INTO Mason - Undergraduate International Pathways Program

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

The Undergraduate International Pathway Program combines academic coursework, English language support, and academic skills development in a carefully constructed program designed to prepare students for rigorous Mason degree programs. For most students, participation in the pathway program will not add more time to the completion of their bachelor’s degree.

Two types of undergraduate pathways are available:

• Standard Pathway (2 terms): This program is designed to lead students through their first year of study. Upon completion of all progression requirements, students will move on to their degree-seeking program as second-year, freshman (up to 29 credits) or as sophomore students (30 or more credits).
• Accelerated Pathway (1 term): This program is composed of one term of Pathway study. Upon completion of all progression requirements, students will move on to their degree-seeing program as second semester freshmen (up to 16 credits).

The Undergraduate International Pathway Program is designed for students who:

• Desire to study for an undergraduate degree in the U.S.
• Need to improve their English language skills
• May have slightly lower GPAs than required of direct-entry students
• Desire additional academic, language, and cultural support in order to succeed during their first year at a U.S. university
• Any or all of the above

Offered through INTO Mason in partnership with the academic units across the university, the courses in the Undergraduate International Pathway program are taught by highly qualified Mason instructional faculty members and supported by pathway academic advisors.

Admission

Admission to the Undergraduate International Pathway Program is offered to international and multilingual students by two methods:

• Students may apply directly through the INTO Mason admissions process OR
• By referral from the University Admissions Office due to not having met the grade point average, English language proficiency, or other requirements for direct admission.

The Undergraduate International Pathway Program entry requirements are as follows:

• High school diploma

• 2.5 minimum high school GPA equivalent based on the applicant’s country/institutional scale
• Documentation demonstrating the minimum English language proficiency levels:
  • Standard Pathway:
    • TOEFL iBT 60 (13 minimum subscores in reading and listening)
    • IELTS 5.5 (5.5 minimum subscores in reading and listening)
    • PTE Academic 45
    • Successful completion of or waiver from Academic English Level 4
  • Accelerated Pathway:
    • TOEFL iBT 80 (17 minimum subscores in reading and writing)
    • IELTS 6.5 (6.0 minimum subscores in reading and writing)
    • PTE Academic 53
    • Successful completion of or waiver from Academic English Level 5

Students should review the specific requirements by Pathway at www.intohigher.com/mason for details.

Available Pathway & Majors

There are five undergraduate pathways available:

• Business, leading to 5 undergraduate majors in the School of Business
• Engineering and Computing, leading to 10 undergraduate majors in the Volgenau School of Engineering
• Humanities and Social Sciences, leading to 21 undergraduate majors in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Visual and Performing Art’s School of Music
• Human and Social Development, leading to 7 undergraduate majors in the College Health and Human Services, the College of Education and Human Development’s School of Recreation and Tourism, and the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution
• Science, leading to 13 undergraduate majors in the College of Science

Each pathway allows students to progress to preapproved undergraduate degree programs. For a full listing of specific academic programs associated with a specific Pathway, students should refer to www.intohigher.com/mason for specific pathway program requirements.

Curriculum

The program curricula comprise a combination of Mason Core, major requirements, and English for Academic Purposes courses.

All Pathways include the following core course(s):

• Enhanced Composition For Multilingual Writers of English (4-6 credits)
  • ENGH 100 - Composition for Non-native Speakers of English Credits: 4
      
  • ENGH 121 - Enhanced Composition For Multilingual Writers of English I Credits: 3
     
  • ENGH 122 - Enhanced Composition For Multilingual Writers of English II Credits: 3
      
• COMM 100 - Public Speaking Credits: 3
    
• EAP 103 - Language Support for Public Speaking Credits: 1
    
• PROV 105 - American Cultures Credits: 3
    
• EAP 102 - Language Support for American Cultures Credits: 1
    
• UNIV 140 - INTO Mason Pathway Transition Credits: 0-1
    / 
  UNIV 141 - INTO Mason Pathway Extended Transition Credits: 0-1
    
• EAP 120 - Linguistics Capstone Credits: 0
    

In addition to the core coursework, students will also take:

• Appropriate coursework toward undergraduate program of study (3 - 10 credits)
• Additional language support courses (1 – 2 credits)
  • EAP 104 - Language Support World History Credits: 1
     
  • EAP 108 - Language Support for Business in American Society Credits: 1
     
  • EAP 109 - College Reading Skills Credits: 1
     
  • EAP 111 - Language Support for Introduction to Information Technology Credits: 1
      
  • EAP 112 - Language Support for Introduction to Computer Programming Credits: 1
     
  • EAP 113 - Language Support for University Physics Credits: 1
     
  • EAP 114 - Language Support for General Chemistry I Credits: 1
     
  • EAP 115 - Language Support for Introductory Geology I Credits: 1
      

Students should review the specific curriculum requirements by pathway at www.intohigher.com/mason for details.

Progression into Degree Status

Each Pathway program has specific progression requirements for completion. These typically include a minimum grade point average and minimum individual course grades (no grades of W, NC, or I are permitted). Students should refer to www.intohigher.com/mason for specific pathway program requirements. Students admitted to the university through the Undergraduate International Pathway Program are required to complete all program requirements in order to maintain continuous enrollment.

Dismissal/Termination Appeals Process - INTO Mason students only

Students who do not meet all requirements for progression to their desired degree program at the end of the second term will be reviewed for termination from the pathway program. Terminated students may initiate one of the following academic action requests in writing: (1) request an exception to the program policy, (2) request to change to an alternate pathway, and/or (3) request an extension to continue studying in a pathway as an Undergraduate Pathway Extender student for one additional term. All terminated student academic action requests must be submitted in writing to the academic advising office located in the Mason Global Center within 14 days of notification. Requests should provide an explanation and supplementary documentation. Students who earn a GPA below 2.00 will be ineligible to continue as an Extender. Students who fail to meet the program requirements after an extension will be reviewed for dismissal 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 or from a College Dean may also be required.

Reenrollment and Readmission

Due to the nature of the Pathway program as both English language development and academic coursework, Pathway students are subject to a limited reenrollment policy. Students who do not enroll after the first term or withdraw for reasons other than poor academic performance may request to reenroll in the Pathway program for the following term (e.g., spring) to continue making progress toward meeting program requirements, with advance permission from the Academic Director. Students who do not enroll for two consecutive terms (e.g., spring and fall) must apply for readmission to the program and be reassessed for language proficiency. Summer terms are counted for students whose initial pathway enrollment begins in Spring semester.