What are the responsibilities and job description for the Academic Advisor position at George Mason University?
Department: Col of Engineering and Computing
Classification: Education Support Spec 3
Job Category: Classified Staff
Job Type: Full-Time
Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)
Location: Fairfax, VA
Workplace Type: On Site Required
Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship
Pay Band: 04
Salary: Salary range starting upper $50k, commensurate with education and experience
Criminal Background Check: Yes
About the Department:
The Mission of the George Mason University Department of Statistics is to pursue sound and reproducible research in statistics and data science; train and educate the next generation of statisticians and data scientists in the changing landscape of computing and AI; promote the practice of statistical principles, evidence-based research, and sound data collection and usage; and impact society through statistical innovations and interdisciplinary collaborations.
About the Position:
The Academic Advisor provides academic advising for all current and prospective students and supports the student's recruitment and retention efforts, a described below.
The Advisor responds to general inquiries about the department's educational programs, helps current undergraduate students with education planning and decision-making, and provides transition support for the bachelor's to accelerated master's (BAM) programs. Responsibilities also include helping current students understand academic policies and procedures, tracking current and prospective undergraduate, graduate, and BAM students, responding to prospective students’ questions about application procedures, and coordinating departmental recruitment efforts.
Representing the department professionally, the Advisor is a resource for university and department procedures, rules, and regulations, as a troubleshooter and problem solver for all students. The Advisor contributes to Mason's goals of preparing career-ready graduates and improving graduation and retention rates.
Responsibilities:
Undergraduate Students Advising
- Advises current undergraduate students in decision-making and developing a plan of study consistent with students' interests, desires and abilities;
- Assists students regarding course selection, prerequisites, transfer courses, registration and overrides, career and/or educational goal and general university rules and regulations;
- Coordinates processing of graduation applications;
- Guilds/Ensures that students meet departmental requirements of degree progress;
- Acts and assists in troubleshooting and problem-solving (registration errors, late schedule adjustments, retroactive withdrawals, etc.);
- Communicates essential academic registration information;
- Provides information on academic policies, procedures and practices, including working through various academic requests, forms and appeals;
- Organizes and retains student records, including advising notes and email exchanges;
- Escalates complex issues or situations with students to supervisor for guidance (any requests for policy exceptions or interventions that need support);
- Participates in outreach initiatives organized by the college/university; and
- Performs prerequisite checks for all STAT undergraduate courses at the beginning of each semester and verifies student eligibility for each class.
Student Affairs
- Provides administrative support to students and faculty, and collaborates on students outreach activities. Distributes information and assists in implementing and performing student support services tasks;
- Assists in coordination of efforts to organize departmental functions for students, including events such as orientation or faculty-student advising meetings;
- Participates in university-wide programs and events related to undergraduate students such as admissions, orientation, outreach, advising, graduation and other social and networking events;
- Acts as a liaison between students, faculty, management, and administrative agents to explain programs and university rules and regulations;
- Assists and performs the oversight of operations related to student records, graduation and student recruitment functions;
- Communicates with students, faculty, and administrators via email and other means to address inquiries and foster student success;
- Updates advising materials (printed and online) before each catalog year;
- Creates sample schedules, transfer guides, and degree worksheets for different student populations;
- Tracks potential graduate students by maintaining a list of BAM students or undergraduates interested in MS/PhD programs and identifying excellent candidates;
- Provides BAM student advising and transition support, offering course selection guidance, tracking progress, and assisting with curriculum or advising needs in collaboration with faculty; and
- Assists with prospective student inquiries related to application processes; and Organizes regular outreach campaigns to reach out to students proactively.
Other Related Duties
- Serves on committees and support other projects or tasks as assigned and as needed;
- Participates in university-wide advising training and ongoing professional development including IT training; and
- Utilizes the university platform for tracking and reporting student interactions and making referrals.
