BS/MS Accelerated Program, College of Engineering

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The accelerated BS/MS program encourages outstanding students in the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno to obtain a MS degree in a shorter amount of time. A student can obtain either a Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (non-thesis) MS degree. Graduate programs available within the College of Engineering include:

Biomedical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering

Applicant Criteria

At least 75 credits toward bachelor’s degree completed
At least 30 credits of engineering science or design coursework completed (minimum of 24 of these at the University of Nevada, Reno)
Minimum 3.2 GPA

Timeline for Accelerated Program

Select a faculty mentor prior to submitting the Accelerated BS/MS program application.
Submit program application, after completing 75 credits toward your B.S. (typically, spring of junior year).
The application is recommended to be completed one month after course registration (Dec. 1 for Spring and May 1 for Fall).
If your program requires the GRE, plan to take it one or two semesters before the graduate program application deadline
Apply to Graduate School before the graduate program application deadline

Accelerated BS/MS Process

Although the deadlines can be flexible, it is strongly recommended the program application (please use this DocuSign link) is submitted prior to December 1st for Spring acceptance and May 1st for Fall acceptance.

Step 1 - Students must meet with a faculty mentor to choose the classes they will take. They will list their faculty mentor and the graduate program director’s email addresses on the program application form above. It can take a few days for each person to sign off on the document.

Step 2 – The form is automatically routed to the College of Engineering Advising Center to determine if the student has met the criteria for admission (1-2 business days).

Step 3 – The form is automatically routed to the Associate Dean for the final signature in the College of Engineering if everyone has approved it (3-5 business days).

Step 4 - The application is automatically routed to the Graduate School requesting that the student be given permission to enroll in the specific graduate courses listed on the form (2-5 business days).

Step 5 - The student enrolls in the approved classes when their MyNEVADA registration appointment time arrives.

For any questions, please contact coenadvising@unr.edu.

Note A: To make changes to their approved course list, students must resubmit the program application, which will require them to start from Step 1.

Note B: All times are approximate and are based on using the DocuSign form. 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 should contact the Graduate School prior to the opening of registration for the second semester to get enrollment permissions for the second semester classes.

Graduate Application Deadline

View program-specific admission requirements, deadlines and directors.

I. Program Requirements

The accelerated BS/MS program is typically five years total. Students ordinarily apply and are admitted to the accelerated BS/MS program at the end of their junior year and enroll in graduate courses (more detail below) starting their senior year. To enable students to earn both degrees in five years, the accelerated BS/MS program allows students to apply up to nine units (exceptions include: (i) twelve units for Materials Science and Engineering and (ii) six units for Civil and Environmental Engineering) of 600- or 700-level coursework to their bachelor’s degree requirements. An important note is that 700-level courses may not be suitable for everyone, and not every department allows undergraduates to enroll in 700-level courses; students must get approval from their faculty advisor to enroll in 700-level courses. These 600- or 700-level courses may also be applied to the master’s degree, provided the student passes each of these courses with a “B” or better. The courses that students select for this purpose must be approved by their undergraduate faculty advisor, graduate academic advisor, the College of Engineering Advising Office, the College of Engineering Dean’s Office, and the Graduate School.

Continuation Requirements

The Graduate School requires students to maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in all courses applied to the master’s degree. The College of Engineering 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.

IV. 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.

**Program Requirements for the BS and MS**
Biomedical Engineering, B.S. in B.M.E.	Biomedical Engineering, M.S.
Chemical Engineering (Biomedical Emphasis), B.S. in Chem. E. Chemical Engineering (General Emphasis), B.S. in Chem. E.	Chemical Engineering, M.S.
Civil Engineering, B.S. in C.E.	Civil and Environmental Engineering (Environmental Engineering Specialization), M.S.
Computer Science and Engineering, B.S. in C.S.E.	Computer Science and Engineering, M.S.
Electrical Engineering (Biomedical Engineering Emphasis), B.S. in E.E. Electrical Engineering (General Emphasis), B.S. in E.E. Electrical Engineering (Renewable Energy Emphasis), B.S. in E.E. Electrical Engineering (Robotics, Autonomous/Aerial Vehicles, and Embedded Systems Emphasis), B.S. in E.E.	Electrical Engineering, M.S.
Materials Science and Engineering (Nuclear Materials Emphasis), B.S. in M.S.E. Materials Science and Engineering, B.S. in M.S.E.	Materials Science and Engineering, M.S.
Mechanical Engineering, B.S. in M.E.	Mechanical Engineering, M.S.
Industrial Engineering, B.S.	Industrial Engineering, M.S.