The College of Visual and Performing Arts offers highly-focused graduate programs of study designed to prepare students for professional work in the arts, in education, and beyond.
Learn more about our graduate programs and resources below.
August 19, 2025 10:00 a.m.
New Graduate Student to George Mason University?
The online orientation portal for new graduate students is open and available to you. Select “Student Login” and use your Mason NetID and password to begin.
Arts Management
Overview and Contact Information
Advisor/Contact: Dr. Karalee Dawn MacKay
The MA in Arts Management responds to a growing demand for graduates who can manage and coordinate the arts, bridging the worlds of performing and visual arts with applied managerial skills.
Music
Overview and Contact Information
Advisor/Contact: Dr. Gregory Robinson
The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music's rigorous and extensive academic offerings prepare students for high impact, fulfilling, and meaningful careers in music.
Visit the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music website.
Dance
Overview and Contact Information
Advisor/Contact: Kim Harris
The Concentration in Dance, Visual and Performing Arts MFA, is a highly selective 60-credit program of study grounded in the modern dance genre that emphasizes mastery in performance, choreography, and teaching in higher education.
Art
Overview and Contact Information
Advisor/Contact: Robert Yi
The School of Art is a collaborative academic and professional community focused on advancing creativity through traditional and new media applied to varying social contexts.
Theater
Overview and Contact Information
The School of Theater’s mission is to use theater as a means of preparing students for a complex and challenging future, through rigorous, concentrated and individual training. We offer our graduates the best preparation for a life in the theater.
- Teaching Theater PK-12 Graduate Certificate
Advisor/Contact: Mimsi Janis
- Concentration in Theater, Visual and Performing Arts MFA
Advisor/Contact: Djola Branner
Academic Calendar
Find the Semester and Multi-Year Academic Calendar on the Office of the Registrar website
Graduate Student Forms
Access Graduate Student forms on the Office of the Registrar site.
Graduation
Graduate Student Research
Find Resources for Graduate Student Research
Complaints and Grievances
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Academic Complaints
Students may file a formal complaint and provide supporting documentation to the CVPA Office of Student Affairs for an academic reason and/or as an escalation beyond the department of their major. Students may remain anonymous in these complaints if they prefer. -
Reporting an Instance of Bias or Discrimination
Learn how to Report Bias and Discrimination. -
Non-Academic Complaints
Students may file a formal written complaint to the University for a non-academic reason by visiting the central Complaints page.
VIRTUAL ONLINE OFFICE HOURS
Every Monday from 10AM-3PM
(please email to get the Zoom link)
DMA candidate Michael Abernathy will be serving as our Graduate Peer Advisor this summer (until the end of August). Please contact Michael with questions about graduate study at George Mason, for both prospective and current students, and particularly for future graduate teaching assistants.
The College of Visual and Performing Arts follows all graduate academic policies as reflected in the University catalog. It is the student’s responsibility to review graduate policy and procedures as outlined in the catalog.
Grades
The College of Visual and Performing Arts abides by the grading policies as outlined in the University catalog.
Graduate Academic Standing
All CVPA graduate students should familiarize themselves with the university policy on Graduate Academic Standing.
- Academic Warning. A notation of academic warning is entered on the transcript of a graduate student who receives a grade of C or F in a graduate course.
- Academic Termination. Students who have been notified by the Office of the University Registrar that they are eligible for Academic Termination have five (5) business days from the day of notification to submit a request for exception. Find CVPA’s Academic Termination Exception Request Process and Criteria.
George Mason's Code of Student Conduct
The College of Visual and Performing Arts strives to be an unwaveringly inclusive community and to foster a purposeful safe learning environment. To that end, all students are expected to abide by the expectations set forth in George Mason’s Code of Student Conduct.
Non-Degree Admission and Enrollment
In addition to meeting non-degree graduate admission eligibility requirements, non-degree graduate students are expected to maintain a 3.0 or better Mason GPA and are subject to AP.6 in the university catalog
Time Limit
Graduate students who would like to request an extension of their timeline (either to advance or to graduate) must complete the graduate time limit extension form.
University Resources
The Graduate Division provides important resources and information that all graduate students should familiarize themselves with.
Withdrawals
Find information on withdrawals
After the drop deadline, graduate students may withdraw from classes during the unrestricted withdrawal period. Please see the Office of the University Registrar’s website for drop and withdrawal deadlines. After these deadlines have passed students may request permission to withdraw for non-academic reasons (e.g., a medical emergency, family crisis etc.). Students should email their program advisor with detailed information explaining the reason for the request and attach documentation to support the request. After the advisor has reviewed the request, it will be sent to the CVPA Assistant Dean for Student Academic Affairs. If approved, the appropriate paperwork will be sent to the Office of the Registrar for processing.