Undergraduate Opportunities

“Mason provides an environment for students to apply what they learned in class to real-world situations.”

Omar Azizi, civil engineering graduate

Conduct research with one of our world-renowned experts. Study in Ireland as part of your degree. Intern with an engineering firm. Our students develop technical and leadership skills through student organizations, study-abroad programs, and internships.

Two students standing in a river with boots and digging out materials with a net.
Civil Engineering students explored Happy Creek as part
of the week-long course at the Smithsonian Mason School of
Conservation Campus in Front Royal, Virginia. The students got
more than their feet wet as they checked under the rocks and logs to find
crawfish and other surprises.
Opportunities include:
  • Student organizations. Meet people with common interests and goals, develop skills that could help determine your career path, and form friendships that last a lifetime in our student groups.
  • Internships. Undergraduates get meaningful, paid internships throughout the year with companies and government agencies in our area.
  • Study abroad. Our department has a direct exchange agreement with University College Dublin in Ireland for a one-semester civil engineering undergraduate program recommended for the junior year. Students can also take a two-week summer course in Germany that introduces them to applications of engineering processes. This course satisfies Mason's global understanding core.
  • Travel funding. Mason’s Undergraduate Student Travel Fund (USTF) supports research and scholarly travel to conferences for undergraduates.
  • ADVANCE program. Students have the option of earning an associate of science degree from Northern Virginia Community College, then coming to Mason for a bachelor of science degree in civil and infrastructure engineering through the Mason-NOVA Advance program, which provides transfer students the opportunity to complete their BS degree within four years.
  • Sponsored research. The Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) connects undergraduate students with faculty to conduct research. OSCAR supports students by helping them find a project and mentor, funding undergraduate research and creative projects, providing student travel grants, supporting interdisciplinary courses, and hosting the Celebration of Scholarship.
  • Senior design projects. Our undergraduate degree culminates in senior design projects, which give students a chance to polish their technical, business, and professional skills by working in teams on industry-like research.

Engineering Group Builds Hiker’s Bridge in Toms Creek, Virginia