Required Qualifications:
- High school diploma or equivalent;
- Experience or demonstrated knowledge in one or more of the following areas: academic advising, success coaching, counseling, orientation, disability services, career services, student involvement, and student responsibilities;
- Experience serving, leading, or supporting diverse student populations;
- Experience with computer data entry, email, and Microsoft Office suite, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Forms;
- Excellent verbal and written communication, organizational and outreach skills;
- Strong interpersonal skills and professionalism in communicating with faculty, staff, students, visiting students, families and public;
- Conflict resolution skills;
- Ability to meet deadlines, working accurately and quickly with attention to detail, and being able to manage multiple programs and projects simultaneously;
- Ability to provide strong customer service;
- Ability to work with a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff;
- Proven ability to work collaboratively and to learn new things;
- Comfortable with technology;
- Adaptive and Responsible; and
- Flexibility to work some evening and weekend hours, as needed for Orientation and Admissions events, is a position requirement.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Higher Education, College Student Personnel, Counseling, or related field; or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
- Prior experience working in a higher education setting;
- Prior experience in working or studying with STEM students;
- Experience with leadership, communication, program development, and administrative activities;
- Experience with educational database management systems;
- Knowledge and experience in assisting students in a college setting in academic advising/support; and
- Strong working knowledge of student transitional issues.
Instructions to Applicants:
For full consideration, applicants must apply for Academic Advisor at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter, resume, and another document that testifies to your qualifications listed in your resume (optional) for review.
Posting Open Date: December 8, 2025
For Full Consideration, Apply by: December 19, 2025
Open Until Filled: Yes
About the College:
The College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) at George Mason University is a fast-growing force for innovation in research and education. Ranked nationally in the top 100 in both undergraduate and graduate education, the CEC more than 11,000 students in fall 2025. The college has 34 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs including several first-in-the-nation offerings. Of its 326 instructional faculty, 100 are tenured, 64 are tenure-track, 100 are term faculty, and 62 are research faculty. As part of a nationally ranked research university, CEC research teams expended $83.7 million in sponsored research awards in the past year and had projects with over $66.8 million in awards. The college stands out for its leading research in areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics engineering, cybersecurity engineering, biomedical imaging and devices, healthcare, autonomous systems, 5G/Next G communications, systems architectures, computational biomedicine, advanced materials and manufacturing, statistics, sustainable infrastructure, and more. The college encourages and supports multidisciplinary research and provides ample opportunity for faculty to work with other disciplines.
About the University and the Region:
George Mason University is the largest and most diverse public research university in Virginia, with an enrollment of more than 40,000 students studying in over 200 degree programs. Mason is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. It was classified as an R1 research institution in 2016 by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutes of Higher Education. The university has campuses in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William County. Its proximity to Washington, D.C. provides unmatched geographical access to federal agencies and national laboratories. Northern Virginia is also home to one of the largest concentrations of high-tech firms in the nation, providing excellent opportunities for interaction with industry. The region is consistently rated as being among the best places to live in the country and has an outstanding local public school system.
About the Future:
In conjunction with Amazon’s decision to establish a second headquarters in Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced a multi-year plan to invest in the growth of degree programs in computing. As a result, George Mason has committed to accelerate its plans to grow its capacity in computing and high-tech fields. Among the university’s exciting initiatives are the launch of the Institute for Digital Innovation—a university think tank and incubator to serve the digital economy—and the expansion of Mason Square home to its Arlington facilities. In 2025, Fuse a new 355,000 square foot building, opened to students, faculty, and research teams. This net-zero facility will house the Institute for Digital Innovation, state-of the-art classrooms, labs, and collaborative spaces. It will also include retail space, and leasing opportunities for local businesses. These initiatives reflect hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment by George Mason that will rapidly elevate the university’s already leading national position in computing and related areas.
Each agency within the Commonwealth of Virginia is dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and maintaining a competent and diverse work force. Equal Opportunity Employer
Salary : $50,000