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 graduate with the 91³Ô¹Ï degree aligned with their ADVANCE academic pathway 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 college level math course 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. Science
| 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 |
| General Education Elective | ADJ 100 Survey of Criminal Justice | 3 | CRIM 100 | Major & Soc/Behav |
| MTH 167 | MTH 167 Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry2 | 5 | MATH 105 | General Elective |
| MTH 263 | MTH 263 Calculus I | 4 | MATH 113 | Major & Quantitative |
| ENG 112 | ENG 112 College Composition II1 | 3 | ENGH 101 | Written Comm |
| MTH 245 (91³Ô¹Ï Catalog: MTH 264) | MTH 245 Statistics I | 3 | STAT 250 | Major |
| Science Course #1 | CHM 111 General Chemistry I | 4 | CHEM 211-213 | Major & Natural Science |
| Social/Behavioral Sciences #1 | ECO 201 Principles of Macroeconomics or | 3 | ECON 104 | General Elective |
| 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 | |||
| HIS Course | 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 | |||
| Humanities/Fine Arts #1 | ART 100 Art Appreciation or | 3 | ARTH 101 | Arts |
| 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 | MUSI 101 | |||
| Math or Science #1 | CHM 112 General Chemistry II | 4 | CHEM 212-214 | Major & Natural Science |
| Math or Science #2 | PHY 201 General College Physics I3 | 4 | PHYS 243-244 | Major |
| General Education Elective | GEO 220 World Regional Geography or | 3 | GGS 101 | General Elective |
| 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 | |||
| CST Course | CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking or | 3 | COMM 100 | Oral Comm |
| CST 110 Introduction to Human Communication | COMM 101 | |||
| Humanities/Fine Arts #2 | ENG 225 Reading Literature: Culture and Ideas or | 3 | ENGH 202 | Literature |
| 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 | |||
| Math or Science #3 | PHY 202 General College Physics II3 | 4 | PHYS 245-246 | Major |
| Science Course #2 |
BIOL 213 Cell Structure and Function2
*
|
4 | BIOL 213 | Major |
| General Education Elective (This elective is not needed if selections for all other requirements total 60 credits or more) | ECO 201 Principles of Macroeconomics or | 0-3 | ECON 104 | General Elective |
| ECO 202 Principles of Microeconomics or | ECON 103 | |||
| HUM 210 Introduction to Women and Gender Studies or | WMST 200 | |||
| HUM 256 Comparative Mythology or | ENGH 202 | |||
| PHI 111 Logic or | PHIL 173T | |||
| PSY 200 Principles of Psychology or | PSYC 100 | |||
| REL 100 Introduction to the Study of Religion or | RELI 100 | |||
| SOC 200 Introduction to Sociology | SOCI 101 | |||
| Total Credits: 60-62 | ||||
For academic policies and procedures, please see 91³Ô¹Ï catalog - http://www.nvcc.edu/catalog/index.html
B.S. Forensic Science
Concentrations: Criminalistics, Forensic Biology, Forensic Chemistry, and Interdisciplinary Forensic Science
| MASON Degree Requirement Sequence | Course | Credits | MASON Core/Degree Equivalent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forensic Science Core Courses | FRSC 200 Survey of Forensic Science | 3 | Major | |
| Natural Science Core Courses | CHEM 313 Organic Chemistry I AND | 5 | Major | |
| CHEM 315 Organic Chemistry Lab I | ||||
| Natural Science Core Courses | BIOL 311 General Genetics | 4 | Major | |
| Forensic Science Core Courses | FRSC 201 Introduction to Criminalistics | 3 | Major | |
| Gen Ed: Written Communication (UL) | ENGH 302 Advanced Composition | 3 | Written Comm | |
| Natural Science Core Courses | CHEM 314 Organic Chemistry II AND | 5 | Major | |
| CHEM 318 Organic Chemistry Lab II | ||||
