Objective
An Accelerated BS/MS Program encourages outstanding students in the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno to obtain a MS degree. A student can obtain either a Plan A (Thesis) or Plan B (non-thesis) MS degree.
Program Availability with the College of Engineering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering - Both thesis and non-thesis options available for MS portion.
- Chemical and Materials Engineering - Only the thesis option will be available.
Admission Requirements
Students apply for the Accelerated Program after completing at least 75 credits towards their BS degree with a 3.2 GPA (only UNR courses are included in the GPA calculation). This will typically occur during the spring of their junior year. Students must have completed their Basic Science courses and at least 30 credits of Engineering Science or Design courses. At least 24 credits of the Engineering Science or Design classes must have been earned at UNR at time of application. As part of the admission process, a student must select a faculty advisor for their graduate degree. Students should contact their faculty advisor for details.
Program Requirements
Students who are admitted into the program will be allowed to take up to 6- credits of technical electives for their BS degree as 600-level graduate courses. The 600-level courses selected for this purpose must be approved by the student’s BS program department and graduate advisor, and permission granted by the Graduate School. 700-level courses cannot be taken as long as the student is an undergraduate. The student must receive a “B” or better in the course for it to be considered for the program. The graduate academic advisor must be in the area of specialization that the student has selected for their graduate degree. In order to stay in the program, a student must maintain at least a 3.2 GPA in their UNR degree required courses. Upon completion of all BS requirements, a student will receive the BS degree.
A student must complete the BS degree at UNR to be part of the Accelerated BS/MS Program.
During their senior year, student will apply for admission into the Graduate School.
The student must meet all the requirements of the Graduate School and the MS degree granting department. This may include a GPA and/or GRE requirement. Only 9 credits of graduate work can be completed before entering into the Graduate School. The GRE must be taken during the 1st semester of the student’s senior year. This application must be completed before completing the BS degree.
Students will complete all MS degree requirements and may apply the 6 credits of 600-level courses towards both the BS and MS degree requirements. For the MS degree, the student must meet the Graduate School requirement of an average of a 3.0 GPA in courses applied to the MS degree. Courses and/or thesis requirements will be established by the department graduate advisor.
Continuation in the Program
Continuation in the program requires that students maintain a grade point average of 3.2 or higher. If a student’s GPA drops below 3.2, the student will be placed on academic probation within the program for one semester. If the student raises their GPA to 3.2 or higher, he or she will be removed from probation and returned to good status in the program. If after one semester the student is not able to raise their GPA sufficiently, he or she will be removed from the Accelerated Program. At such point they may pursue a BS and MS degrees through normal requirements.
Financial Impact
Students should note that graduate courses do not apply towards the 12 credits required for full time undergraduate standing. In most cases, 12 credits are required for financial aid. Therefore during each semester in the senior year, 12 undergraduate credits should be taken in addition to 600-level courses. The 600-level courses will require payment of graduate credit tuition.
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