Mason Science: New Courses and Special Topics Offerings
Fall 2025 New Courses and Special Topics Offerings
Would you like to explore new and exciting scientific topics, or take a seminar to quickly expand the knowledge of your field? Consider taking one or more of the 50+ exciting new, special topic, and seminar courses available this coming semester!
New Course Offerings
Use the drop down menu to review the course descriptions. For more detailed course information, visit PatriotWeb and search for the course’s subject and number (i.e. BIMR 480).
Geography and Geoinformation Sciences
GGS 557 001: Urban Planning
Reviews spatial, policy, and administration principles that guide urban planning activities in the United States. Outlines differences between theory and practice and provides tools, methods, and perspectives commonly incorporated into practice of urban planning and policy analysis.
This course is intended as a general introduction to the field of urban planning. The history, practice, and theory of urban planning will be discussed, as well as a few of the different ‘flavors’ of urban planning subfields. Planning has been historically seen as a technical and applied career; this will be introduced by means of a course project intended to see the interdisciplinary and multifaceted approaches needed to be a planning practitioner. Planning is interdisciplinary and multifaceted because cities and urban areas themselves are complicated human constructs, necessitating an examination of the history, geography, sociology, politics, and economics of urban places and urban people. This course will focus upon the foundations of planning as seen in the context of the United States.
Special Topics and Seminar Courses
Bioinformatics
BINF 704 DL3: Special Topics Speaker Series
Seminar series on the latest findings from Principal Investigators (both internal and external speakers) that share published and unpublished data regarding infections (i.e. RNA and DNA viruses as well as bacteria), immunity (both tissue and immune cells in primary and secondary lymphatics), diagnostics, and therapeutics (drugs, exosomes, etc).
BINF 739 DL1: Special Topics Speaker Series
Seminar series on the latest findings from Principal Investigators (both internal and external speakers) that share published and unpublished data regarding infections (i.e. RNA and DNA viruses as well as bacteria), immunity (both tissue and immune cells in primary and secondary lymphatics), diagnostics, and therapeutics (drugs, exosomes, etc).
BINF 739 DL2: Special Topics Speaker Series
Seminar series on the latest findings from Principal Investigators (both internal and external speakers) that share published and unpublished data regarding infections (i.e. RNA and DNA viruses as well as bacteria), immunity (both tissue and immune cells in primary and secondary lymphatics), diagnostics, and therapeutics (drugs, exosomes, etc).
BINF 739 P01: Special Topics Speaker Series
Seminar series on the latest findings from Principal Investigators (both internal and external speakers) that share published and unpublished data regarding infections (i.e. RNA and DNA viruses as well as bacteria), immunity (both tissue and immune cells in primary and secondary lymphatics), diagnostics, and therapeutics (drugs, exosomes, etc).
Biology (100 to 400 level)
BIOL 101 001: Freshman Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information
BIOL 101 002: Freshman Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information
BIOL 417 DL1: Bioinformatics/Comp Biology I
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information
BIOL 417 DL2: Research & Development in Biotech Companies
This course focuses on Research and Development approaches and methodologies used in solving critical problems in biosciences/life sciences through biotechnology. The course will focus on various steps needed for product development and commercialization. The course will primarily cover agricultural and medical technologies in a case study format. Students will develop skills to evaluate novel technologies and methodologies being used in the biotech industry to address medical and agricultural problems. Students will learn to develop skills needed to analyze patents, literature and data, and learn to formulate research plans.
BIOL 417 DL3: Biology Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information
BIOL 417 DL4: Data Science for Biologists
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information
BIOL 417 DL5: Microevolutionary Processes
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information
BIOL 492 DL1: Senior Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
BIOL 494 H01: Honors Seminar in Biology
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
BIOL 498 001: Research Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
Biology (500 to 600 level)
BIOL 506 002: Selected topics in Microbiology
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
BIOL 506 DL2: Selected topics in Microbiology
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
BIOL 691 001: Clinical Application of Human Physiology
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
BIOL 691 001: Current Topics in Biology
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
BIOL 695 002: Application of Genomics in Health
Online course that meets in person and via Zoom. Readings are assigned on current Genomics topics in literature / journals with student presentations.
BIOL 695 DL1: Colloquium Speaker Series
Fully online course that meets at lunchtime with various guest speakers. Topics cover current trends in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
BIOL 695 DL2: Bioinformatics Colloquium
Fully online course that meets at lunchtime with various guest speakers. Topics cover current trends in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
BIOL 695 DL3: Special Topic Speaker Series
Asynchronous online course designed to train students in understanding scientific presentations and publications while giving them a rudimentary capability to craft a colloquium style presentation based on journal articles. Students will record and present a talk on current Bioinformatics topics and write up summaries of additional speakers’ talks for a grade.
Biomedical Sciences
BMED 651 001: Biomedical Career Pathways
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
BMED 651 DL1: Biomedical Career Pathways
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
Biosciences
BIOS 704 DL3: Special Topics Seminar
Asynchronous online course designed to train students in understanding scientific presentations and publications while giving them a rudimentary capability to craft a colloquium style presentation based on journal articles. Students will record and present a talk on current Bioinformatics topics and write up summaries of additional speakers’ talks for a grade.
Chemistry
CHEM 490 001: Undergraduate Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
CHEM 790 001: Graduate Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
CHEM 790 002: Graduate Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
Climate Science
CLIM 991 001: Climate Dynamics Seminar
Description forthcoming. Please contact the department in the meantime for more information.
Environmental Science and Policy (300 to 400 level)
EVPP 490 001: Sustainability in Action
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
EVPP 490 003: Sustainability in Action
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
EVPP 490 001: Spec Topic-Envir Sci/Pol
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
EVPP 490 005: Spec Topic-Envir Sci/Pol
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
Environmental Science and Policy (500 to 900 level)
EVPP 505 002: Fundamentals of Environmental GIS
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
EVPP 505 003: Soil Science
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
EVPP 505 004: Career Development for Environmental Scientist
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
EVPP 505 005: SA: Nepal Conservation Story
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
EVPP 505 006: Selected Topics in Environmental Science
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
EVPP 505 008: Selected Topics in Environmental Science
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.]
EVPP 505 009: Lab for Lecture 006
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
EVPP 505 SA1: Selected Topics in Environmental Science
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
Forensic Science
FRSC 600 001: Forensics Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department more information.
Geography and Geoinformation Science (300 to 400 level)
GGS 384 DL1: Special Topic Geospatial Intelligence
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, free to reach out to the department for more information.
GGS 400 001: Colloquium GIScience
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
Geography and Geoinformation Science (500 to 900 level)
GGS 689 001: Geographic Thought and Methods
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
GGS 900 DL1: GGS Colloquium
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.
Geology
GEOL 392 001: Geology and Earth Science Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the departmentfor more information.
GEOL 420 001: Earth Science and Policy
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the departmentfor more information.
GEOL 503 002: Special Topics in Earth Science Education
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the departmentfor more information.
GEOL 536 001: Paleontology Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the departmentfor more information.
GEOL 792 001: Seminar in Earth Systems, Geology, and, Earth Science
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the departmentfor more information.
Mathematics
MATH 795 001: Graduate Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the departmentfor more information.
Neuroscience
NEUR 411 001: Graduate Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the departmentfor more information.
NEUR 411 002: Model Org & Neur Rsrch
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the departmentfor more information.
Physics
PHYS 703 002: Seminar in Physics
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the departmentfor more information.