Learn More About Why Students Choose Mason

Hands-On Experience, a Lifetime of Impact

Access to Academic Excellence 

Students bring a passion for lifelong learning and service. We bring a curriculum focused on evidence-based research and practice, the social determinants of health, and leadership development. As a result, our graduates are equipped with problem-solving and leadership skills to address public health concerns around the corner and around the globe.

• Unmatched breadth of academic programs at CHHS (and across Mason) offer opportunities for concentrations and minors. CHHS offers five undergraduate degrees and 10 minors in addition to 13 graduate degree programs, accelerated bachelor’s to master’s programs, and 7 professional certificates.
   
• Cutting-edge degrees, certificates, and courses in rapidly evolving fields like senior housing administration, health IT, and mental health nursing give students a competitive advantage in their careers.   
   
• Accelerated Bachelors to Masters programs in nursing, health administration, and nutrition allow students to complete their degree efficiently and cost-effectively -- with sought-after skills and practical experience.
   
• State-of-the-art clinical and research facilities provide students with the experience they will need for successful careers. Opened in 2017, Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall includes specialized facilities such as a dedicated Health Informatics Learning Lab, a 2,000 square foot nutrition kitchen, 5,000 square feet of nursing simulation and training labs, and a new Functional Performance lab.

Faculty Expertise and Mentoring

Mason is the largest research university in Virginia and our students have countless opportunities to work alongside preeminent faculty to explore their interests and develop critical research, analysis, and critical thinking skills. Students are mentored by the leading academics and practitioners in their field.

They have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty who are experts on a range of topics. Inside the classroom, faculty engage students to think across disciplines and to find creative solutions to real-world problems. Our experts inform policy, educate the public, and make a difference in lives around the world.

Interprofessional Experiential Learning

Living in the D.C. metro area provides Mason students with a rich array of opportunities to learn beyond the classroom walls. Students get hands-on experience through practicum placements. CHHS prepares students for the realities of a rapidly changing health care environment—with an emphasis on the social determinants of health and integrated health care.

• CHHS students, across disciplines, can serve at 8 Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics located in Northern Virginia and the soon to be opened Population Health Center on Mason’s Fairfax Campus.
   
• We partner with more than 400 agencies, NGOs, non-profits, health care facilities, and corporations to provide all students with hands-on experience in their field of study. Internship and practicum opportunities help students develop the skills employers are seeking including leadership, problem-solving, communication—in addition to the specialized training required.

Student-Driven Research

Faculty and students work to answer pressing public health questions across the life-span from a transdisciplinary perspective. Our research informs practice and policy and helps improve the lives of people locally and globally. Students can participate in research of consequence to improve the public’s health. 

CHHS students participate in diverse multi-disciplinary research opportunities.

• OSCAR Team Research projects are intensive student-led research projects formed around a central theme, question, or problem. Students have the opportunity to learn to work both independently and part of a team on an authentic project while earning pay.
   
• The Population Health Center within CHHS will provide students in all disciplines opportunities for experiential learning in addressing health disparities and best practices for conducting etiologic and interventional research focused on important public health challenges.
   
• Three Multidisciplinary Research Centers (the Center for Discovery Science and Health Informatics, Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics, and Center for Study of Chronic Illness and Disability) allow faculty and students to advance knowledge through collaboration.