Concurrent BS/Masters Program Overview

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!
BECOMING A CONCURRENT STUDENT IS A TWO-STEP PROCESS!

STEP 1:

  1. Apply for the concurrent program by the end of your junior year. If you are planning to graduate in the Spring, applications must be submitted BEFORE the end of the Spring semester. If you are planning to graduate in the Fall, applications must be submitted BEFORE the end of the Fall semester. Applications will not be accepted after the end of that semester or at the beginning of your senior year.
  2. You must have a GPA of 3.3 in your last 60 semester hours of technical work and cumulative overall GPA. Your GPA will be figured after the grades for the last semester of your junior year are posted. Acceptance to Step 1 with “incomplete grades” will be at the discretion of the ECE Graduate Committee and ECE Department Head.
  3. You may apply two 5000-level or 6000-level Engineering Electives from your BS to your Master’s degree, making a total requirement of 150 credits for both degrees. You need to have a commitment to staying in the concurrent program if you are going to use 6000-level courses. There is a university policy that 6000-level courses cannot count towards your Bachelor degree.
  4. You MUST submit a 2-year plan with the application. This plan will include the courses that will finish the requirements for the BS degree and the courses to fill the requirements for the master’s degree.
  5. There are two master’s degrees available, each requiring a minimum of 30 credits to complete. A Master of Engineering is a Professional degree and is based on course-work. A Master of Science is research-based. They both have specializations in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering.
  6. Your application will be reviewed by the ECE Graduate Committee and you will be notified of the decision via email a few weeks after the end of the semester.
  7. You will apply for BS graduation at the beginning of the semester that you will finish the requirements for the BS degree.
    The reasons are:
    • Should you be declined or decide not to pursue the concurrent program because of job opportunities or personal reasons, you will already have the paper work finished.
    • You will receive your BS degree that semester and continue in the masters program.
  8. If you are accepted, you will become a Concurrent Candidate.

STEP 2:

  1. If accepted to Step 1, you will apply to the Graduate School and have your GRE test submitted by the following dates:
    • Spring Graduates – September 1st of the first semester in your senior year (GRE requirement has been temporarily suspended until further notice)
    • Fall Graduates – January 1st of the first semester in your senior year (GRE requirement has been temporarily suspended until further notice)
    • PLEASE ALLOW THIS TIME TO MAKE THE DEADLINE! NO EXCEPTIONS ARE MADE FOR THESE DEADLINES.
  2. Your graduate application will be reviewed, and if you are accepted, you will become a concurrent student. Students who are not accepted into the concurrent program because of low GRE scores are encouraged to finish their BS degree, retake the GRE, and reapply to the graduate program.
  3. GPA Information:
    • If your cumulative USU GPA drops below 3.3, you will be put on probation for the next semester. If you do not bring your GPA back to 3.3 that semester, you will be terminated from the concurrent program.
  4. You will begin paying graduate tuition the semester that you have 21 credits left, no matter which degree those credits will be counted toward. On a normal 2-year plan, this should be for only two semesters, during your master’s year.
  5. A Split Form will be submitted by Tricia for the courses being used for your graduate degree (or undergraduate degree). This will insure that your courses are counted toward the correct degree. The same credits will not count toward both degrees.