INTO Mason - Academic English Program

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Phone: 703-993-4501
Fax: 703-993-4502
Email: INTOmason@gmu.edu
Website: www.intohigher.com/mason

Administered by INTO George Mason University’s English Language Programs, the Academic English (AE) Program, prepares international students for university degree-seeking study in the United States. The AE Program is designed to develop the English skills needed for successful communication, cultural integration, and participation in the academic environment of the university. As a non-credit program, AE has unique academic policies from degree- and non-degree seeking programs.

Admission

Students who apply to the AE Program must submit an application, application fee, and required documents through INTO Mason. In order to qualify for admission to the AE Program, students must demonstrate that they have earned at least a high school diploma.

Students have the option to apply for the AE or Pathway Program. Students who apply to the Pathway Program but do not demonstrate entry language requirements are given an individual pre-arrival study plan that provides an estimate of the number of Academic English terms to complete in order to fulfill Pathway entry requirements (AE+Pathway). This pre-arrival study plan is only an estimate; an updated post-arrival study plan with a minimum of one term of AE will be provided to AE+Pathway students after taking the INTO Mason Placement Test.

For more information about Pathway admission requirements, see Undergraduate International Pathways Program   or Graduate International Pathways Program  INTO Mason Undergraduate Pathways Program or INTO Mason - Graduate Pathways Program.

Program Outcomes

After successfully completing the upper level(s) of the Academic English program, students will be able to do the following:

• Interact comfortably in the U.S. classroom with professors and fellow students
• Understand U.S. values in an academic setting
• Present their spoken and written ideas accurately and effectively in English
• Write research papers with proper use of citations and references
• Use the Internet and Mason library databases to conduct academic research
• Read, understand, and critically evaluate academic texts
• Understand and use vocabulary common to academic disciplines
• Take useful and accurate notes in academic lectures and presentations
• Develop and deliver oral presentations

Program Structure

The Academic English Program is offered three terms per year: Fall (15 weeks of instruction), Spring (15 weeks of instruction), and Summer (10 weeks of instruction). Upon arrival, all Academic English students are given a language proficiency assessment to determine the AE level placement. In order to be eligible for full-time status, students must be enrolled in a minimum of 18 hours of non-credit AE coursework per week. AE courses are offered at eight levels of proficiency regularly throughout the year.

AE faculty are highly-qualified with significant teaching experience and Masters and doctoral degrees in TESOL or other related fields.  The program is also supported by academic advisors experienced in working with multilingual speakers of English and the Student Experience staff, who help students utilize university resources and engage in the Mason experience through opportunities to participate in campus and local community groups/programs.

Curriculum

In keeping with the current literature on second language acquisition and pedagogy, the Academic English curriculum has been aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference scales (CEFR).  The eight entrance levels of Academic English range from A1 to B2+ on the CEFR scale (approximately Novice Mid to Advanced High on the American Council on The Teaching of Foreign Languages scale). Curricular objectives and learning outcomes for each level are geared toward an exit goal that is one level higher than the entrance level. 

All students, regardless of level, take one Core, one Oral Communication Skills (OCS), and one Elective course for a minimum of 18 classroom hours per week. Core courses focus on reading and writing with additional attention to written grammar and vocabulary.  OCS courses focus on listening and speaking with additional attention to pronunciation and oral grammar and vocabulary.  Elective courses offer students a variety of content-based and skills-based instruction and can be selected by students enrolled in appropriate co-requisite Core or OCS courses. 

Grading System for Academic English

Throughout the semester, students are assessed on how well they have met curricular learning outcomes.  Midterm and final grades for all Academic English courses are submitted to the University as letter grades.

Grade point average (GPA) is an important factor in determining progression program and evaluating academic standing.  For an example of how this is calculated, please see the INTO Mason website.

In-Program Level Progression

In Core and OCS courses, students must receive a passing final grade (A+, A, A-, B+, B, or B-) in order to advance to the next level of Core/OCS.  If a student has performed exceptionally well in Core/OCS, the instructor may submit an AE Level Skip Form requesting that the student skip a Core/OCS level in the subsequent semester. 

Program-to-Program Progression

In order for an AE+Pathway student to progress to his/her planned pathway, the student must earn for the most current AE semester a 2.5 or higher term GPA and a final passing grade (A+, A, A-, B+, B, or B-) of specified levels of Core and OCS.  AE Only students must meet the same language requirements for progression as well as submitting other documentation as required by the prospective pathway.

AE students applying for direct admission to George Mason University must earn a final passing grade (A+, A, A-, B+, B, or B-) of specified levels of Core and OCS to meet entry language proficiency requirements. 

AE Language Requirements for INTO Mason Pathway and Mason Direct Admission

* Information in the chart above only shows program eligibility based on language proficiency requirements met.

Academic English students may not level skip into a pathway or direct admission the following semester. Even if a student is approved to skip into an Academic English level beyond what is required for the pathway or direct admission, the student must complete the subsequent semester in the AE Program. Students also have the option of submitting official TOEFL/IELTS/PTE Academic scores to George Mason University in lieu of meeting the AE program-to-program progression requirements, but must still maintain good standing in the AE Program.

Attendance and Academic Probation

In order to make progress in developing academic language skills, students are expected to attend classes regularly and remain in good academic standing.
 

Attendance

Students with excessive absences in a course (more than 15%) will automatically receive an NG as a final course grade:

A final grade of NG in an AE course will result in probation and/or termination from the AE Program and George Mason University: 

Academic Progress

Students are expected to make satisfactory progress in developing their language skills and may not attempt the same Core or OCS course more than three times.  Academic progress is determined primarily through term GPA.  Students whose GPAs fall below 2.5 will be given a warning, placed on probation, and/or terminated from the AE Program and George Mason University:

Termination Appeals Process - INTO Mason students only

All terminated student academic action requests must be submitted in writing to the INTO Mason Academic Services office located in the Mason Global Center within 14 days of notification. Requests should provide an explanation and supplementary support documentation. Students who fail to meet the program requirements after an additional semester will be reviewed for termination from the university.

Decisions on these requests are reviewed and approved at the discretion of the Academic Director. In some cases, additional reviews by the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education may also be required.

Reenrollment and Readmission

Academic English students who do not enroll after the first term or withdraw for reasons other than poor academic performance (e.g., spring and fall) must apply for readmission to the program and be reassessed for language proficiency upon return.