Mason Online

Archives: Programs

Business Analytics (Graduate Certificate)

Program Description

The amount of data flowing from, to, and through enterprises of all sorts is large and growing rapidly—more rapidly than the capabilities of organizations to use it. Successful enterprises are those that make effective use of the abundance of data to which they have access: to make better predictions, better decisions, and form better strategies.

Business analytics involves analyzing data for business insights and encompasses a wide array of methodologies and techniques—from collection, organization, reporting and mining of data to extraction of useful and actionable information for the decision-makers.

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The Costello College of Business Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics will help analysts and managers in marketing, accounting, and other fields to effectively analyze big data through the hands-on use of modeling and other techniques using popular software tools.

George Mason University, Costello College of Business

Ranked Top 20 of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Business Analytics MBA Programs, 2022

Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)

Program Description

Provide holistic care to families across the health care continuum in our online Master of Science in Nursing with a Family Nurse Practitioner concentration (MSN–FNP).* The MSN program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).**

Benefit from a responsive curriculum based on the most up-to-date evidence-based practice. Plus, learn from active practitioners who understand the demand of modern health care and can pass their real-world knowledge on to you.

The curriculum includes 500+ hours of learning in clinical settings. Equip yourself with the skills to build an evidence-based practice and integrate your learning into your everyday work.

#10 Best Master’s in Nursing Schools by U.S. News & World Report, 2024

Program Outcomes

When you complete our 49-credit MSN-FNP, you will be able to:

  • Effectively communicate and collaborate with patients
  • Perform a focused assessment of a patient across the lifespan
  • Use patient and clinical data to formulate health care diagnoses
  • Provide an evidence-based, patient-centered plan of care appropriate for individual patients
  • Identify and evaluate appropriate therapeutic interventions for the management of individual patients
  • Collaborate across health care disciplines with a foundation of interprofessional experience
  • Address the social determinants of health in the care of patients and populations

This program also prepares you to sit for certifications from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).

Community-Focused, Evidence-Based

Population and public health are a core focus of this program. You will learn to work within community settings and gain an understanding of the complex nature of patients’ needs so you can develop an appropriate plan of care using a shared decision-making model.

Plus, as an R1 (Research 1) university, we help you develop an evidence-based practice informed by modern research. Learn to identify credible sources, review the latest journals and reports, and understand current research.

Combined with micro-level clinical skills, you’ll graduate with the comprehensive, responsive knowledge you need to ensure exceptional outcomes for your patients.

Direct Contact With Practicing Faculty

Many of our nurse practitioner faculty are active practitioners who will give you individual attention and support throughout this program. Learn directly from health care providers who have directed clinics, served diverse, low-income populations, and implemented and evaluated models of service for underserved communities and persons with chronic diseases.

Effective Collaboration Across Disciplines

To provide holistic care, modern practitioners need to collaborate with various health care providers, from nutritionists and social workers to psychologists and health informaticists. Mason weaves interprofessional experiences throughout your curriculum, so working across disciplines becomes second nature.

Our MSN curriculum is founded on Interprofessional Educational Collaborative Core Competencies, including putting patients’ needs first, respecting patients’ dignity and privacy, and cooperating with other care providers to create a climate of mutual respect.

Literacy Coaching (Graduate Certificate)

Program Description

The Literacy Coaching concentration of the Literacy/Reading Instruction graduate certificate is designed for current Reading Specialists or others with a strong background in literacy who want to more effectively support teachers’ professional learning, and ultimately student achievement, through literacy coaching. Coursework provides an in-depth understanding of adult learning, effective professional development techniques, strategies for supporting collaboration and communication, using data to foster change, ways to more effectively use technology when working with teachers, and issues of diversity and equity in literacy instruction. For more information, visit cehd.gmu.edu/LiteracyCoaching.

Education Assessment, Evaluation, and Data Literacy (Graduate Certificate)

Program Description

This 12-credit certificate prepares teachers, building-level and district-level leaders to create, analyze and interpret a variety of student performance assessments in order to improve instruction and student learning. The four carefully-sequenced courses for the certificate focus on developing meaningful teacher-created and classroom-based student assessments, interpreting both informal and formal assessment data, and using those data in making curricular decisions. Practicing teachers and other school leaders have the opportunity to apply assessment and decision-making skills to their own classrooms or schools.

Music Education (MM)

Program Description

The School of Music at George Mason University is happy to offer an online Master’s Degree in Music Education.  Providing a high-quality education is key to our mission at Mason, and all online courses are designed and taught by experienced Mason faculty who are well-versed in the areas of teaching and scholarship.

