George Mason University

Mason's Bachelor of Individualized Study (BIS) program is a degree completion program for adult learners.  Students create their own interdisciplinary concentrations to meet their own educational needs: to advance professionally, to prepare for graduate or professional programs, or to plan a path toward a career change.

BIS offers students a distinctive educational opportunity that allows them to integrate other college-level learning such as professional or military experiences into university course work. The advisers and faculty are committed to helping students build on their life experience to create a rewarding degree program.

The Prospective Students section has important information for students who want to learn more about the program.

A Maintenance Man Crosses Over to the Classroom

Bob Nissen arrives at 6 a.m., long before the first-period bell sounds. On his belt, a ring holds the keys to 49 doors. Each morning brings something different—a leak in the ceiling, a cracked window. At night he takes classes at George Mason University, where he is pursuing a bachelor of individualized study degree with a concentration in educational psychology. One day that degree will lead him to the classroom he has yet to see: the one where he's the teacher. Read More >>

Kennedy-Orr Used BIS Program to Weave Military Experience into College Credit

Susan Kennedy-Orr, a military police officer who became a bodyguard for Department of Defense officials, was able to apply her military experience as she pursued a bachelor's degree of individualized studies in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at George Mason University. The college recently caught up with Kennedy-Orr. Here’s what she had to say: Read More >>

Putting a Spin on Basketball in India

Senior Robin Brahmbhatt, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Individualized Study degree with a sport management concentration, has been studying the prospects of basketball in India, a country dominated by cricket. Read More >>