Frequently Asked Questions

BAM information can be found here. A full list of CEC’s BAM programs can be found here.

If you are a BAM student requesting to defer to the next semester term, you must seek approval from CECGS by emailing cecgrad@gmu.edu. If you are a BAM student requesting to defer for two or more semesters, your case must be reviewed by CECGS and the Provost’s Office.

We offer degree program admission and non-degree studies admission. 

Degree programs admission: Students who are applying for a master’s, doctoral, or graduate certificate program must meet the minimum requirements for admission consideration for these programs.  

Non-degree studies admission: Graduate non-degree admission will not admit you to a degree program but will allow you to take graduate level courses at the 500-600 level in the College of Engineering and Computing.

Yes. In order to be admitted to non-degree studies you must meet the minimum prerequisite requirements as outlined for our graduate programs. Learn more at www.gmu.edu/non-degree/graduate/apply.

Note: International students seeking or on F1/J1 visas are not eligible to enroll in non-degree coursework in-person. Financial aid is not available for students enrolled in non-degree studies. 

Non-degree students may later choose to enter a formal degree program and can transfer a maximum of 12 credit hours in courses with a grade of B or better to the selected George Mason graduate degree or certificate program. Students can apply for degree admission using the application for graduate study. 

All master’s programs require at least 18 credits to be completed as a student with degree-seeking status at George Mason. Some graduate programs allow a maximum of 6 credits that can be transferred from graduate non-degree status to the degree program. Students planning to seek a degree from George Mason are strongly encouraged to apply for degree-seeking admission and seek departmental advising as soon as possible. Non-degree students are also expected to maintain the same academic standards as degree-seeking students.

Prospective doctoral students are asked to identify 2-3 potential faculty advisors. Applicants should review graduate faculty profiles and select faculty who share their research interests. It is not necessary to reach out to the faculty members before submitting an application.

It is possible to complete the doctoral coursework on a part-time basis. However, students who attempt to complete the dissertation research part-time usually have significant difficulty doing so. CEC recommends that you commit at least one year of full-time study on your dissertation research. If it is possible to identify a research topic that overlaps substantially with current employment, you may be able to accomplish the research while working full-time.

Admission to cross-disciplinary Information Technology PhD studies will depend on alignment with faculty research expertise. Before applying, review graduate faculty profiles to identify faculty members that could potentially serve as an advisor. Prospective students should also review the program handbook which includes helpful information about the structure of the degree.

Courses for the PhD in INFT are available across all of George Mason’s campuses in Fairfax, Arlington, and Manassas. Students have the option to take online courses when available, but are not required, and some required courses are only offered in-person. 

CEC graduate application deadlines are listed here. Our deadlines are enforced to ensure timely application reviews and decisions. Please note that the deadline is for both the application and all application materials, including test scores, if required.

Please refer to George Mason’s graduate admissions requirements for details on application material submission. You may also visit your desired program’s catalog page for information regarding prerequisites that may be required for admission consideration.

George Mason accepts unofficial transcripts and encourages applicants to upload their materials directly to the application. These include degree transcripts, goals statement, resume, the names and email addresses of your recommenders, and any supplemental items you wish to share with the admission review committee. 

For internationally-educated applicants:

Applicants educated outside of the U.S. are required to submit additional documents. These include a transcript evaluation and English proficiency exam. A list of international graduate admissions requirements can be found here.

The following items must be submitted as official documents (meaning, you cannot upload these items yourself): 

• Any tests required for admission to your program (for example, the GRE or English proficiency exam) 
• International transcript evaluation from a NACES-approved agency such as WES or AACRO. 
• Alternatively, internationally-educated students may request a Mason-performed evaluation, free of charge when applying. You will receive a prompt to enter your request in the application.

Within your first semester at George Mason, you will need to submit your official transcripts. For information about this process and where to send your transcripts please click here.

Do not send official materials via mail to an academic department or the Office of Graduate Studies in the College of Engineering and Computing. Doing so will slow down the processing time.

No. George Mason will only accept degrees accredited by one of the regional accreditation bodies listed here.

GRE test results are sent electronically from the testing agency. Please use the George Mason University institution code: 5827. More details about testing requirements are available here.  

Our faculty review applications as a whole, along with the strength of the current application pool. Due to the nature of our review process, we can not offer a minimum score, as test scores are one of many items considered for admission and may have varying effects on individual student applications. 

Note that most of our graduate programs in CEC do not require a GRE for admission review. Make sure to visit this page for more information on individual degree/program requirements.

The Bioengineering PhD program requires an interview during the application process. For all other CEC graduate programs, interviews may be requested as needed.

The goals statement should be limited to one or two pages maximum in length. Your statement should highlight your accomplishments, the reason(s) you want to complete the program, any research interests and the outcomes you plan to achieve after earning your degree. Additionally, you may include in your goals statement any deficits you may have on your academic record.  

Some programs may have specific questions that they want you to address in your statement. Visit the George Mason catalog and search under your desired program for those details, if provided. If you do not find them in the catalog, then the general information above should be included.

Many graduate programs at the College of Engineering and Computing require a solid foundation in subjects such as computer science, mathematics, programming, and statistics. Visit the George Mason Catalog and select your program of interest to access information about the academic background you should have prior to applying, including any prerequisites necessary for admission consideration. Additionally, you can visit your desired program’s department website here and find requirements by program here.

