College of Science

Vikas Chandhoke
Dean

From mapping the genome to exploring the galaxy, the College of Science at George Mason University offers a dynamic setting of learning and inquiry where students prepare for tomorrow’s careers in the physical, biological, mathematical, and computational sciences, and where scientists address the mystifying and perplexing questions of 21st-century society.

Our university has a reputation for forward-thinking academic offerings. Mason was the first university in the country to offer doctoral programs in bioinformatics and the first to offer a graduate degree in biodefense. New advanced degrees in climate dynamics and Earth systems and geoinformation sciences complement new undergraduate majors in computational sciences and global and environmental change; minors in sustainability and renewable energy, and certificates in forensics and geospatial intelligence.

We have also partnered with the Smithsonian Institution in fall 2007 to create the Smithsonian Semester, which allows students to live on-site at the Conservation and Research Center of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and study global-scale conservation issues and civic concerns.

The College boasts some of the most cutting-edge research in the biosciences, from cancer research to thwarting biological weapons. Its new biomedical research laboratory is one of 13 nationwide being built with the help of a $25 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

The university’s students are innovators as well. From discovering new galaxies to biodefense studying the bleaching of coral reefs, Mason students have success in all areas. Mason has one of the strongest undergraduate research programs, and students regularly publish research that contributes to the knowledge of their field.