Accelerated Programs

West Chester University offers accelerated bachelor’s to master’s programs permitting undergraduate students with at least junior standing to take graduate coursework in order to get an early start on the graduate degree. Accelerated programs can expedite the time to completion of the master’s degree. Accelerated programs can also decrease the overall combined credits necessary to complete the undergraduate and graduate degrees since graduate credits may be used to satisfy undergraduate degree requirements. Accelerated programs are an ideal option for students whose desired profession requires a master’s degree to practice and/or those students seeking accelerated completion of graduate-level work. Please note that accelerated offerings are limited to those programs that have elected to provide for such a format.

Accelerated Program Policies

An accelerated program permits qualified undergraduate students with at least junior standing to take graduate coursework in order to get an early start on the master’s program. Participation is limited to programs that have elected to offer degrees in an accelerated format. A student must apply and be accepted into an accelerated program prior to enrollment in any graduate course(s).

Admission Requirements

In some accelerated programs, prospective undergraduate and transfer students (with a transfer grade point average of 3.00) may apply for admission into an accelerated program at the time of admission into the university. If accepted, this is not a final offer of admission into the graduate program.
Current undergraduate students with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 are eligible to apply for admission into an accelerated program. Applicants must submit the accelerated application and all requested documents required by the department and the Dean of The Graduate School. Programs may have additional admission requirements.
Students accepted into an accelerated program will be offered provisional admission to the graduate program from the Dean of The Graduate School when they have attained at least junior standing (a minimum of 60 completed credits) and meet all university and departmental admission requirements.
Full admission to the graduate program will be granted upon conferral of the undergraduate degree and satisfaction of all requirements set by the department and the Dean of The Graduate School.

Academic Requirements

Students in accelerated programs must satisfy the requirements and student learning outcomes of both degree programs.
A student must have attained at least junior standing (a minimum of 60 completed credits) and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 before taking graduate courses in the intended graduate program.
All prerequisites for the intended graduate courses must be satisfied prior to taking those graduate courses.
A maximum of 40% of graduate credits (rounded to the nearest whole number) may be applied to satisfy the credit and/or program requirements for the undergraduate degree. Departments may choose to apply a smaller percentage of graduate credits to the degree. The total number of credits required for both the undergraduate and graduate degrees will be reduced by the number of graduate credits used to satisfy requirements for the undergraduate degree.
Students may not take additional graduate courses, beyond those approved to satisfy their undergraduate degree, until the conferral of their undergraduate degree.

Tuition and Financial Aid/Scholarships

Students are considered undergraduate students until conferral of their undergraduate degree.
The graduate courses will be applied to the undergraduate record during their junior and senior year, allowing the student to be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate and eligible for undergraduate financial aid and scholarships.
After conferral of the undergraduate degree, students will receive full admission status (pending all other requirements have been met) and be considered graduate students. Students will then be charged the graduate tuition rate and be eligible for graduate assistantships and other graduate aid.

Notes

Failure to demonstrate adequate progress, as defined by the department, could result in a student being ineligible to continue in the accelerated program. Departments requesting withdrawal of an accelerated undergraduate student must notify the Dean of The Graduate School in writing prior to the start of the next regular semester.
Unless otherwise stated, students are considered undergraduates until the undergraduate degree is conferred and thereby held to policies in the Undergraduate Catalog. Once the undergraduate degree is conferred, students are considered graduate students and held to policies in the graduate catalog.