It is our goal to provide academic choices for today’s music educators, and our graduate program offers full online degrees with thesis and non-thesis options.  Hybrid options include the same high-quality online courses combined with on campus Orff and Kodaly coursework, which is offered during the summer semesters.

Degree Options Include:

  • Online Master’s Degree: Non-Thesis Option
  • Online Master’s Degree: Thesis Option
  • Hybrid Online Master’s Degree: Kodaly Option
  • Hybrid Online Master’s Degree: Orff Option

Concentrations

  • Master of Music

Master of Social Work (MSW)

Program Description

  • Develop your passion for helping others
  • Gain the latest understanding of equity and human rights in social work
  • Take advantage of George Mason’s established community connections and explore interactive learning opportunities through our Practicum Education Program
  • Choose between two specializations: 1) Adults & Healthy Aging or 2) Children, Youth, & Families
  • Learn to integrate intersectionality in social work practice with diverse populations
  • Learn online and advance your career at a pace that works for you
  • Prepare to meet the diverse needs of different populations
  • By completing this program, you may be eligible to sit for one of these national licensing exams:* Licensed Social Worker or Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Focus on Social Justice and Empowerment

  • Emphasis on empowerment and systems transformation
  • Preparation to meet the needs of underserved populations and advance the ideals of social justice
  • Curriculum is built around a Social Justice Core, delivering interdisciplinary perspectives on topics like human behavior, social policy, research methods, and clinical practice

Learn From Faculty With Real-World Experience

  • Learn from current research findings, develop an evidence-based practice, and establish strong relationships with practicing social workers, some with extensive international experience that will lend a global perspective to your education

MSW Advanced Standing

George Mason University’s Online Master of Social Work is now offering an Advanced Standing program for those qualified with a Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE-accredited institution. This competitive program gives those who qualify the opportunity to complete their Master of Social Work in less time, in 33 credit hours.

MSW Accelerated Track

George Mason University’s online Master of Social Work program is now offering an accelerated track that allows students to take 9 credits per semester, thereby finishing the degree at a faster rate.

Stipend Program Available

  • Child Welfare Stipend Program (CWSP): Specialized training program aimed to prepare social work students for a career in public child welfare. Each CWSP recipient will receive a $10,000 stipend per academic year, with a work payback requirement. Specific requirements and more information can be found here.

Practicum Education Program

We offer two types of field practicum placements:

  • Traditional: Get matched with affiliated agencies.
  • Employment-Based Field Practicum (EBP): Through your current company

Our Practicum Education Program Office works to support students by placing them in a broad range of interdisciplinary social work settings where they gain hands-on field experience. These structured interactive learning experiences prepare students for professional practice in environments that provide a globalized approach to learning.

Students will have opportunities to demonstrate social work competencies in their home communities through local, in-person internships. We work with over 400 field practicum agencies in Northern Virginia, the Washington Metropolitan area (DMV), and within the United States (50 states) to ensure our students have access to organizations that span beyond the traditional divisions of social work.

We offer two types of field practicum placements:

  • Traditional: The Practicum Education Program Office matches students with affiliated agencies who are a part of a large data base of agencies that have worked with our students. This data base also includes agencies in other states that have worked with George Mason University online students. Field Practicum hours must mirror the agency’s hours of operations. Programs, Field Instructors, and Supervision must be available during this time.
  • Employment-Based Field Practicum (EBP) Requirements
    • A student holds full-time employment with an eligible social service agency with social work-related job responsibilities.
    • A student has worked for the agency for at least six months and/or completed the employment probation period by the start of their field practicum.
    • Letters of reference from the Program Director and Supervisor stating the support of the EBP arrangement.***

Applied Industrial and Organizational Psychology
(Master of Professional Studies)

Program Description

George Mason’s online Master of Professional Studies in Applied Industrial and Organizational Psychology delivers the research-backed methods and understanding of data and analytics HR and business professionals need to foster a culture of innovation — where each employee feels empowered to contribute new ideas, effect change, and do their best work every day.

Learn how to consistently hire candidates who are the right fit for the company, identify employees’ individual motivations, establish meaningful evaluations and reward systems, and improve training and performance programs.

Main areas of study focus on understanding and applying concepts in:

  • Evidence-Based Practices
  • Research and Data Analytic Methods
  • Organizational Systems, Change & Development

Health Informatics and Data Analytics (Graduate Certificate)

Program Description

In just 12 months, the online graduate certificate in Health Informatics and Data Analytics prepares clinicians, health care managers, and IT professionals to apply advanced data science methods with a focus on the patient outcomes and quality of care.

As electronic health records, administrative data, consumer generated data and related data repositories experience exponential growth, you’ll be prepared to extract meaning from sensitive data with confidence. Explore artificial intelligence, machine learning, data mining, and other advanced analytic techniques that demonstrate how to handle complex problems found in observational data.

