Individualized Studies Concentration
Design your own master's with a mission
Other Concentrations
Individualized Studies is your opportunity to design an interdisciplinary graduate program to develop expertise spanning multiple areas to meet your distinctive educational and professional goals. By crafting your own degree path you can leverage the courses and faculty strength of the entire university. This program is not for everyone. The curriculum students pursue should reflect a detailed plan of study that makes intellectual sense and that cannot be completed within available degree programs at the university.
If you would like to consult about the viability of a proposed program, please contact the Individualized Studies concentration head.
Disciplinary Focus and Complementary Disciplines
To help students develop a plan of study, beginning in Fall 2022, we have curated lists of classes in a variety of disciplines that can be combined to meet the degree requirements. Applicants should simply identify two fields and use the fields’ associated course lists to create an individualized MA degree. Within these fields, the MAIS program can help you find a graduate faculty member to support your degree. Please contact mais@gmu.edu with questions. Fields available include the following:
- EVPP 533 Energy Policy
- GGS 507 Geographic Approaches for Sustainable Development
- PHYS 581 Topics in Renewable Energy or GEOL 521 Geology of Energy Resources
- One from the following:
- BIOD 760 National Security Technology and Policy
- ECON 695 Special Topics in Economics
- EVPP 505 Selected Topics in Environmental Science
- EVPP 638 Corporate Environmental Management and Policy
- EVPP 642 Environmental Policy
- GGS 525 Economics of Human/Environment Interactions
- POGO 550 Topics in Policy and Government
- PUBP 710 Topics in Public Policy
- HIST 610 The Study and Writing of History
- Four courses in European History. See university catalog for current options
- HIST 610 The Study and Writing of History
- Four courses in Global History. See university catalog for current options
- ENGH 500 Research in English Studies
- Four from the following:
- ENGH 511 Graduate Literature Survey
- ENGH 513 Topics in Literary and Cultural Studies
- ENGH 526 Special Topics in the History and Criticism of Children's Literature
- ENGH 551 Introduction to Literary Theory
- ENGH 590 Topics in Folk Narrative
- ENGH 620 Topics in Pedagogy
- ENGH 642 Seminar in British Literature
- ENGH 644 Seminar in American Literature
- ENGH 661 Seminar in African-American Literature
- ENGH 665 Seminar in Global Culture
- ENGH 685 Selected Topics, Movements, or Genres of Literature in English
- ENGH 501 Introduction to Professional and Technical Writing
- ENGH 502 Research Methods in Professional and Technical Writing
- ENGH 503 Theory and Practice of Editing
- ENGH 505 Document Design
- ENGH 509 Proposal Writing and Development
- ENGH 612 Cultures of Professional Writing
- ENGH 613 Technical Communication
- ENGH 689 Advanced Proposal Writing
- FRLN 575 Heritage Language Education
- SPAN 502 Hispanic Sociolinguistic
- SPAN 574 Critical Approaches to Teaching Spanish-language Culture
- SPAN 575 Teaching Spanish for Social Justice
- EDUC 537 Introduction to Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Learners or EDCI 560 Methods of Teaching in Foreign/World Languages
- HIST 610 The Study and Writing of History
- Four courses in United States History. See university catalog for current options
- Five from WMS course lists
Who’s in the Program
Successful students in Individualized Studies are those willing to put in the work to meet with professors and craft relationships outside of the established degree pathways.
Career Paths
Students have pursued careers as varied as the paths taken to arrive at graduation. For example, students interested in integrating sustainability into their career as a facilities manager might combine courses from the sustainability and hospitality management programs. Educators may be interested in combining courses from the school of psychology and secondary education of students who are deaf or hard of hearing to improve their knowledge of special learning populations and the social issues these students face in today's educational environments. Government employees interested in a career interacting with the media could combine courses in government and rhetorical performance. There are a wide range of concentrations that can be created based on each student's professional career aspirations.
Why Mason
Mason offers a multitude of well-respected programs at the master’s level. As a MAIS student you have access to craft your degree from across the university. Mason’s proximity to the Washington, D.C., area means you have access to gaining real world experience, no matter the field you choose to pursue, as well as access to Mason’s large alumni network in the area. Mason's academic programs offer you the chance to fulfill your dreams and take the road less traveled – the path you are choosing!