Study Leave for Tenured Instructional Faculty

Study Leaves for Tenured Instructional Faculty, funded by the Provost, are intended to provide paid temporary leave for the support of advancing scholarly research, teaching, and/or creative activity, including the development of innovative teaching approaches and methods. The college encourages its full-time, tenured faculty with six or more years of completed service at George Mason University at the time of application to pursue this opportunity. 

Leave may be taken during the Fall or Spring semester of the academic year following announcement of the award.  Leave may be taken for one semester at full pay or two semesters at half pay.  The leave schedule must be approved by the department chair and Dean.

Application Process

Applications for Study Leave for Tenured Instructional Faculty will be submitted online using Mason's internal grants and limited submission platform from WizeHive/Submittable. Applicants new to WizeHive/Submittable will first need to create an account before starting their application. All applicants should review the "Guide to Using WizeHive to Submit Application". Any questions regarding your online application can be sent to chssadr@gmu.edu. 

The Faculty Study Leave Guidelines describe eligibility, what you need to include in your application, and the study leave period. Applicants must submit a complete application for study leave for the 2027-2028 academic year by the deadline as specified in the Faculty Study Leave Guidelines. Applications for study leave for the 2027-2028 academic year must be submitted by 5PM on Friday, October 9, 2026. Late applications will not be accepted. 

Conditions of the Award

  • A faculty member who receives a study leave must agree to remain a full-time employee of the University for at least one academic year after the conclusion of the leave.
  • A faculty member who accepts a study leave must agree to serve as a reviewer of future applications at least once.
  • At the completion of the study leave, faculty must submit a study leave report that describes the accomplishments made possible by the faculty study leave, as well as any continuing plans related to the scholarly work. The report is due no later than August 31, 2028. 

Questions?

Questions regarding the study leave program should be directed to Michele Schwietz, the college's associate dean for research.