Degree Programs: University Catalog

"Mason is deeply committed to the arts and educating our students about the significance the arts have in all our lives. This is why the arts are integral to our institution. We encourage active student participation in the many programs and related courses in the arts that are scheduled throughout the year. Students are able to receive a more balanced education, develop a deeper appreciation of the arts, and achieve a more enlightened perspective of the world."

- Alan G. Merten, President, George Mason University

• University Catalog: College of Visual and Performing Arts
  • Art and Visual Technology
  • Arts Management
  • Dance
  • Film and Video Studies
  • Music
  • Theatre

The College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) creates an academic environment in which the arts are considered as individual disciplines as well as interdisciplinary forms that strengthen each other. Courses of study are designed to lead to careers as creators, performers, teachers, managers, and scholars of the arts, as well as prepare students for the challenges of a rapidly changing world. In addition to providing strong programs for arts majors and minors, CVPA strives to ensure that Mason's entire student population has the
opportunity to experience and study the arts as a key component of a well-rounded liberal arts education.

Studying the arts goes hand in hand with creation and performance. CVPA provides the theaters, studios, rehearsal spaces, computer laboratories, recital halls, and performance classrooms in which students hone their skills. The college's faculty of practicing artist-teachers works closely with students in a variety of curricular and cocurricular creative projects. Once basic techniques are established, students are encouraged to stretch, grow, and experiment within this supportive environment. Students regularly perform, create, exhibit, and otherwise develop their art forms in a wide variety of public venues, enhancing their experience as working artists while enriching the cultural life of the campus community.

An education in the arts is deepened by regular contact with the work of distinguished visiting artists. The college is home to the Center for the Arts, which comprises a variety of professional presenting and producing units that provide a diverse program of cultural experiences for the entire university community, as well as Northern Virginia and the greater Washington, D.C., area. Artists from across the country and around the world regularly perform in the Concert Hall, give master classes, work with students during extended residencies, and interact with the community in a variety of other ways. The accessibility and vitality of the Concert Hall, TheaterSpace, the Johnson Center Gallery, Harris Theater, and other campus venues make the arts pervasive at Mason and in our larger community.

- from the 2007-2008 George Mason University Catalog