George Mason University Reviews

  • 260 Reviews
  • Fairfax (VA)
  • Annual Tuition: $38,983
90% of 260 students said this degree improved their career prospects
93% of 260 students said they would recommend this school to others
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Student & Graduate Reviews

Claire Forman
  • Reviewed: 6/16/2013
  • Degree: Public Administration
"There is always some marginal room for improvement when it comes to course content, but with such a diverse enrollment (i.e. students from varying levels of undergraduate programs and undergraduate degree fields), I think the program does what it can. What the program may lack in rigorous content, it certainly makes up for with a very positive experience. I believe 90% of what a person learns is a result of how their peers respond/utilize/help one another with the mutual desire of pursuing a degree, and the environment of this MPA program can't be beat!"
Harveen Singh
  • Reviewed: 6/11/2013
  • Degree: Public Policy
"The International Relations program at Mason allows me to have a hollistic view on the cultures, religions, economics, conflicts, resources geographic regions while also understanding the uniqueness of every country in the world."
Hiba Elnour
  • Reviewed: 6/9/2013
  • Degree: Health Sciences
"pros: great education, challenging, and rewarding classes,good professors with accessible office hours. Cons: I commute 30min or more to get to class, outdated technology, large class sizes."
Amanda Rounds
  • Reviewed: 6/6/2013
  • Degree: Health Sciences
"Pros- Classes, Professors Cons- Where I live in comparison to school"
Rachelle Korinko
  • Reviewed: 5/22/2013
  • Degree: Political Science
"The pros and cons for the programs are myriad and multifaceted, among them include the makeup of colleagues, cost, and required courses. The MA program is tailored to mid-career students. Consequently, most of my cohort are mid 30s, married with children, and work full-time. This means that there is minimal camaraderie among students, and making friends can be tough. However, the school is near Washington D.C. which is a bonus in and of itself. Furthermore, the cost of the program is relatively high for out-of-state students, and receiving residency in VA is complicated. Not to mention, scholarship support seems minimal to MA students. Therefore, I am more apt to recommend the program to older, more established, and Virgina residents. Finally, the program is the typical 36 credit hours. However, there are 6 required courses (i.e. 18 hours). This means that half of the program is not centered around your particular niche, but developing the all too common well-roundness found in undergraduate programs. Also, the program is catered to International Relations and Comparative Politics, many American courses get pushed to the wayside. Furthermore, the methods and statistical-based courses are only the basics, nothing in-depth or upper-level. In closing, the program is well-run (staff and professors are helpful and quick to respond), but younger students may miss out on strong bonds commonly forged among graduate student colleagues."
Martin Horne
  • Reviewed: 5/17/2013
  • Degree: Art & Design
"George Mason has a solid reputation for quality academic experience and excellent networking potential for students who take advantage of the proximity to the capital's resources. Internship "courses" are built into the Art History curriculum, as well as Museum Studies opportunities. The Art History and History Departments are closely engaged, and offer classes applicable to both tracks of study. Regrettably, GMU only offers a Masters Degree in Art History. However, my experience with the faculty gives me confidence in my chances to secure a position in a PhD program upon completion of my M.A."
Martin Horne
  • Reviewed: 5/16/2013
  • Degree: Art & Design
"George Mason has a solid reputation for quality academic experience and excellent networking potential for students who take advantage of the proximity to the capital's resources. Internship "courses" are built into the Art History curriculum, as well as Museum Studies opportunities. The Art History and History Departments are closely engaged, and offer classes applicable to both tracks of study. Regrettably, GMU only offers a Masters Degree in Art History. However, my experience with the faculty gives me confidence in my chances to secure a position in a PhD program upon completion of my M.A."
