Combined Bachelor/Master Program Guidelines

Requirements for a combined Bachelor/Graduate program

As part of the proposal to offer a combined bachelors/graduate certificate/degree, programs must specify the timing of application (and deferred admission) to the combined program. This may be as early as the time of submission of the application for undergraduate admission for programs that wish to have direct admission into the bachelors and graduate degree. Programs should consider which courses they would want students to double-count, and the timing for when students would take those courses in their decisions regarding application timing.
There must be specific requirements for admission to the combined degree program that defines the expected academic performance of the students to be admitted. Students must have a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 at time of application to be eligible for acceptance into the combined program and meet the admission requirements for the graduate degree portion of the program. Individual graduate programs may have a higher GPA requirement. Admission requirements for direct admission at the time of the application for undergraduate admission into a bachelors/graduate degree should be substantially higher and have a clearly articulated rationale in order to ensure that accepted students have a high likelihood of success. Students who are accepted into the combined program will be granted deferred admission to the graduate program.
The combined program should be designed not to delay the students’ receipt of their bachelor’s degrees.
For doctoral programs with external accreditation, up to 30 credits of graduate courses may be applied to both the bachelor’s degree and the doctoral degree. For doctoral programs that do not have external accreditation and for masters programs, up to 12 credits of graduate courses may be applied to both the bachelor’s and the graduate degree. For graduate certificate programs, up to 6 credits may be applied to both the bachelor’s degree and the graduate certificate.
Courses eligible to be double‐counted must be at the 5000 level or above. Independent study courses, internships, or courses given credit by examination are not eligible. The graduate credits to be double‐counted will be designated as applicable to the graduate degree after the student receives the bachelor’s degree and matriculates in the graduate program. This designation will be canceled if the student is denied formal admission to the graduate program or withdraws from the graduate program before satisfying the requirements for the graduate degree.
A Graduate Plan of Study should be developed with the student at the time of admission, and shared with the Graduate School.
Students must maintain a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0, as well as earn a grade of at least a B (3.0), S, or SP in each course taken for graduate credit (except as noted below). If the cumulative undergraduate grade point average (CGPA) falls below 3.00, the student will not be permitted to enroll in additional graduate coursework until their cumulative GPA returns to 3.00. Policies regarding grades in graduate level courses that are described in the Graduate School catalog will be followed to determine whether the courses may count toward the graduate degree.

The policies in the Undergraduate Catalogue regarding minimum grades will be followed to determine whether the courses count toward the undergraduate degree. If the undergraduate student earns a grade lower than a (B) 3.00, S, or SP in more than one graduate level course, they will be removed from the graduate portion of the combined program, except in cases where they would still be permitted by program policy to use those courses toward their graduate degree. If an undergraduate student is removed from the combined program, they may still use the earned graduate credits toward the bachelor’s degree requirements where applicable and consistent with the Undergraduate Catalog.
Students offered deferred admission remain classified as undergraduates until they have completed all undergraduate degree requirements. At that time, students who have maintained an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and have earned grades that meet the program’s criteria for being applied to the graduate degree in each of the graduate courses taken as an undergraduate, will be reclassified as a graduate student through the Graduate School. Students who have not maintained eligibility to continue will be denied formal admission to the graduate program and forfeit the double‐counted course advantage extended to students eligible to continue in the graduate portion of the combined degree program.

Undergraduate students who take graduate courses, prior to being accepted by the Graduate School with deferred admission into the graduate program will NOT be able to count those courses towards their graduate degree.
All university and departmental requirements, including the full number of credit hours required, for the bachelor’s degree and the graduate certificate/degree must be satisfied to receive both the undergraduate degree and the graduate certificate/degree.
Students in the combined program are eligible to hold a graduate assistantship or graduate fellowship upon completion of the undergraduate degree requirements and being reclassified as graduate students, subject to all other policies related to holding a graduate assistantship.