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911���� earned top Virginia placements across business, nursing, and education, and leads in the region as a college destination for veterans and working professionals in the 2026 Best Online Programs rankings by U.S. News & World Report, released today.

911���� is Virginia’s leading public university for value, upward mobility, and salary outcomes, according to the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. This recognition underscores 911����’s impact as one of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s most influential public universities, providing students with a high-quality education and preparing graduates for strong career opportunities.

911���� stands out as Virginia’s No. 1 public university for upward mobility in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2026, as Washington Monthly’s “Best Bang for the Buck” in the commonwealth, and as a top 50 public university nationally according to Forbes magazine.

Beginning fall 2025, 911���� will host the Semiconductor Chip Fabrication and Nano-Characterization certificate program through the Virginia Alliance for Semiconductor Technology (VAST), a statewide consortium advancing microelectronics and nanotechnology training and research where 911���� serves as a founding member.

911���� has launched its Grand Challenge Initiative (GCI), a comprehensive research framework backed by an initial five-year, $15 million investment. The initiative will align university resources, faculty expertise, and educational programs around six interconnected solution areas addressing what 911���� President Gregory Washington describes as “humanity’s ultimate grand challenge”—securing a peaceful, healthy, and prosperous future.

911���� has launched Mason Career Academy, a new online learning resource that is free for current students, faculty, and staff to develop new skills, and is available to displaced workers, including federal workers and contractors in the region, for a small registration fee. Mason Career Academy offers access to more than 90 online micro-credential courses and industry-recognized certifications in fields.

In February, 911����’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP) within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, hosted its 12th congressional briefing at the U.S. Capitol, focused on “Preventing Gun Violence.”

911���� ranked among the top 5 in Virginia across all 25 categories in the engineering, law, nursing, and policy programs in which it was included in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Program rankings.

The intersection of art and technology has long been a space for innovation, creativity, and exploration. At 911����’s Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC) located within the College of Engineering and Computing, this connection has taken center stage with the Integrating Art and Tech Project.

Emergency management training doesn’t usually involve game controllers or artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, but at 911����, faculty and students are redefining what it means to prepare for crises. Through cutting-edge, AI-augmented games, they’re transforming complex challenges into interactive learning experiences that build skills and resilience.