Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Programs
An accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s program allows a student to enroll in approved graduate courses while completing the baccalaureate degree requirements. These courses will be shared by the undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The number of credits that are shared for the undergraduate and graduate programs will vary but will not exceed 15 credits or 50% of the graduate program. See the accelerated program section under the graduate program listing in this catalog for requirements and eligibility for admission.
Time of Application
The student is eligible to begin the accelerated graduate program when they have reached Junior status and may apply to the accelerated program the semester before they reach 60 credits. A student may apply to the program after 60 credits but this could limit the total number of graduate courses that are shared between Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
Tuition
Undergraduate tuition rates will apply during the undergraduate portion of completing the degree requirements.
Approved Program
The coordinator of the graduate program will determine the shared graduate courses that will be taken during the undergraduate degree. The Approved Accelerated Program form will list the courses and serve as the student’s admission to the accelerated program. This form will be filed with the Graduate Office.
The student will not be eligible for any graduate-level scholarships, tuition or fee waivers, or assistantships while pursuing the baccalaureate portion of the accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s program with the exception of any benefits covered in the Employee Handbook.
Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, the student will formally apply for admission to the graduate program. In most cases, these students will have met requirements for candidacy as they begin their program.
Progress
A student is expected to maintain the same undergraduate grades that were required for admission to the accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s program. A student that is not making satisfactory academic progress in the accelerated program can be suspended or dismissed by the graduate coordinator of the program. Unsatisfactory progress may involve deficient grades for graduate courses, lowered performance on undergraduate grades, or any consideration described in the program’s requirements for graduate candidacy.
Students may appeal this decision only at the department or school level due to their undergraduate status. However, appeals or petitions directly related to the graduate courses, will follow the graduate policies in this catalog.
A student that is either dismissed or suspended from the accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program may still apply for graduate admission upon completion of the baccalaureate degree. Additionally, a student who chooses not to complete the accelerated program may also apply for graduate admission at a later date.
Graduate Transcript
The graduate level courses that were approved in the student’s Approved Accelerated Program form will be transferred to a graduate transcript only after the student is admitted to the graduate program. Students may be required to repeat courses in which a deficient grade was earned.
Graduate Admission
When the student is formally admitted to the graduate program, all graduate policies will then apply. This includes the 8-year time limit on all graduate courses.