Combined Bachelor's & Master's Degree

Students who wish to pursue a combined bachelor’s/master’s program must apply to the graduate portion of the program no later than the spring term of the junior year and after completing 75 undergraduate credits. All students must complete a Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Program Application for Admission (available from the department’s Director of Graduate Studies – DGS). After securing the approval of the department’s DGS, the student must submit the completed form to CCAS.

A student who has been admitted to the combined degree program may, with the approval of both their undergraduate and graduate faculty advisors, take graduate level courses that will double count for both the undergraduate and graduate degrees. Courses taken prior to admission to the graduate portion of the program may not be retroactively counted toward the graduate degree.

NOTE: While taking courses as a combined degree candidate, students should meet at least once a semester with both their undergraduate and graduate advisors for information and to make sure they stay on track academically in both programs.

Combined degree course work (those hours counting towards both programs) must be at the 600 level and have grades of “B” or better; these courses will be counted towards both the CCAS undergraduate and graduate grade point averages. During the first semester in the combined program (normally during the 2nd semester junior year or first semester senior year), the student should meet with the DGS and the undergraduate advisor and submit a Combined Degree Credit form to CCAS. Note: this form cannot be revised at a future date. The form will also indicate the date by which the student will complete the master’s degree. If the student has not graduated by that date, he/she will need to submit a request to the Dean for an extension to complete degree requirements.

In some cases, a student may have completed all undergraduate degree requirements (including double counted graduate level course work) as a result of AP or transfer credits. In this event, if the student wants to take additional graduate level course work towards the graduate degree while still an undergraduate, a petition (signed by the student and the DGS) must be submitted to CCAS before enrolling in the additional graduate courses; no requests for retroactive credit will be approved. Please be aware that taking graduate level course work while still an undergraduate student may affect the student’s financial aid. The student should address questions concerning this to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA).

Combined degree candidates must inform CCAS if they do not complete their undergraduate degree requirements on time. They may not take a full load of graduate course work until they have completed the bachelor’s degree without permission of the DGS and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.