Students & Placement

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George Mason's IP students enter school with an impressive array of achievements and experiences.  More than 50 students are current or former patent examiners, which means that they hold undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in computer science, engineering, and the physical sciences.  During school, most students build on these achievements and experiences by working full- or part-time at local firms, corporations, and government agencies.  The opportunity to combine classroom training with real-world experience is one of the most valuable components of George Mason's IP Program.

The Intellectual Property Law Society (IPLS) is one of the most active student groups at the law school.  It's members participate in a number of academic competitions including the annual Giles S. Rich Moot Court Competition (where a George Mason team won second place in the national competition in April 2000).  The IPLS also brings a variety of speakers to campus, sponsors social outings, and organizes networking events with national IP employers.  

Students edit and publish the Federal Circuit Bar Journal, which is the official journal of the Federal Circuit Bar Association and the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  The Journal has a subscriber base of more than 2,000 judges, academics, and practitioners and features articles on the full range of IP subjects.  Each student editor is required to write at least one article for publication in the Journal.

Due to the reputation of the Intellectual Property Program and the law school's location in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, George Mason's students have access to a diversity of job opportunities.  Graduates of the Intellectual Property Law Track have a placement rate of 100% and earn the highest starting salaries of all George Mason graduates.  Since 1995, George Mason has averaged at least one graduate as a judicial clerk on the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  For career advice and employer contacts, students can draw on the resources of the Career, Academic and Alumni Services office, the Intellectual Property Law Society (IPLS), and the IP faculty.