Accelerated MS

• Undergraduate students must apply for admission to the accelerated master's program through the standard Graduate School application process during their final year as an undergraduate.
• The accelerated master's program requires a student to be accepted into the Graduate School and the Master of Science in Social Science program prior to the awarding of the bachelor's degree.
• Only students who will complete a bachelor's degree at Michigan Technological University are eligible to apply for admission to one of the accelerated master's programs offered through the Department of Social Sciences.
• Students already enrolled in a graduate program may not retroactively enroll in one of the Social Science Department's accelerated master's programs.

• Students must earn 30 credits for the master's degree.
• Up to 6 credits taken as an undergraduate student may be applied toward both the BS and MS, so long as they satisfy the requirements for both degrees and the student completes a minimum of 150 combined credits (without double-counting any credits).

• Only students in good academic standing are eligible to enter an accelerated master's program.
• A student must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 to be considered for the program at the time of application.
• Undergraduate students who are accepted into the program must maintain an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 for the remainder of their undergraduate studies.
• If a student's undergraduate GPA drops below 3.0, the student will be dropped from the accelerated master's program but may reapply to pursue the MS in Social Science via the normal pathway, which does not allow the 6 credits to be double-counted.

• The accelerated master's is a coursework-only degree program.
• Students must earn at least 30 credits for the M.S.
• in the accelerated master's program, students can double count up to six credits that apply to both of your master's and bachelor's degree as well as begin taking classes designated only for your master's degree while still a senior through the Senior Rule option.  Up to 10 of the 30 credits for a coursework master's may be taken through senior rule.
• Coursework-only curriculum sheets
  
  • Environmental and Energy Policy
  • Industrial Heritage and Archaeology
  • Sustainable Communities

• A student pursuing an accelerated master's program should begin to work with the accelerated master's advisor for their degree program of choice from the time of application through the duration of their accelerated master's program.
  
  • Environmental and Energy Policy Accelerated Master's Advisor: Dr. Adam Wellstead
  • Industrial Heritage and Archaeology Accelerated Master's Advisor: Dr. Laura Rouleau
  • Sustainable Communities Accelerated Master's Advisor: Dr. Chelsea Schelly
• Students applying to and accepted into an accelerated master's program should inform their undergraduate advisor so that completion of both B.S. and M.S. programs are properly coordinated.

• Students who plan carefully can integrate the requirements of the online graduate public policy certificate into their M.S. requirements without adding time or cost.  work with the accelerated master's advisor for further information.

• Applicants wanting to pursue a thesis or report option should apply to the regular master's program.
• Accelerated master's students may incorporate research experiences into their coursework, applicants should consult with their advisor if interested. 

Apply by January 15th for fall admission or September 15th for Spring Admission. You need to begin planning for the Accelerated MS no later than your Junior year, but apply during the final year of your bachelor's degree.

Many of our students work with faculty on their funded research projects to grow their skills and broaden their experiences.  Additional funding opportunities include teacher or research assistanship positions, work study, fellowships, and grants. 

Up to 6 credits may be double counted.

You may take up to 10 credits in your senior year.  A coursework only MS requires 30 credits to complete; you may take no fewer than 6 credits to graduate with your MS in your 5th year.  More on Senior Rule

You will be able to graduate with both your BS and MS in as few as 5 years

No, all accelerated master's degrees currently offered are coursework-only

Yes! It is easy to add a certificate on to your MS. Talk to your accelerated MS advisor about this option.

We offer accelerated MS degrees for all of our programs, including Industrial Heritage and Archaeology, Environmental Energy and Policy, and Sustainable Communities.

We accept undergraduates from any degree program.

For our Environmental and Energy Policy program, you will need to be sure to complete a statistics course, a microeconomics course, and environmental science

You will apply through the Graduate School.  The minimum GPA requirement is 3.0.  Applicants must submit a statement of purpose, two letters of recommendation, and all other required application materials.

This is a nine-credit online certificate program in which students take three seven-week courses (SS5301, SS5318; SS5350) that are offered every term.  Some courses may be double counted per accelerated master's rules.  While some courses may not be taken as an undergraduate, certificate students must be enrolled as a graduate student for at least one course.