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).
ADVANCE Program-Specific Requirements:All ADVANCE students in this degree program must adhere to the following requirements prior to matriculation. Failure to do so may prevent a student from matriculating into this program at Mason or progressing in coursework at Mason.
Students interested in the Creative Writing BFA must submit an application that includes the submission of a letter of recommendation from a 91³Ô¹Ï
creative writing faculty member, a writing sample, and short reflections on their own work and their feedback to other student writers. Contact
MasonCW@gmu.edu for specifics.
A.A. Liberal Arts English Major
| 91³Ô¹Ï | MASON | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91³Ô¹Ï Degree Requirement | 91³Ô¹Ï Course | Credits | Transfer to MASON As | MASON Degree Requirement |
| SDV Course | SDV 100 College Success Skills or | 1 | UNIV 100 | General Elective |
| SDV 101 Orientation to XXX | UNIV 100 | |||
| ENG 111 | ENG 111 College Composition I1 | 3 | ENGH XXX | General Elective |
| World Language #1 | Any World Language/ASL Course Sequence 101 or | 3-4 | GMU Equivalent | CHSS For. Lang or General Elective |
| Any General Education Elective (if placed out of World Language) | 3-4 | GMU Equivalent | ||
| MTH 154 or MTH 155 or higher | MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning or | 3 | MATH 106 | Quantitative |
| MTH 155 MTH 155 Statistical Reasoning2 | STAT 105T | |||
| Science Course #1 | BIO 101 General Biology I or | 4 | BIOL 103/105 | Nat Science |
| CHM 101 Introductory Chemistry or | CHEM 103 | |||
| ENV 121 Foundations of Environmental Science 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 | |||
| ENG 112 | ENG 112 College Composition II1 | 3 | ENGH 101 | Written Comm |
| World Language #2 | Any World Language/ASL Course Sequence 102 or | 3-4 | GMU Equivalent | CHSS For. Lang or General Elective |
| Any General Education Elective (if placed out of World Language) | 3-4 | GMU Equivalent | ||
| MTH 245<sup>2</sup> or Transfer Elective | GEO 220 Regional World Geography or | 3 | GGS 101 | CHSS Non-Western |
| REL 233 Introduction to Islam or | RELI L312 | |||
| REL 237 Religions of the East or | RELI 212 | |||
| REL 238 Religions of the West or | RELI 211 | |||
| SOC 211 Cultural Anthropology | ANTH 114 | |||
| Science Course #2 | BIO 101 General Biology I or | 3-4 | BIOL 103/105 | Nat Science |
| BIO 102 General Biology II or | BIOL 102 | |||
| CHM 101 Introductory Chemistry or | CHEM 103 | |||
| ENV 121 Foundations of Environmental Science or | EVPP 108/109 | |||
| ENV 122 Applications in Environmental Science or | EVPP 112/113 | |||
| GEO 200 Introduction to Physical Geography or | GGS 102 | |||
| GOL 105 Physical Geology or | GEOL 101/103 | |||
| GOL 106 Historical Geology or | GEOL 102/104 | |||
| GOL 111 Oceanography I or | GEOL 120/121 | |||
| PHY 100 Elements of Physics | PHYS 103 | |||
| Social/Behavioral Sciences #1 | ECO 201 Principles of Macroeconomics or | 3 | ECON 104 | Soc/Behav |
| ECO 202 Principles of Microeconomics or | ECON 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 Elective | CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking or | 3 | COMM 100 | Oral Comm |
| CST 110 Introduction to Human Communication | COMM 101 | |||
| ENG 2XX-Level Literature | ENG 225 Reading Literature: Culture and Ideas or | 3 | ENGH 202 or FRLN L330 (ENG 255 only) | Literature |
| ENG 245 British Literature or | ENGH 202 or FRLN L330 (ENG 255 only) | |||
| ENG 246 American Literature or | ENGH 202 or FRLN L330 (ENG 255 only) | |||
| ENG 250 Children's Literature or | ENGH 202 or FRLN L330 (ENG 255 only) | |||
| ENG 255 World Literature or | ENGH 202 or FRLN L330 (ENG 255 only) | |||
| ENG 258 African American Literature or | ENGH 202 or FRLN L330 (ENG 255 only) | |||
| ENG 275 Women in Literature or | ENGH 202 or FRLN L330 (ENG 255 only) | |||
| ENG Any 200-Level ENG Literature course3 | ENGH 202 or FRLN L330 (ENG 255 only) | |||
| World Language #3 | Any World Language/ASL Course Sequence 201 or | 3-4 | GMU Equivalent | CHSS For. Lang or General Elective |
| Any General Education Elective (if placed out of World Language) | 3-4 | GMU Equivalent | ||
| HIS Course | HIS 101 Western Civilizations Pre-1600 CE or | 3 | HIST 101T | Global History |
| HIS 102 Western Civilizations Post-1600 CE or | HIST 102T | |||
| HIS 112 World Civilizations Post-1500 CE (recommended) | HIST 125 | |||
| Social/Behavioral Sciences #2 (This elective must be taken at Mason if total language credits are 15 or more - Please see your ADVANCE Coach) | GEO 210 People and the Land: An Introduction to Cultural Geography or | 3 | GGS 103 | CHSS Soc/Behav |
| HIS 121 United States History to 1877 or | HIST 121 | |||
| HIS 122 United States History Since 1865 or | HIST 122 | |||
| PLS 135 U.S. Government and Politics | GOVT 103 | |||
| ENG 2XX-Level Course | ENG 211 Creative Writing I | 3 | ENGH L396 | Arts & Major |
