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).
A.S. Biology
| 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 |
| MTH 167 | MTH 167 PreCalculus with Trigonometry2 | 5 | MATH 105 | General Elective |
| CHM 111 | CHM 111 General Chemistry I | 4 | CHEM 211-213 | Major & Nat Science |
| HIS Elective | 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 | |||
| ENG 112 | ENG 112 College Composition II1 | 3 | ENGH 101 | Written Comm |
| MTH 263 | MTH 263 Calculus I | 4 | MATH 113 | Major & Quantitative |
| CHM 112 | CHM 112 General Chemistry II | 4 | CHEM 212-214 | Major |
| BIO 101 | BIO 101 General Biology I | 4 | BIOL 103/105 | Major & Nat Science |
| Humanities/Fine Arts #1 | ART 100 Art Appreciation or | 3-4 | ARTH 101 | Arts or COS BA Foreign Language |
| ART 101 History of Art: Prehistoric to Gothic or | ARTH 200 | |||
| ART 102 History of Art: Renaissance to Modern or | ARTH 201 | |||
| CST 130 Introduction to Theatre or | THR 101 | |||
| CST 151 Film Appreciation I or | ENGH L372 | |||
| MUS 121 Music in Society or | MUSI 101 | |||
| Foreign Language 201 (if student places into language at 201/202 level)3 | GMU Equivalent | |||
| MTH 264 or MTH 245 | MTH 245 Statistics I | 3-4 | STAT 250 | General Elective |
| MTH 264 Calculus II | MATH 114 | |||
| BIO 102 or BIO 120 | BIO 102 General Biology II | 4 | BIOL 102 | Major |
| CST Course | CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking or | 3 | COMM 100 | Oral Comm |
| CST 110 Introduction to Human Communication | COMM 101 | |||
| Social/Behavioral Sciences #1 | 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 | |||
| 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 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 | |||
| BIO 206 | BIO 206 Cell Biology | 4 | BIOL 213 | Major |
| Science Course (91³Ô¹Ï Catalog: MTH 264, MTH 245, or Lab Science) | BIO 256 General Genetics | 4 | BIOL L311 | Major |
| Humanities/Fine Arts #2 | ENG 225 Reading Literature: Culture and Ideas or | 3-4 | ENGH 202 or FRLN L330 (ENG 255 only) | Literature or COS BA Foreign Language |
| 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 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) | |||
| Any 200-Level ENG Literature course4 or | ENGH 202 or FRLN L330 (ENG 255 only) | |||
| Foreign Language 202 (if student places into language at 201/202 level)3 | GMU Equivalent | |||
| Physical or Life Science Elective w/ Lab | PHY 201 General College Physics I or | 4 | PHYS 243/244 | Major |
| PHY 202 PHY 202 General College Physics II or | PHYS 245/246 | |||
| GOL 105 Physical Geology or | GEOL 101/103 | |||
| GOL 106 Historical Geology | GEOL 102/104 | |||
| Total Credits: 63-65 | ||||
For academic policies and procedures, please see 91³Ô¹Ï catalog - http://www.nvcc.edu/catalog/index.html
B.A. Biology
Concentrations:
Students may select a concentration in Biological Illustration. See your Mason Biology advisor for more information.