If you have not taken courses in the required subject matter, don’t have the prerequisites necessary for admission consideration, or perhaps need a refresher course, it is recommended that you take those courses at the undergraduate level before applying for graduate studies. Information about undergraduate non-degree admissions at George Mason is available here. You may choose to take required courses at another institution, such as Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC), if the courses you need are available. After completing the required coursework with a grade of B or better, include your transcript showing the coursework with your graduate application. 

You may request an appointment here. Please note that these meetings are informational only. CEC Graduate Studies does not review application credentials to determine admissibility. For admission consideration, students must submit a full application and go through the admission review process. 

CEC Office of Graduate Studies does not offer an application fee waiver for graduate admission. George Mason University may offer limited application fee waivers for both undergraduate and graduate applicants. See George Mason’s fee waivers page for details.  

The application fee is non-refundable. This is acknowledged and agreed upon by all students who submit an application.

No. CEC requires a complete application for admission review. If you submit an incomplete application, you must first submit the remaining items before your application will be considered complete and ready for review by the university.

Items you mail-in or upload in the Application Portal require processing. After a graduate admissions specialist has reviewed your document(s) and processed them, your checklist item in the Application Portal will appear as received. Because this is a manual process, it can take up to three weeks to process documents received after an application is submitted. If it has been more than three weeks since you uploaded your materials, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions for an update at masongr@gmu.edu or call 703-993-9700.  

Students may authorize a third-party individual or agency to discuss their application using the Authorized Agent Form. Due to state and federal privacy laws, this is required to release information to anyone other than the applicant. The form can be requested by the applicant via email at masongr@gmu.edu. Title the subject line of your email: “Requesting authorized agent form.”

Once your application is processed by the Office of Graduate Admissions and deemed complete, you will receive an email notification from masongr@gmu.edu informing you that your application is now ready for review and pending decision. At that point, it will generally take 2 to 4 weeks for a decision to be made for prospective master’s, graduate certificate, and non-degree students. Doctoral applicants should expect 6-8 weeks for a decision due to funding considerations and committee review timelines. 

Applicants will receive an email from masongr@gmu.edu informing them when a decision is ready on their Application Portal. At that point, you can log into the Portal to access your decision letter. You can download a PDF copy of the decision letter or print it if needed. 

Students admitted to the College of Engineering and Computing are encouraged to submit their intent to enroll as soon as possible, as our classes fill up quickly. However, all students have until the first day of classes to enroll and register. Directions and steps are included in your admission offer in the application portal. Make sure to read through your admission letter carefully and review the ‘Next Steps’ tab on your portal for important information.

CEC requires a $300 deposit when you confirm your intent to enroll. The deposit is non-refundable, and it will be applied to your first semester tuition.

Yes. Students admitted to the College of Engineering and Computing are allowed to defer admission one time, free of charge, for up to one academic year. Directions are included in your offer of admission. If you have already submitted your intent to enroll, go back to your application portal and click on the same link you used to confirm your enrollment in order to select the deferral option.  

All deferral requests are reviewed by the Office of Graduate Admissions to ensure they meet the policy requirement. Students may not defer more than once nor beyond the one academic year limit.

Provisional admission is for applicants who have provided evidence that suggests they are able to pursue graduate coursework but have not taken the foundational/prerequisite course requirements or do not meet the GPA minimum requirements. Students admitted under provision must fulfill the provisional requirements as indicated on their admission offer letter and verify completion with their academic department to remove the provisional status. More details are available here.

Per federal regulations, students requiring an F1/J1 visa do not qualify for provisional admission.

No. CEC graduate program admissions are not offered conditionally.

Our faculty may deny applications that are not the best fit for our program based on many factors. They review all items of the application, including academic record and academic background, along with the strength of the current applicant pool when making the decision.  

If you would like to be considered for another program, a new application and fee are required. 

No. All decisions are final. However, you are welcome to submit a new application to be considered for another program.

Admitted graduate students should consult their assigned program advisor to determine which, if any, of their credits from a previous graduate program can be transferred to their studies at CEC

Tuition varies from semester to semester. The most recent tuition rates are posted here, by credit hour and college/school.

Graduate students at George Mason often finance their education through a combination of scholarships, loans, fellowships, and teaching or research assistantships. You may find available graduate fellowships here or apply for scholarships through the George Mason general scholarship application. Please note that the CEC Office of Graduate Studies or Office of Graduate Admissions does not make funding decisions or distribute funds.

Graduate Assistantship availability is determined by academic departments. Master’s level students may apply for assistantships post-admission, if available. Available assistantship positions are posted on Handshake. Please note that individual offices/departments do not accept resumes or on-the-spot interviews. All enrolled students interested in positions on campus must search for position availability and apply using the Handshake system. 

Details regarding the transcript evaluation requirement and procedures are available here.

No. This university requirement for proficiency is not based on your citizenship, mastery of the English language, or length of time in the U.S., but is strictly dependent on where you earned your degree. George Mason University will waive the proficiency exam for only those who meet the qualifications identified here.  

Students who did not meet the minimum score requirement may consider retaking the exam and submitting new scores prior to the application deadline.

Prospective or newly admitted international students inquiring about their I-20 status or documents for obtaining an I-20 should email gradi20@gmu.edu.

The Office of International Programs and Services (OIPS) provides information and supports international students at George Mason.

Please visit oips.gmu.edu/new-students for additional information.