Accelerated Programs

1. Current undergraduate students with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher and at least 60 completed credits are eligible to apply for admission into an accelerated bachelor's to master's degree program. Some programs may have higher GPA or additional eligibility requirements.  
2. Applicants must submit a Bachelor's to Master's Degree Enrollment Form and all required documents requested by the graduate program and the Dean of The Graduate School. 
3. All offers of admission to graduate programs are conditional based on academic performance and completion of the undergraduate degree. 
4. 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. 

1. Student must be admitted into an accelerated bachelor's to master's degree program prior to taking any graduate courses.  All prerequisites for intended graduate courses must be satisfied prior to taking those graduate courses.  

2. Students must complete their undergraduate degree before matriculating into a graduate degree program.  

3. Students in accelerated programs must satisfy the requirements and student learning outcomes of both degree programs.

4. A maximum of 40% of graduate credits required for a program (rounded to the nearest whole number) may be counted toward the credit and/or programs requirements for the undergraduate degree. Departments may choose to apply a smaller percentage of graduate credits to the undergraduate degree. 

5. Students may not enroll in additional graduate courses beyond those approved to count toward their undergraduate degree (up to 40% of graduate credits rounded to nearest whole number) until the conferral of their undergraduate degree.

6. 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.

7. Students must earn a B or better in graduate courses taken as an undergraduate in order for the courses to be posted to the graduate record. The grades from these courses will count toward the graduate GPA.  

8. Students who earn grades below a B in graduate courses taken as an undergraduate may, in consultation with the graduate coordinator and the Dean of The Graduate School, petition for an exception to policy to have these credits posted to the graduate record. 

9. Grades below a C- earned in graduate classes taken as an undergraduate will not be posted to a student's graduate record.  

10. Students who earn an F in graduate courses taken as an undergraduate will be held to the undergraduate academic standing and course repeat policies. 

11. 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 semester

1. Students are considered undergraduate students until conferral of their undergraduate degree.
2. Graduate courses taken as an undergraduate will be applied to the undergraduate record allowing the student to be charged at the undergraduate tuition and fee rates and to be eligible for undergraduate financial aid and scholarships.
3. After conferral of the undergraduate degree, students will receive full admission status (pending department approval and all other requirements have been met) to the graduate program and be considered graduate students. Students will then be charged the graduate tuition and fee rates and be eligible for graduate assistantships and other financial aid.

Reference: PASSHE’s Procedure/Standard Number 2016-25-A Guidelines for Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Programs and Early/Dual Admission to First Professional Master’s Degree Program.