About George Mason University

Since 1972, the university’s development has been marked by rapid growth and innovative planning. In 50 years, enrollment has risen from 4,166 to more than 38,000 students. In 1979, Mason was given the authority to grant doctoral degrees and began offering programs at this level. In the same year, the university acquired what became George Mason University School of Law, located on the Arlington Campus, and now known as the Antonin Scalia Law School.

In 1985, Mason partnered with area businesses to develop an engineering program geared toward the emerging information technology field and started what is now the Volgenau School of Engineering. With the Volgenau School, Mason was the first institution in the country to offer a doctoral degree in information technology.

The establishment in 1990 of the Institute of the Arts, which became the College of Visual and Performing Arts in 2001, solidified the university’s commitment to make the arts an integral part of students’ lives.

The university’s growing reputation as an innovative educational leader is rooted in Virginia’s strong educational tradition. By emphasizing research and study in fields relevant to government and area economic centers, Mason has created a curriculum and mission to meet the needs of Northern Virginia’s extraordinary cosmopolitan constituency. The university has also achieved national distinction in many areas. Its reputation continues to grow as Mason provides educational, cultural, and economic resources for the people of Virginia, the nation, and the world.