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College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Political Science

Master of Arts in Public Policy

Accelerated Bachelor's/Masters Program in Public Policy

 

BA/MA Accelerated Degree Application

ADVANTAGES OF COMPLETING AN ACCELERATED BA/MA IN PUBLIC POLICY IN FIVE YEARS 

  • Students can earn up to 6 graduate credits in their senior that can be applied to both degrees.
  • Upon admission, students can take two 500-level Grad courses that can be applied to upper-evel undergrad elective requirements.
  • Save money by paying undergraduate tuition for graduate courses taken in your senior undergraduate career (limited to six credits).
  • No Application Fee.
  • No GRE required.
  • Master’s can be completed in one year as a full-time student.
  • Students must earn 80% of the credits required for a Graduate degree in their respective program of study during their Graduate Career (PPLMA students must acquire at least 25 credits as a Graduate Student).
  • Internship opportunities available to MAPP students.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

An accelerated Bachelor/Master program consists of the following sequence

  • Acceptance into the accelerated program as an undergraduate student
  • Acceptance by the Graduate School as a graduate student
  • Completion of both degrees

Features of an accelerated program

  1. PPL BA/MA is a Sequential Program which means that a student can apply to have their Bachelor's degree awarded before the completion of their Master's degree.
  2. You may double count a limited number of graduate credits toward both degrees. PPL BA/MA allows 6 credits. It is your responsibility to understand the number of such credits allowed by your department. No undergraduate credits can count toward a graduate degree.

Acceptance into an accelerated program

  1. Students must apply and be admitted to an accelerated program. Applicants must have completed 60 credits of coursework, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, in all college work. The application must be approved by the MA Policy program director.
  2. An acceptance letter to the Accelerated Program is issued to the student.
  3. When ready to begin taking graduate course(s) the student MUST fill out and submit the Permission for Undergraduate Students in an Accelerated Bachelor's/Masters Degree Program to Enroll in Graduate Courses form. This signed form, together with your acceptance letter must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator prior to the beginning of the semester. Failure to submit this form for each course will result in the Grad School not counting these credits toward your Masters Degree.

Before applying to the Graduate School

  1. You must maintain a 3.0 grade point average. No student in an accelerated program with a GPA below 3.0 will be accepted by the Graduate School.
  2. You must consult with a financial aid officer. Once you enter the Graduate School you are no longer eligible for undergraduate financial aid.

Acceptance into the Graduate School

  1. Applications must be submitted at least four weeks before the start of the semester. Applicants should apply in the last semester of their Junior year (or the semester prior to their last two remaining semesters). 
  2. There will be no conditional acceptances into the Graduate School under an accelerated program.
  3. Accelerated Bachelor's/Master programs have a graduate "residence" component: Students must earn 80% of the credits required for a Graduate degree in their respective program of study during their Graduate Career (i.e., if the Masters degree requires 30 credits, the student must acquire at least 25 credits as a Graduate Student).
  4. Prior to entering the Graduate school, students pay undergraduate tuition on all courses taken; once a student enters the Graduate School they pay graduate tuition on all classes taken.
  5. Students will need to fill out an application to the Grad School (for Accelerated students, only) at least three weeks prior to the last day of your final undergraduate semester, ie, if you plan on graduating in May and entering the Grad School in the fall, your deadline is three weeks prior to your last day in May. It is best to get this in as early as possible. After it is signed by the graduate program director, students will receive a new letter accepting them into the Master’s program. This new letter and the application will be submitted to the Graduate School. Students will be notified by the Graduate School of their mandatory orientation session and enrollment information. Students will be considered a Graduate Student. Please click here to access the application.
BA/MA Accelerated Degree Application
Withdrawal from an accelerated program
  1. Any student who has filed a request for withdrawal from an accelerated program will not be allowed to enter/re-enter an accelerated program. To access the form, please click here.
  2. Students who opt to withdraw from an accelerated program can still complete a Bachelor degree. However, only a limited number of graduate credits earned can be applied toward the undergraduate degree. That limited number has been specified by the individual Departments and is the same number of credits that apply in point 1 b) above. Political Science allows 6 credits.