About the School
The School of Integrative Studies (SIS) offers a distinctive experience that addresses contemporary social, global, and environmental challenges. Students connect academic interests with hands-on learning to prepare for a life and career with meaning and impact. Based in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, SIS focuses on critical and creative thinking, engaged scholarship and diversity in thought. Graduates will lead the way as a new brand of professionals whose understanding of the liberal arts and commitment to a just world can build the cross-sector approaches necessary to solve pressing global, social, and environmental problems.
An integrative, interdisciplinary learning environment, SIS offers the benefits of small, discussion-based courses while providing access to the academic resources of a large public research university. Drawing on its award-winning faculty, SIS provides students with transformative experiential learning opportunities including internships, field and international study, and independent research and service. Both the structure and curriculum of SIS prepare graduates who are engaged, well-rounded scholars who consistently assume leadership roles in the fields of business, law, government, healthcare, education, and the non-profit sector, among others.
Undergraduate Programs
The School of Integrative Studies offers a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science degree in integrative studies, a bachelor of arts in human development and family science, and a bachelor of arts in environmental and sustainability studies (joint degree with Environmental Science and Policy in the College of Science). The school also houses the Bachelor of Individualized Study Program.
The integrative studies curriculum is based on intensive, interdisciplinary learning communities, coordinated with traditional academic programs. The result is an integrated program of study that emphasizes collaboration, experiential learning, and self-reflection. All students complete their degree programs with an interdisciplinary concentration.
The Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) program focuses to educate students through quality instruction and experiential learning in lifespan human development and family science by fostering critical thinking and the research, communication, and career-ready skills that prepare them to become professionals in service to individuals and families.
The environmental and sustainability studies degree provides students with theoretical and practical knowledge of three aspects of environmental and sustainability studies: people, prosperity, and planet. In addition to required core courses, students develop more in-depth knowledge in one of six concentrations. This degree prepares students for employment and graduate study in fields related to social justice, business and public policy, and environmental protection as they relate to the environment and sustainability.
The bachelor of individualized study (BIS) program is a degree completion program for adult learners. BIS offers students transfer credit options and a distinctive educational opportunity to integrate other college-level learning, such as professional or military experience, into university coursework. Students create interdisciplinary concentrations to meet their own educational needs including to advance professionally, to prepare for graduate or professional programs, or to plan a path toward a career change.
Transfer Students
The School of Integrative Studies welcomes transfer students from other four-year institutions or community colleges, as well as from other academic units within Mason. Academic advisors work with students to utilize transfer credits and create a plan for timely completion of the bachelor’s degree. All transfer students are required to take INTS 391 Understanding Integrative Studies within their first two semesters and meet with an academic advisor as soon as possible.
Minor Programs
The School of Integrative Studies offers minors in childhood studies, human development and family science, leadership, non-profit studies, social justice and human rights, and well-being. All are available to students in any major in the university.
The Sustainability Studies Minor is offered jointly by the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and the School of Integrative Studies.
School Faculty
Administration
Kelly Dunne, Executive Director
Misty Krell, Director of Academic Affairs
Sara Montiel, Associate Director of Student Services
Aoi Yamanaka, Associate Director of Academic Services
Kurt Lazaroff, Director of Academic Services for Bachelor of Individualized Study (BIS)
Janet Ha Poirot, Assistant Director of Academic Services
Professors
Emeritus Professors
Michael R Gabel
John S O'Connor
Associate Professors
Cher Weixia Chen
Kimberly Eby
Elizabeth Freeman
Michael Gilmore
Betsy F. Levine-Brown
Nance Lucas
Janette Muir
Julie E. Owen
Gregory Unruh
Andrew Wingfield
Thomas C Wood
Assistant Professors
Sophia Balakian
Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron
Julia Madeleine Shadur
Levi Van Sant
Term Professors
Al Fuertes
Wendi N. Manuel-Scott
Kenneth Thompson
Term Associate Professors
Term Assistant Professors
David Powers Corwin
Samuel L. Frye
Janet Ha Poirot
Susan Howard
Kurt C Lazaroff
Aoi Yamanaka
Term Instructor
- Childhood Studies Minor
- Conservation Studies Minor (CHSS)
- Environmental and Sustainability Studies, BA (CHSS)
- Human Development and Family Science Minor
- Human Development and Family Science, BA
- Individualized Study, BIS
- Integrative Studies, BA
- Integrative Studies, BS
- Leadership Minor
- Nonprofit Studies Minor
- Social Justice and Human Rights Minor
- Well-Being Minor
Bachelor of Individualized Study (BIS)
300 Level Courses
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Required Prerequisites: ((BIS 300C or 300XS) and (ENGH 302C or 302XS)).
C Requires minimum grade of C.
XS Requires minimum grade of XS.
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Individualized Study.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Individualized Study.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Individualized Study.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
400 Level Courses
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Required Prerequisites: (BIS 390C or 390XS).
C Requires minimum grade of C.
XS Requires minimum grade of XS.
Enrollment limited to students in the LA-BIS-INDV program.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Special scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Special scale.
Human Development and Family Science (HDFS)
200 Level Courses
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
300 Level Courses
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
400 Level Courses
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Required Prerequisite: (HDFS 300C).
C Requires minimum grade of C.
Enrollment is limited to students with a major, minor, or concentration in Human Devl and Family Science.
This course is graded on the Satisfactory/No Credit scale.
Required Prerequisites: ((HDFS 300D or 498XS) and (PSYC 301*D, 301XS, SOCI 303*D, 303XS, INTS 434*D or 434XS)).
* May be taken concurrently.
D Requires minimum grade of D.
XS Requires minimum grade of XS.
Enrollment is limited to students with a major, minor, or concentration in Human Devl and Family Science.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Integrative Studies (INTS)
100 Level Courses
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Freshman.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
200 Level Courses
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
300 Level Courses
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Special scale.
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Integrative Studies.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
400 Level Courses
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Special scale.
Required Prerequisite: INTS 391C.
C Requires minimum grade of C.
Students with a class of Freshman or Sophomore may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Satisfactory/No Credit scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Special scale.
500 Level Courses
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Special scale.
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
600 Level Courses
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy or Graduate.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.