Program Details

The BIS program is offered online. Students transferring to Mason will likely need to take 45 upper-level credits, finish general education requirements and their BIS Concentration courses to meet the 120 total credits required for the degree. BIS has a generous acceptance policy for transfer of academic credits from regionally accredited institutions and institutions worldwide. The program combines an interdisciplinary academic framework and a writing-intensive, research-based curriculum to provide students with individualized degree plans. BIS students have the unique opportunity to take courses from various departments across Mason and count them toward their BIS degrees. The flexibility of the program allows students to work while finishing their degree. Students can advance professionally, prepare for graduate or professional school, or position themselves for a career change. The advisers and faculty are committed to helping students build on their life experiences to create a satisfying and rewarding degree program.

Mason's Bachelor of Individualized Study (BIS) program is a degree completion program for adult learners, age 22 or older. We recommend each student meet with an academic advisor for individualized guidance on degree completion. Students work with an advisor to get help creating a schedule of required courses and identifying what general education courses need to be completed. BIS offers students generous transfer credit options and a distinctive educational opportunity to integrate other college-level learning, such as professional or military experience, into university coursework. Students also meet with advisors to create interdisciplinary concentrations to meet their own educational needs, advance professionally, to prepare for graduate or professional programs, or to plan a path toward a career change.

• Create a schedule for all required courses, pay attention to prerequisites and when courses are offered, complete your first math and English courses in your first year
• Connect with an advisor at your community college and George Mason University within your first year via College Connect

Eligibility requirements specific to the BIS Program include: age 22 years or older; prior accumulation of at least 12 semester hours of transferable college credit; a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or greater in previous higher education coursework.

Adult learners thrive in the BIS program. Creating a degree from courses that fit their professional and personal goals increases motivation and delivers the value adult students require. Courses focused on Leadership, Communication, and Data analysis are often included in BIS students' programs of study as they are stepping stones for advancement. Many BIS students use Mason's Bachelor to Accelerated Masters program to seamlessly continue from their Bachelor's degree into a Graduate degree. As a result, 40% of BIS students go directly into graduate programs enhancing their credentials and improving their professional trajectory.

BIS is focused only on adult degree completion. Specifically designed for working adults, the graduation rate for BIS students is 80%. The BIS program supports students by offering introductory courses that directly address personal situations and capabilities. BIS 300 and BIS 301 prepares each adult student for success within their self-designed program of study. Advising is an important factor in degree completion, BIS advisors and faculty understand the challenges of being in college as an adult with a multitude of responsibilities.

• Completing your Associate transfer degree post-high school satisfies all lower division general education requirements and increases the chance of completing your bachelor's degree?
• Exceeding 3 years or 90 credits at your community college means you may have exhausted your financial aid at that college and have limited your future financial aid at: George Mason University

• Our students enroll from all over the Commonwealth, all 50 states, and more than 125 countries.
• Transfer students are encouraged, but not required to join our residential campus community of 6,400 students.
• Mason transfers thrive in any number of the 375+ academic, cultural, or social student organizations.