| Forensic Science Core Courses | FRSC 302 Forensic Trace Analysis | 3 | Major & Writing Intensive | |
| Students must select one of the concentration areas below. See Mason Forensic Science advisor to plan courses by term. | ||||
| Concentration Requirements: Criminalistics | Extended Forensic Science Core: | 32-39 | Major | |
| FRSC 303 Forensic Evidence and Ethics | ||||
| FRSC Forensic Chemistry AND Lab | ||||
| FRSC 401 Crime Scene Investigations | ||||
| FRSC 405 Independent Research Methods or | ||||
| FRSC 406 Forensic Internship | ||||
| FRSC Forensic DNA Analysis AND Lab | ||||
| Required Concentration Courses: Select approved two lecture and laboratory pairings for a minimum of 8 credits.5 | ||||
| Supporting Science Electives: Select a minimum of approved 7 credits (not previously taken).5 | ||||
| Concentration Requirements: Forensic Biology | Extended Forensic Science Core: | 32-35 | Major | |
| FRSC 303 Forensic Evidence and Ethics | ||||
| FRSC Forensic Chemistry AND Lab | ||||
| FRSC 401 Crime Scene Investigations | ||||
| FRSC 405 Independent Research Methods or | ||||
| FRSC 406 Forensic Internship | ||||
| FRSC Forensic DNA Analysis AND Lab | ||||
| Required Concentration Courses: | ||||
| FRSC Molecular Biology and Lab | ||||
| FRSC 470 Forensic Genomics | ||||
| BIOL 483 General Biochemistry | ||||
| Supporting Science Electives: Select a minimum of 3 credits.5 | ||||
| Concentration Requirements: Forensic Chemistry | Extended Forensic Science Core: | 36-39 | Major | |
| FRSC 303 Forensic Evidence and Ethics | ||||
| FRSC Forensic Chemistry AND Lab | ||||
| FRSC 401 Crime Scene Investigations | ||||
| FRSC 405 Independent Research Methods or | ||||
| FRSC 406 Forensic Internship | ||||
| FRSC Forensic DNA Analysis AND Lab | ||||
| Required Concentration Courses: | ||||
| FRSC 404 Advanced Instrumentation in Forensic Chemistry | ||||
| CHEM 321 Quantitative Chemical Analysis | ||||
| MATH 114 Analytic Geometry and Calculus II | ||||
| Supporting Science Electives: Select a minimum of 7 credits.5 | ||||
| Concentration Requirements: Interdisciplinary Forensic Science | Extended Forensic Science Core: | 21 | Major | |
| Select 6 credits (not previously taken) of any 300-400 level FRSC courses. | ||||
| Required Concentration Courses or Minor: | ||||
| Select a minimum of 15 credits (not previously taken) or choose a minor from the listed minors.5 | ||||
| General Electives | General Electives (See Advisor) | 0-10 | General Elective | |
| Gen Ed: Apex | Approved Apex Course6 | 3 | Apex | |
| Total Credits: 120-130 | ||||
*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 place directly into MTH 263 should take BIO 101 in place of MTH 167. Students who meet the 91³Ô¹Ï prerequisite for BIO 206: Cell Biology may take this course at 91³Ô¹Ï in line 18 instead of co-enrollment in BIOL 213. Students are encouraged to take BIOL 213 or BIO 206: Cell Biology in their final semester at 91³Ô¹Ï.
3Students interested in the Forensic Chemistry Concentration may choose PHY 241 and PHY 242.
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 Supporting Science/Concentration Courses, please visit - https://catalog.gmu.edu/colleges-schools/science/forensic-program/forensic-science-bs/#requirementstext
6For approved Mason Core courses, please visit - https://catalog.gmu.edu/mason-core/
Additional General Notes & Resources:
• Students majoring in forensic science must complete their major coursework with a minimum GPA of 2.30. No more than three courses with a grade of 'D'
(1.00) may be applied to the major. Students are advised to be aware of prerequisites that may be required for each course in the curriculum.
• 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.