ENG 230, ENG 236, ENG 237, ENG 245, ENG 246, ENG 250, ENG 255, ENG 256, ENG 257, ENG 258, ENG 271, ENG 275, and ENG 279.
5For approved Mason Core courses, please visit - https://catalog.gmu.edu/mason-core/ . Students with a completed AS, AA, or AFA degree are eligible for a waiver of the Foundation and Exploration (lower division) Mason Core general education categories and this requirement may be waived. Students may still need general elective credit to reach 120 total credits. Please see your ADVANCE Coach for more information.
6For approved Foundation Electives and Concentration courses, please visit: https://catalog.gmu.edu/colleges-schools/visual-performing-arts/art/art-visual-technology-bfa/#requirementstext
7Graphic Design concentration students must complete AVT 215, AVT 217, and AVT 252 or AVT 253 to fulfill their Foundation Elective requirements. Students should consult their Mason advisor to select the correct Foundation Elective course based on courses selected while at 91³Ô¹Ï.

Additional General Notes & Resources:
• Undergraduate students earning CVPA degrees must earn a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in their major. AVT majors may not choose AVT courses to
meet this requirement, and they may not double-count ARTH courses toward both the AVT major and the Mason Core arts requirement. AVT majors may
not double-count ARTH courses toward both AVT major requirements and the Mason Core Global Contexts requirement.
• For academic policies and procedures, please see Mason catalog - https://catalog.gmu.edu/policies/
• Students seeking a bachelor's degree must apply at least 45 credits of upper-level courses (numbered 300 or above) toward graduation.

General Education Waiver Policy and Guidance:
• Students who complete a VCCS transfer associate degree (AS, AA, or AFA) will receive a waiver of the Foundation and Exploration (lower division) Mason Core general education categories, which can be found here: https://catalog.gmu.edu/mason-core/ . To be eligible for the waiver, the students must provide
the Mason Office of Admissions with a final, official transcript reflecting the degree conferral date. As a prerequisite for ENGH 302, ENGH 101 is not waived. Students must complete ENGH 100 or ENGH 101, or an equivalent, with a C or higher.
• When a course fulfills a Mason Core requirement and a major or college requirement (e.g. Major & Quant), students must complete the course listed on the pathway to fulfill the major/college requirement. Courses that fulfill only Mason Core Foundation and Exploration categories are recommendations. In most pathways, ADVANCE students must complete a Quantitative Reasoning course to matriculate through ADVANCE.
• ADVANCE students must complete the associate degree indicated on their pathway (see the ADVANCE Program Milestones listed above). Students who withdraw from ADVANCE and transfer without the associate degree or UCGS are required to complete each Mason Core general education category.