Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Programs Guidelines
1. Nature and Rationale
The Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Program offers the opportunity for students
to advance their careers in a significant way by pursuing the Bachelor’s and Master’s
degrees in a parallel and coordinated program. Graduate education involves a close
working relationship between a student and a Graduate Faculty mentor, and the Accelerated
Degree Program develops this relationship early in a student’s career. Doctoral degrees
are excluded from this dual program.
2. Procedures for Submitting the Degree Program Proposal
Graduate programs are able to develop program specific guidelines for recruiting potential
undergraduates and current undergraduates into the Accelerated Degree Program. These
guidelines should outline any deviations from the standard undergraduate program and
the standard graduate program, as these are considered in the Accelerated Degree Program.
One deviation from the standard programs may be the possibility of including a limited
number of joint-degree hours that are applied to both the Bachelor and Master degrees.
These joint degree hours may be at the 500-800 level. Programs may use up to 9 hours
in a 30-hour graduate program and up to 12 hours in a 36-hour graduate program. If
this deviation is requested, joint-degree hours may not be workshop courses, undergraduate
core curriculum courses, cooperative education courses, or courses that are prerequisites
for the graduate program. The CIM submission may include a list of courses that are
eligible or should not be eligible for the joint credit. The specific program proposal
requires approval through the regular curriculum change process to the level of the
Vice President for Academic Affairs (including review and approval by the Graduate
Council).
3. Minimum Program Guidelines
Initial admission to the Accelerated Degree Program occurs soon after the program
area identifies the candidate. This typically occurs during the first semester of
the junior year, but may occur anytime after the student has completed 60 hours of
undergraduate work. Minimum standards for initial admission require a cumulative undergraduate
G.P.A. that is at least equal to the program’s minimum admission requirement. After
initial admission, continuation in the program requires good standing at the undergraduate
and graduate (when available) level. Individual departments may require additional
admissions criteria including a higher admission G.P.A. Undergraduate students apply
for Bachelor’s to Master’s Programs using the regular Graduate School admission process
(including paying the Graduate School application fee). Students would normally apply
for graduate admission at least one semester before the semester in which they plan
to obtain credit at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Should the student
meet the admission requirements set for the program, a tentative admission will be
granted, pending the award of the bachelor’s degree. Tentative
graduate admission does not guarantee final admission to the graduate program. Final
graduate admission is contingent upon the student meeting all the admission requirements
in place for the graduate program at the time the Bachelor’s degree is awarded. If
a tentatively admitted student does not achieve final admission, the graduate work
already completed will be moved to the undergraduate transcript. Until the bachelor’s
degree is awarded, for each semester in which the student takes courses at the graduate
and undergraduate level, a dual enrollment form (attached) must be completed which
indicates the courses taken for graduate credit. The bachelor’s degree may be awarded
at any time following the completion of the undergraduate degree requirements and
completion of the joint-degree hours. Joint degree hours show on both the graduate
and undergraduate transcripts. Graduate course work taken in this program must be
completed within 10 years from the first grad level course that will be on the plan
of study. Please note that some programs may require the degree to be completed in
fewer than 10 years. Consult the program section of the catalog (or with the chair/graduate
coordinator) to determine if your program has a shorter time frame for degree completion.
Students in an Accelerated Degree Program may not hold a graduate assistantship until
after the Bachelor’s degree is awarded, and the student is fully admitted to the graduate
program. For the purpose of requesting exceptions to program and university regulations,
students in an Accelerated Degree Program are considered undergraduates and thus proceed
through the undergraduate processes until the Bachelor’s degree is awarded.
Program approved by Graduate Council on 2/1/2007
Latest procedural revision - 12/2018
Remove "dual" from name of program - 3/2026