College of Public Health

College Code: PH

The College of Public Health offers highly specialized interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate degree programs that prepare students for meaningful careers solving the most pressing health and social challenges as well as improving the health and well-being for everyone. Graduates from our programs are employed by official health and social agencies, non-governmental health organizations, private industry, health systems, and colleges and universities.  

The College offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in community health, global health, health administration, health informatics, health policy, health system management, nursing, public health, and social work. The College also offers a selection of advanced and novel academic minors, concentrations, and certificates. Areas of specializations within degree programs include clinical social work, gerontology, epidemiology, family nurse practitioner, global health, health informatics and data analytics, and conflict analysis and resolution. In addition, the College offers four accelerated bachelor’s to master’s academic programs allowing students to take graduate courses that apply towards earning both their undergraduate and graduate degrees—saving students time and money.    

Find out more about our academic programs by visiting https://publichealth.gmu.edu/academics or calling our Office of Student Affairs at 703-993-1901.

To register for an information sessions learn more about our degree programs, visit the Prospective Student Information Sessions website.   

Academic Programs

Our college is committed to preparing the next generation of health practitioners, researchers, leaders, and academics who are equally committed to solving critical health challenges facing society. Our School of Nursing graduates more new RNs each year than any other program in Virginia. The Department of Health Administration and Policy prepares students for careers as leaders of health systems organizations, health policymakers at the state and national levels, and health informatics specialists. The Department of Global and Community Health prepares public health practitioners and scientists to solve community and global health challenges. The Department of Nutrition and Food Studies prepare students to improve the health and well-being of populations through better nutrition and enhancing food access. And, the Department of Social Work prepares professional social worker practitioners, leaders, and scholars to impact social change necessary for advancing, health, well-being, and social justice for everyone.

College Faculty

Professors

Alemi, Bloom, Cheskin, Cuellar, de Jonge, Drews-Botsch, Griffin, Hong, Ihara, Jung, Kitsantas, Kubik, Maddox, Matto, Metcalf, Nakkash, Oetjen, Perry, Rodan, Roess, R. Sutter, Tang, Tompkins, Weiler, Weinstein, Winter, Wojtusiak, Wolf-Branigin

Associate Professors 

Anand, Avramovic, Blair, Cantiello, S. Chang, Cleaveland, Cieslowski, Davidson, Fleming, Freedman, Garrison, Gimm, Goldberg, Gupta, Haas, Harman, Hines, Huddleston, Inoue, Keyser, Kirsch, Kowitlawakul, Krall, LaCharite, Lahm, Landis, Maughan, Min, Oh, Pollack, Scafide, Sheingold, C. Sutter, von Fricken, M. Williams, Xue

Assistant Professors

Basiri, Batheja, Black, Brooks, Brown, K. Chang, Chin, Davidson, Davidson Mhonde, DeMarco, DuBois, Eklou, Frese, Hand, D. King, Ko, Koduah, Madison, Mitcham, Mitro, Rickerby, Shiver, Stoehr, Tomaszewski, Turpin, Uriyo, Villodas, Waithaka, Wang, L. Williams, Zane

Administrative Faculty

Adams, Beckwith, Booth, Chomitz, Climer, Cornejo, Dugger, Fleck, Gillette, Green, Helmick, Hensley, Holmes, Hamayoun, Jennings, Johnson, Joyner, Kaplan, Kargbo, Laster, Park, Perez-Brodeur, Sawyer, Thompson

Emeriti

Ailinger, Baghi, Boland, Boyd, Brenkus, Carty, Chong, Davis, Douglas, Gerber, Guccione, Howell, Jenkins, Kelly, Langley, Mallinson, Moore, Moss, Nichols, Normile, Parker-Smith, Raskin, Redmond, Ritchie, Rome, Rose, Silva, Sluzki, Sorrell, Vail, Walker, Whittington, Wu

Policies

Professional Conduct Policy

All College of Public Health students are expected to conduct themselves professionally at all times. This means that certain behavior is prohibited, including verbal abuse, insubordination, and behavior that threatens the safety of a client, another student, a faculty member, or other health care provider when the behavior occurs within the context of an academic program. The College of Public Health reserves the right to place on probation, suspend, or terminate any student in its programs who engages in such conduct. Students disciplined for such reasons have the right to appeal to their department chair or director.

Student Affairs

The Office of Student Affairs supports students, faculty, and staff members on a variety of admissions, academic, and policy issues. Student Affairs is involved in recruiting new students; pre-admissions advising; processing applications for graduate programs and undergraduate nursing programs; and conducting orientations for newly admitted students.

Student Affairs maintains the college's student records; reviews and recommends action on student requests for exceptions to academic policy; processes standard academic actions; and approves student records for degree completion prior to graduation. Student grade appeals fall under university policy as described in AP.3.9 Grade Appeals.

Each College of Public Health student is assigned an academic advisor, with whom he or she should meet at least once per semester in order to ensure that program requirements are met. The assigned advisor may be a faculty member, a departmental program coordinator, or an advisor in the Office of Student Affairs.