| MASON Degree Requirement Sequence | Course | Credits | MASON Core/Degree Equivalent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology Core Courses | BIOL 214 Biostatistics for Biology Majors | 4 | Major | |
| General Elective | General Electives (Upper-level, See: Advisor) | 4 | Major | |
| College BA Requirement | Select additional Upper Level Mason Core Arts, Literature, Global Contexts, or Social and Behavioral Sciences5(See Advisor) | 3 | COS BA Requirement | |
| College Requirement: Foreign Language | Approved foreign language course3,5 | 0-6 | COS BA Foreign Lang. | |
| College Requirement: Foreign Language or General Elective | Approved foreign language course3,5OR Upper Level General Elective (if foreign language was taken at 91³Ô¹Ï) | 3 | COS BA Foreign Lang. | |
| Gen Ed: Written Communication (UL) | ENGH 302 Advanced Composition | 3 | Written Comm | |
| Biology Electives | Any upper-level BIOL courses with lab5 | 4 | Major | |
| Biology Core Courses | BIOL 308 Foundations of Ecology & Evolution | 5 | Writing Intensive | |
| Gen Ed: Apex | Approved Apex Course6 | 3 | Apex | |
| College Requirement: Foreign Language or General Elective | Approved foreign language course3,5 or | 3 | COS BA Foreign Lang. or General Elective | |
| Upper Level General Elective (if a foreign language was taken at 91³Ô¹Ï) | ||||
| Biology Electives | Any upper-level BIOL courses5 | 4 | Major | |
| College BA Requirement | Select additional Upper Level Mason Core Arts, Literature, Global Contexts, or Social and Behavioral Sciences5 | 3 | COS BA Requirement | |
| (Course must be in a different Mason Core category than selected in line 21 and in a different discipline than selected at 91³Ô¹Ï; See Advisor) | COS BA Requirment | |||
| General Elective | General Electives (Upper-level: See Advisor) | 3 | General Electives | |
| General Elective | General Electives (Upper-level: See Advisor) | 3 | General Electives | |
| General Elective | General Electives (Upper-level: See Advisor) | 3 | General Electives | |
| General Elective | General Electives (Upper-level: See Advisor) | 3 | General Electives | |
| General Elective | General Electives (Upper-level: See Advisor) (As needed to reach 120 total credits and 45 total upper level credits) | 1-3 | General Electives | |
| Supporting Core Courses and Gen Ed: Information Technology | Approved Info Tech Course (Upper-level)6 | 3 | Major & Info Tech | |
| Total Credits: 120-124 | ||||
*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 may also use MTH 161/162.
3Students who opt to complete language courses at 91³Ô¹Ï may need to replace these credits with upper level general electives at Mason to reach 120 total credits. Consult with your ADVANCE Coach or Biology advisor.
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 Biology Elective options, the COS College BA Requirement options, and the approved Foreign Language courses, please visit: https://catalog.gmu.edu/colleges-schools/science/biology/biology-ba/#requirementstext. If foreign language completed at Mason, students may opt to take a two course, 101/102 sequence if available.
6For approved Mason Core courses, please visit - https://catalog.gmu.edu/mason-core/
Additional General Notes & Resources:
• Students must complete the degree requirements with: A minimum GPA of 2.00 in the BIOL courses listed in the degree program and a minimum GPA of 2.00 in the supporting courses listed in the degree program. Additionally:
1. Biology majors must earn a minimum grade of 'C' in all of the biology core courses. A grade of 'C' or better must be earned in BIOL 213 Cell Structure and Function (Mason Core) in order to advance to other core requirements.
2. Students may not count BIOL 124 Human Anatomy and Physiology and/or BIOL 125 Human Anatomy and Physiology toward any biology major requirement.
3. Students who take BIOL 310 Biodiversity and BIOL 330 Biodiversity Lab and Recitation may not count BIOL 303 Animal Biology and/or BIOL 304 Plant Biology toward any biology major requirement.
4. BIOL 493 Honors Research in Biology, BIOL 495 Directed Studies in Biology, and BIOL 497 Special Problems in Biology do not satisfy the requirements of the BA degree which state that students must complete at least one upper division course that includes a laboratory. The courses do, however, count as non-
laboratory electives.
• Students interested in Pre-Health Professions (Pre-Med, Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Podiatry, Pre-Optometry, Pre-Veterinary, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Physician Assistant, Pre-Occupational Therapy, and Pre-Physical Therapy) are strongly encouraged to meet with the Health Professions Advisor regarding the appropriate prerequisite courses for their field of choice. For more information, please visit: https://prehealth.gmu.edu/
• Students interested in pursuing licensure to teach at the secondary level may add the Undergraduate Certificate: Secondary Education - Biology to this degree. For more information visit: https://education.gmu.edu/secondary-education-6-12/academics/. Some certificate courses can be used to fulfill general elective requirements, but additional credits may be needed to complete the certificate. Students interested in teacher licensure should meet with a Mason pre-teacher advisor. Contact information: https://cehd.gmu.edu/teacher/advising/advising-appointment/
• 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.