BA/MA Accelerated Program, Sociology

I. Brief Description

The accelerated B.A./M.A. program encourages outstanding students in the Sociology, 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) Sociology, M.A. degree at the end of a fifth year of study.

II. Contact Information

Clayton Peoples, Graduate Program Director
(775) 784-4765
peoplesc@unr.edu

Cheryl Maes, Undergraduate Advisor
(775) 682-8976
cmaes@unr.edu

Website: https://www.unr.edu/sociology

III. Admission Requirements

Applicant Criteria 

• At least 75 credits toward BA degree completed.
• General education and additional college requirements completed.
• Completed at least 18 undergraduate credits in sociology with at least 6 credits in upper-division (300 or above).
• At least 12 credits of sociology must have been earned at UNR at the time of application
• Minimum 3.0 GPA
• The Accelerated application must be completed before completing the BA degree
• A student must complete the BA degree at UNR to be part of the Accelerated Master of Arts Program.

Guidelines and Timeline for Accelerated Program

• Students typically apply in the second semester of their junior year, but it is also possible to apply in their senior year.
• Prior to submitting their program application, the student must meet with the Graduate Program Director and/or the Undergraduate Sociology Advisor to discuss their interest in the program.
• Students should submit the BA/MA accelerated program application via Docusign and arrange to have two letters of recommendation emailed to the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Sociology from faculty familiar with their potential for graduate studies.
• If accepted to the BA/MA accelerated program, students should apply to the SOC MA program in the semester in which they are graduating with their BA degree.
• When applying to the SOC MA program, follow department-specific instructions including deadlines found here, and apply online via the Graduate School here.
  

IV. Program Requirements

To enable students to earn both degrees in five years, the accelerated BA/MA program allows students to take up to twelve credits of 600-level or 700-level courses that apply towards the requirements of their BA and MA degrees. 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 the SOC MA degree, provided the student passes each of these courses with a “B” or better. The 600-level and/or 700-level courses that students select for this purpose must be approved by the Undergraduate faculty advisor and by the Director of Graduate Studies.

View Program Requirements for the Sociology, BA in this catalog.

View Program Requirements for the Sociology, 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 Department of Sociology requires that students maintain a GPA of 3.0 to remain in good standing in the accelerated program.

Students accepted into the BA/MA program whose overall GPA drops below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation for the accelerated program for one semester. If they raise their GPA to at least 3.0, 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 approved 600-level or 700-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.