Student Responsibility

All students are required to have an active Mason e-mail account and to update any change of address on-line through Patriot Web. The college will not communicate with students via a personal e-mail address, so it is important that students check their Mason e-mail regularly. Students are responsible for knowing the university academic policies and the policies governing their program as stated in the university catalog. They are also responsible to know the semester academic calendar including withdrawal deadlines; to review their Mason transcript on-line to ensure transfer of credit accuracy; and to monitor their degree progression through the degree evaluation tool on Patriot Web.

Background Checks

Many clinical agencies and practicum sites mandate that students working there have a criminal background check. All students enrolled in the School of Nursing are required to complete a criminal background check prior to beginning the program. Students enrolled in other College of Public Health programs may be required to complete background checks before entering a practicum environment. Information obtained from the background check is strictly confidential but may result in a student's inability to perform clinical or practicum activities and, therefore, will disqualify the student from entering or continuing in the program. School of Nursing students are sent information regarding the criminal background check process, and associated fees, upon admission. Other students are informed individually as they are considered for practicum activities requiring background checks. Students are responsible for notifying the assistant dean of student affairs of any arrests, regardless of adjudication, that occur after acceptance and during enrollment in the program. Failure to promptly notify the assistant dean of student affairs may be grounds for termination from the program.

Health Records

To comply with the policies established by the Commonwealth of Virginia, all students must provide current immunization records to the university's Student Health Services at the time of admission to the college. Immunizations may be obtained through Student Health Services on any of the Mason campuses. All students in the School of Nursing also must submit immunization records to the School of Nursing at the time of admission. Additional documentation of good health may be required.

Students should keep copies of their health records should agencies require them for clinical and practicum assignments. All costs associated with immunizations and certifications are the student's responsibility.

Insurance and Liability

Students are strongly advised to maintain health insurance coverage at all times. All students enrolled in the School of Nursing are required to maintain health insurance at all times. A student health insurance plan is available to eligible students through Mason. Students are responsible for their own health care, including emergency care, and the College of Public Health assumes no financial responsibility for the health care of students. Enrolled students who are performing internships and similar experiential learning as a required part of their academic programs are considered agents of the university. They are covered for professional liability by the Commonwealth of Virginia Risk Management Plan while engaged in their prescribed educational duties.

Academic Policies

Students should become familiar with the university's general academic policies in addition to those specific to each academic unit. See Academic Policies.

Graduate Admission

Admission decisions are made by the faculty committee on admissions of the respective graduate programs. Denial of admission is not subject to appeal. Applicants denied admission to a program are not permitted to enroll in courses in that program through Non-Degree Studies.

If an applicant is offered graduate admission, the college reserves the right to withdraw that offer of admission or to terminate a student in a graduate program if:

• During his or her academic studies, the admitted applicant has a significant drop in academic performance or fails to graduate with a degree prior to the first day of classes for the term admitted.
• There has been a misrepresentation in the application process.
• Prior to the first day of classes for the term admitted, the college learns that the admitted applicant has engaged in behavior that indicates a serious lack of judgment or integrity, irrespective of the outcome of any disciplinary process related to such behavior.

The university further reserves the right to require the applicant to provide additional information (and/or authorization for the release of information) about any such matter.

Non-Degree Enrollment

Non-degree status enables students who have no immediate degree objective or may need to satisfy prerequisites for admission to a degree program to enroll in courses for which they are qualified without seeking formal admission to a degree program. Applicants should be aware of the fact that non-degree admission does not guarantee enrollment in any specific course or future degree program. Enrollment in specific courses is based on eligibility criteria and availability of space in courses. In some areas of study, enrollment may be restricted or prohibited.

Non-degree applications and their established deadlines are available online through the Office of Admission. Detailed information regarding non-degree admission policies and procedures can be found in Non-Degree Enrollment.

The Department of Global and Community Health, the Department of Health Administration and Policy, the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, and the Department of Social Work welcome non-degree students in their classes on a space-available basis. Programs in the College of Public Health which have course restrictions are listed below.

Graduate Non-Degree Restrictions

All Graduate Programs

Students may take a maximum of 9 credit hours in non-degree studies. A student cannot graduate or receive a degree while in non-degree studies. Non-degree graduate students may not register for classes numbered 800 or higher.

Nursing, MSN

A student may be eligible to enroll in approved non-degree MSN courses when space is available if the student:

• Has not applied for the MSN program and has not been previously denied admission to the MSN program;
• Holds a BSN from an accredited college and achieved a cumulative degree GPA of 3.00;
• Holds a current RN license.

MSN non-degree students may not take classes numbered 800 or higher. In addition, they may take a maximum of 9 credit hours in non-degree studies.

Undergraduate Non-Degree Restrictions

Nursing, BSN

Students must be admitted into the BSN program in order to register for undergraduate nursing (NURS) courses.