Shireen Lakhani
  • Reviewed: 5/14/2013
  • Degree: Educational Leadership
"I have very much enjoyed my time at GMU. I would recommend this school to everyone :)"
charlotte cain
  • Reviewed: 5/12/2013
  • Degree: Special Education
"I am so very lucky to be a part of George Mason University's Special Education Graduate Program. Built into the masters is your certification to teach in Virginia. One of the best things about it is that every teacher I have had so far has also been a K-12 special education teacher in one of Virginia's wonderful school counties so we wind up having a lot of connections to multiple schools and districts. All of the classes align perfectly with what we need to know for our work in the field. It even gets into teaching how to communicate effectively with your coworkers and the students' parents. The only downfall is that often times, it is easiest to take classes over the summer (being that as teachers we have off that time) but the summer semester has us double booked for about three weeks before the public school systems in VA let out. It also can be frustrating because the college's Spring Break doesn't align with the surrounding school counties Spring Break so we wind up having to take a week off of work or a week off of school in order to have a spring vacation."
Dung Tran
  • Reviewed: 5/10/2013
  • Degree: Business
"GMU earned very high credits for its academic programs and high quality of teaching and learning in recent years. Its campuses are safe and conveniently located. The program that I am attending consists of two fields: Organization Development (OD) and Knowledge Management (KM). What I like about program is that it maintains a balance between theoretical and practical contents of the fields."
Caroline Shewmaker
  • Reviewed: 5/3/2013
  • Degree: Curriculum & Instruction
"Unlike professors with whom I've worked in other graduate programs, the CEHD professors provide immense support and guidance to students."
Cathleen Behan
  • Reviewed: 5/2/2013
  • Degree: Educational Leadership
"Graduate program in Education is excellent value and experience The faculty are well established in their fields and their research guidance is invaluable!"
Shannon Wright
  • Reviewed: 4/29/2013
  • Degree: Public Policy
"I am a young middle manager with a lot of responsibility, this program is built to fit that lifestyle and still allow me to be successful in my education program! Very excited!"
Shalise Forti
  • Reviewed: 4/29/2013
  • Degree: Public Policy
"I believe that many are skeptical of the nature of Mason's peace operations program under public policy. I myself wonder if it is possible to become able to contribute in the developing world with mostly just academic exposure. I imagine the study abroad requirement is essential to understanding the difficulty of the field."
Mark Coletti
  • Reviewed: 4/26/2013
  • Degree: Computer Science
"Do note that the PhD program time limits are currently being reevaluated."
Meghan McNamara
  • Reviewed: 4/16/2013
  • Degree: Social Sciences
"Perhaps the most significant benefit of the program is the ability to work with a community of writers and receive feedback accordingly. The most significant drawback I would have to say is location. Unless you do metro to bus, it is nearly impossible to get around without a car (and traffic in surrounding areas is heavy). That, and the cost of living is one of the highest in the nation."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 4/16/2013
  • Degree: Curriculum & Instruction
"I just began this program, but the staff and advisors have already been very helpful in getting me started. I like the specialization of this degree and the fact that there are so many other options offered at GMU for students interested in teaching elementary school."
Mark Coletti
  • Reviewed: 4/10/2013
  • Degree: Computer Science
"Be careful about what advisor you select. Chances for success are correlated to how often you're able to meet with your advisor. Mine is too busy to meet with his students, including me, and thus progress has suffered."
Diana Barrientos
  • Reviewed: 4/10/2013
  • Degree: Computer Science
"The M.S. AIT program at George Mason University is being offered at a reasonable tuition rate and number of courses. The application process was simple and it did not take long to receive my acceptance letter. This program is still fairly new but with more demand I am sure that the program will grow to be one of the most popular ones in the Washington Metropolitan area."
Danielle Davis
  • Reviewed: 4/8/2013
  • Degree: Liberal Arts
"The Conflict Analysis and Resolution Program at George Mason University in Arlington is a small secondary campus that houses the Conflict Resolution, Law and Public Policy departments. The education that I have received thus far in my first year of graduate school has been very strong. My professors are knowledgeable within the field and they are prepared to teach every class period the full length of the 2.75 hour class. Although we are surrounded by talented and experienced faculty, there is still a need for career development within the department and more integration of practice. The department does a good job of relaying the theories of conflict; however, we could benefit from having more practical applications of it. Overall, I believe this is a VERY STRONG Conflict Analysis and Resolution program and I would continue to recommend it to future scholars who are interested about this field."