| ENG 2XX-Level Course | ENG 212 Creative Writing II or | 3 | ENGH XXX | Major |
| ENG 215 Creative Writing: Fiction I or | ENGH XXX | |||
| ENG 217 Creative Writing: Poetry I or | ENGH XXX | |||
| ENG 261 Advanced Creative Writing I or | ENGH XXX | |||
| ENG 262 Advanced Creative Writing II | ENGH XXX | |||
| World Language #4 | Any World Language/ASL Course Sequence 202 or | 3-4 | GMU Equivalent | CHSS For. Lang or General Elective |
| Any General Education Elective (if placed out of World Language) | 3-4 | GMU Equivalent | ||
| EDU 200 or Transfer Elective | EDU 200 Foundations of Education or | 3 | EDUC 200 | General Elective |
| GEO 220 World Regional Geography or | GGS 101 | |||
| 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 | PSYC L379 | |||
| Humanities/Fine Arts | PHI 100 Introduction to Philosophy or | 3 | PHIL 100T | CHSS Phil/Reli |
| PHI 111 Logic or | PHIL 173T | |||
| PHI 220 Ethics and Society or | PHIL 151T | |||
| REL 100 Introduction to the Study of Religion or | RELI 100 | |||
| REL 233 Introduction to Islam or | RELI L312 | |||
| REL 237 Religions of the East or | RELI 212 | |||
| REL 238 Religions of the West | RELI 211 | |||
| Total Credits: 60-62 | ||||
For academic policies and procedures, please see 91³Ô¹Ï catalog - http://www.nvcc.edu/catalog/index.html
B.F.A. Creative Writing
Concentrations: Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry
| MASON Degree Requirement Sequence | Course | Credits | MASON Core/Degree Equivalent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Electives | General Electives (See: Advisor) | 3 | General Elective | |
| General Electives | General Electives (See: Advisor) | 3 | General Elective | |
| Gen Ed: Written Communication (Upper-level) | ENGH 302 Advanced Composition | 3 | Written Comm | |
| Core Courses | ENGH 305 Dimensions of Writing and Literature | 3 | Major | |
| Core Courses | ENGH 377 Digital Creative Writing | 3 | Major | |
| Literature before 1800 | Approved Literature before 1800 course4 | 3 | Major | |
| Literature before 1915 | Approved Literature before 1915 course4 | 3 | Major | |
| Minority, Folkloric, or Popular Literary and Cultural Traditions | Approved Minority, Folkloric, or Popular Literary and Cultural Traditions course4 | 3 | Major | |
| Workshop Courses<sup>5</sup> | ENGH 397 Poetry Writing or | 6-9 | Major | |
| ENGH 398 Fiction Writing or | ||||
| ENGH 399 Creative Nonfiction Writing (See: Advisor) | ||||
| Concentrations in the Major | Approved Concentration course4 | 3 | Major | |
| Concentrations in the Major | Approved Concentration course4 | 3 | Major | |
| Concentrations in the Major | Approved Concentration course4 | 3 | Major | |
| Major Elective | Writing and Literature Electives4 (Upper-level See: Advisor) | 3 | Major | |
| Major Elective | ENGH 459 Internship | 3 | Major | |
| Concentrations in the Major | Approved Concentration course4 | 3 | Major | |
| Gen Ed: Apex | ENGH 495 Capstone and Thesis | 3 | Apex | |
| General Electives | General Electives (See: Advisor) | 3 | General Elective | |
| General Electives | General Electives (See: Advisor) | 3 | General Elective | |
| General Electives | General Electives (See: Advisor) | 0-3 | General Elective | |
| Total Credits: 120 | ||||
*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 who plan to take MTH 245 should take MTH 154 or MTH 161 first. Credit will not be awarded for both MTH 155 and MTH 245.
3200-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.
4For approved Concentration, Literature before 1800, Literature before 1915, and Minority, Folkloric, or Popular Literary and Culture Traditions courses, please visit: https://catalog.gmu.edu/colleges-schools/humanities-social-sciences/english/creative-writing-bfa/#requirementstext
5Workshops are in the two areas outside of chosen concentration. The remaining workshop is included as part of the concentration requirements. The ENG 200 level option from 91³Ô¹Ï may partially satisfy Workshop Course requirement (See Advisor).
Additional General Notes & Resources:
• Students will complete 21 credits of BFA core requirements, 12 credits from one of 3 concentrations, and 12 credits in English department requirements. 300-level courses in English and linguistics teach the foundational principles for a field of study, include courses of broad scope, and provide an introduction to a genre, literary period, or methodology. 400-level courses in English and linguistics provide an in-depth approach to a field of study, a single genre, literary period, or methodology. They include special topics classes and English honors classes. Some 400-level courses require ENGH 305 Dimensions of Writing and Literature as a prerequisite.
• Students who complete a VCCS transfer associate degree (AS, AA, & AFA) will receive a waiver of the Foundation and Exploration (lower division) Mason Core general education categories. 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..
• 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.