I. Brief Description
The accelerated B.A./M.A. program encourages outstanding students in the Economics, B.A. program at the University of Nevada, Reno to obtain an M.A. degree in a shorter amount of time. Students in the accelerated program can obtain either a Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (non-thesis) Economics, M.A. degree at the end of a fifth year of study.
III. Admission Requirements
Applicant Criteria
- At least 75 credits toward bachelor’s degree completed.
- General Education, and Additional College requirements completed.
- Have completed at least 18 credits in economics with at least 6 credits in upper-division (300 or above).
- At least 12 credits of economics must have been earned at UNR at the time of application
- International students must have a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper) 79 (internet).
- GRE or GMAT scores must be submitted to the Graduate School.
- Two letters of recommendation are required.
- Minimum 3.2 GPA.
- Application must be completed before completing the BA degree.
- A student must complete the Bachelor’s degree at UNR to be part of the Accelerated Master of Arts Program.
Guidelines and Timeline for Accelerated Program
- Select graduate advisor: Prior to submitting your program application meet with the Graduate Program Director and/or Undergraduate Economics Advisor to discuss your interest in the program.
- Submit program application (https://www.unr.edu/Documents/graduate-school/Application-for-admission-accelerated-programs.pdf): After completing 75 credits toward your B.A. (typically, spring of junior year). The application to program and graduate school is due by Oct. 1 for spring and March 1 for Fall.
- Take GRE or GMAT: One or two semesters before the application deadline
- Apply to Graduate School: (https://unr.force.com/TX_SiteLogin?startURL=%2FTargetX_Portal__PB )
- Students will complete all MA degree requirements and may apply up to 9 credits of 600-level or 700-level courses towards both the Bachelor’s and MA degree requirements.
Accelerated BA/MA Process
Although the deadlines can be flexible, it is strongly recommended that forms are submitted prior to October 1st for Spring acceptance and March 1st for Fall acceptance.
Step 1 - Students must meet with undergraduate AND graduate advisors, choose classes, and get signatures from both advisors.
Note: Though students usually list two semesters of classes on the application, the Graduate School can give enrollment permissions only for the first semester classes. Students must contact the Graduate Director prior to the opening of registration for the second semester to get enrollment permissions for the second semester classes. For example, if the student has Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 classes listed on the form, once approved, the Graduate School will give permissions to enroll for Spring 2020 classes. The student must contact the College Advising Center and the Graduate School in March 2020 to request enrollment permissions for the Fall 2020 graduate classes.
Step 2 - Students bring the signed application to the Department of Economics (AB 318) where staff will place the application in the advisor’s mailbox.
Step 3 - Advisors determine if the student has met the criteria for admission and then sends the form to the Associate Dean for signature (3-5 business days).
Step 4 - The application is returned to a College Advisor for further processing (1-2 business days). College Advisors email the Graduate School requesting that the student be given permission to enroll in the specific graduate courses listed on the form. The advisor will include the student in the email requesting course permissions so that the student will be notified when the Graduate School staff responds.
Step 5 - Grad School response (2-5 business days).
Step 6 - The student enrolls in the approved classes when their MyNevada registration appointment time arrives.
Note: To make changes to their approved course list, students must resubmit the application form, which will require them to start from Step 1.
Note: All times are approximate.
Graduate Application Information
View program-specific admission requirements, deadlines and directors http://www.unr.edu/grad/degrees-and-programs/at-a-glance
IV. Program Requirements
To enable students to earn both degrees in five years, the accelerated B.A./M.A. program allows students to take up to nine credits of 600-level or 700 level courses acceptable for their bachelor’s degree. Students typically apply and are admitted to accelerated programs at the end of their junior year and enroll in graduate credits (as stated above) during their senior year. These 600-level or 700-level courses may also be applied to a master’s degree, provided the student passes each of these courses with a “B” or better. The 600-level courses that students select for this purpose must be approved by their undergraduate faculty advisor, graduate academic advisor, College of Business Advising Office, College of Business Dean’s Office and the Graduate School.
View Program Requirements for the Economics, B.A. in this catalog.
View Program Requirements for the Economics, M.A. in this catalog.
Continuation Requirements
The Graduate School requires students to maintain an average GPA of 3.0 in all courses applied to the master’s degree. The College of Business requires all students participating in the accelerated program to maintain a GPA of 3.2 or higher in all courses to be applied to the master’s degree.
Students whose undergraduate and graduate GPA drops below 3.2 will be placed on academic probation for the accelerated program for one semester. If they raise their GPA to meet the standards above, they will be removed from probation and returned to good standing. If after one semester, students are not able to raise their GPA sufficiently, they will be removed from the accelerated program. Students who are removed from the accelerated program may continue to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees under the normal requirements.
V. Financial Impact
Students admitted to the accelerated programs may use their approved 600-level classes towards their full-time undergraduate status.
However, students must pay graduate credit tuition and the associated differential fees for the graduate-level courses. Not all scholarships can be used for graduate credit, but some financial support may be available through the graduate program. Students should consult with the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships regarding financial aid eligibility.
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