Combined BS/MS

Combined Baccalaureate and Master's Program

Complete details of the University Policy for the 2012-2013 catalog year can be found here.

Persons with outstanding undergraduate records or exemplary professional credentials may be eligible for one of the following three enrollments in a combined bachelor's and master’s degree program:

Combined Bachelor's and Master’s Degrees for Students Early In Their Undergraduate Studies

Undergraduate students who have achieved a GPA of one of the following may apply for early admission to a master’s degree program:

• 3.500 GPA after 60 semester hours
• 3.400 GPA after 75 semester hours
• 3.300 GPA after 90 semester hours
• 3.200 GPA after 105 semester hours

To successfully apply for a master's program, students must accomplish the following:

Complete an application for admission.

Complete the Combined Baccalaureate and Master’s Program form, which includes:

Listing of courses at the undergraduate level that need to be taken for the bachelor's degree.

The beginning date for graduate study.

Listing of graduate courses to be used to satisfy the undergraduate degree. (In participating departments/schools, students may apply maximum 12 of their accumulated graduate hours toward the completion of their undergraduate degree requirements as well. The students' undergraduate department will determine the undergraduate coursework for which graduate credits may be substituted). In some departments, graduate coursework may be substituted for elective undergraduate coursework only and cannot be used as substitution within the major. Students should check with the graduate coordinator in their department/school. The selection of the graduate coursework and the number of credits to be applied toward an undergraduate degree requires the approval of the graduate chair in the students' academic department and the appropriate college dean(s).

Provide three letters of recommendation from instructors who are familiar with the students’ achievements and intended academic goals.

Submit any required test scores from standardized examinations.

A Nontraditional Master's Degree Student

In rare instances, persons who have not completed a baccalaureate will be considered for admission to the appropriate graduate unit due to unusual and exemplary experiential learning. Such applicants may apply for admission by presenting for departmental consideration a curricular plan encompassing undergraduate and graduate coursework to achieve a liberal educational background and professional graduate degree and three letters of recommendation attesting to their potential for graduate study. Upon departmental recommendation and the approval of the college dean, applicants will be admitted to undertake graduate work. Upon successful completion of the curricular plan and the particular master’s degree requirements, the students will be awarded the master’s degree.