Mason Core and College Requirements

Welcome! Mason Core classes are all about setting you up for academic success. With them, you will build a base of skills and knowledge -- a base that will support you as you complete the requirements for your own course of study, and serve you for years after you leave your formal education behind.

Earning a BA degree from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences? The Mason Core and college's requirements for BA students, described below, will furnish you with tools to navigate the complexities of our global society.

The BS degree provides students with a more intensive approach to the core technical questions of their majors. This curriculum has a reduced number of courses in humanities and social sciences in comparison with the BA degree to allow students to achieve greater depth in their majors. Students in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences pursuing a BS must complete the Mason Core requirements.

Catalog Year

Catalogs from different years may contain different requirements. Students must graduate under the requirements published in one single catalog. Students have to have the same catalog year for all components of their degrees—the requirements for Mason Core, for college requirements, and for the requirements of their major and concentration, if any.

Students should be aware of their catalog year when planning their course of study. For questions about which catalog year applies, see an advisor.   

Requirements for Previous Catalog Years

See the University Catalog's Archives page for Mason Core Requirements for earlier catalog years.

Requirements for Catalog Year 2023-2024

Mason Core Requirements

Under some circumstances, students may use a single course to fulfill a Mason Core requirement and a college requirement or a requirement for the major. See your academic advisor for more information.

College Requirements for BA Students

The BA degree provides students with a breadth of knowledge as well as the necessary skills to make in-depth study of a major truly meaningful. In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the coursework below. Under some circumstances, students may use a single course to fulfill more than one college-level requirement. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college-level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major). See an academic advisor for more information.

Transfer Students

George Mason University has Guaranteed Admission Agreements with certain Virginia community colleges. Transfer students who are offered GAA admission and meet all of the terms of the GAA agreement with their Virginia community college may be eligible for a waiver of George Mason University's lower level Mason Core requirements. GAA students who receive the waiver are still required by the university to complete English 302 and a synthesis course. GAA students who receive the waiver and are pursuing a degree in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences are considered to have met all college requirements except for proficiency in a foreign language (required of BA students).