Public Health, Generalist (Graduate Certificate)

Program Description

In the 18-credit hour Public Health Graduate Certificate, Generalist concentration, allows students to take up to six core classes required of the MPH program.

Concentrations

  • Generalist

Data Analytics Engineering (MS)

Program Description

The Data Analytics Engineering (DAEN) Master of Science Program is a multidisciplinary program in the George Mason University College of Engineering and Computing. This program provides students with knowledge and experience across a broad range of data analytics algorithms, tools, and processes, and focuses on a flexible and broad set of courses to be used by graduates for solving a wide range of real-world problems.

The online program can potentially be completed in approximately two years and will provide the graduate with an expanded set of career options and opportunities.

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Unique, Real-World Program

Faculty in the online master’s in data analytics program are dedicated to offering a career-focused program. They meet regularly with an industry-expert advisory committee to ensure coursework is rigorous and relevant.

The program addresses three types of data analytics engineering: a) data engineering; b) data architecture; and c) data analysis. The data engineering area of the program is focused on data conditioning required to fit data into specific data architectures and transform data to be exploitable. The data architecture area is focused creating frameworks that make data driven intelligence possible. The data analysis area is focused on creating repeatable means to draw key insight and signal from data. In your capstone course, you’ll create a functional team project and deliver a technical report and oral briefing at its completion.

The multidisciplinary curriculum includes coursework from several departments within the College of Engineering and Computing.

Learn In a Top-Ranked School

George Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing has worked with Big Data and cybersecurity for more than 25 years. It’s led by faculty with rich industry experience and connections who draw upon both to teach a proven, career-focused curriculum and make you a top competitor for the future data architect, scientist, or analyst role you prefer.

  • The 20 Best Schools to Study Big Data Analytics — TechRepublic, March 2016
  • Top 50 Best-Value, Big Data Graduate Programs — Value Colleges, 2018
  • Top 50 Best Online Master’s in Engineering Programs — U.S. News & World Report, 2023

Online Graduate Certificate Option

Take four courses in roughly 12 months to gain foundational knowledge in data analytics engineering. Concepts covered include:

  • Data, data quality, and large volumes of data
  • Data management and data mining
  • Modeling and model usage for making decisions
  • Statistical methods and visualization

If you decide later to pursue the online MS in Data Analytics Engineering degree, credits from the graduate certificate will apply. For more information on the Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics Engineering click here.

Learning Online

Learning online in an asynchronous format means that you can complete your degree at times and in locations that are best for you. Avoid commute times or “traditional” classroom hours, so you can complete your degree and advance your career even if you travel for work, have kids at home, or keep a busy or non-traditional schedule.

Coursework is delivered through a variety of prepared video lessons, readings, or engagement-orientated learning tasks that you’ll complete by predefined dates, but this doesn’t mean you learn alone. You’ll participate in lively conversations with peers and faculty in discussion posts, and many students form study groups with peers.

You will be required to participate in synchronous meetings for your capstone course – DAEN 690. This course is 15 weeks long*, as opposed to the rest of the courses which are 8 weeks in duration. This course will require virtual class lectures once a week from either 4:30 PM-7:10 PM or 7:20 PM-10 PM EST**. The day of the week will be determined once enrolled in this course. Students will be expected to discuss this with their employers and let them know that they are required to attend these sessions – no exceptions. DAEN 690 will be taken in the last semester of the program.

Students will also be required to meet once a week, for up to an hour, with the DAEN Program capstone partner who proposed the project and to which they are assigned to for the course. These meetings occur outside the regular class lecture meeting time and are set based on the availability of the capstone partner. Once again, if this occurs during the workday, students will need to notify their employers of the mandatory attendance at that partner meeting.

*DAEN 690 taken in the summer is 12 weeks long.

**DAEN 690 taken in the summer requires virtual class lectures once a week from 5-8:30 PM EST.

Faculty act as mentors throughout your program to ensure you’re on the right path to meet your career goals. You’ll get to know them well by phone, video conferences, emails, and through their thought-provoking questions and commentary within the course.

On-Campus Program Available

The master’s in data analytics engineering is designed to provide students with an understanding of the technologies and methodologies necessary for data-driven decision-making. Topics cover data mining, information technology, statistical models, predictive analytics, optimization, risk analysis, and data visualization. Aimed at on-campus students who wish to become data scientists and analysts in finance, marketing, operations, business intelligence, and other information-intensive groups generating and consuming large amounts of data, the program also has wider applications, including concentrations in digital forensics, financial engineering, and business analytics. Learn more about the on-campus program.