Overview
The US-China 1+2+1 Joint Academic Program, begun in 2001, operates under the auspices of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the China Center for International Educational Exchange (CCIEE), part of China's Ministry of Education. This international education initiative brings American and Chinese universities together to offer dual degrees to Chinese undergraduate students. 1+2+1 students spend their freshman year in a Chinese university, their sophomore and junior years at an American university, and their senior year back at their original university in China. Upon completing all requirements, students receive baccalaureate degrees from each school. The graduates of the program are bilingual, have completed a rigorous and demanding course of study, and have gained a truly international education.
During the first six years (2001-2007), more than 400 undergraduate students from China participated in this program. Approximately fourteen American universities and more than fifty Chinese universities are now part of the 1+2+1 consortium under the sponsorship of AASCU and CCIEE respectively.
George Mason University officially joined the U.S.-China 1+2+1 Dual Degree Program in October 2004, when President Alan Merten visited China and signed 1+2+1 agreements with a select group of seven Chinese consortium universities. As new Chinese universities join the program, Mason has added several university partners based on mutual interest and compatibility. Each August beginning in 2005, a new cohort of 1+2+1 students arrives on campus to begin their two-year period of intensive study at Mason.
Milestones of the 1+2+1 Program at Mason
1+2+1 Introduction prepared by CCIEE (pdf)
1+2+1 Student Recognition Ceremony (Program from Event (pdf))
Articles from the Mason Gazette
International Agreement Will Bring Chinese Students to George Mason
Chinese Administrator Explores American University System through Mason Visit
Contact Us
For additional information about George Mason's participation in this program, please contact Madelyn Ross, Mason China Coordinator, at mross3@gmu.edu