The accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program allows students to pursue a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in a shorter time than pursuing both degrees separately. Undergraduate students in the program who complete two approved graduate engineering courses (500 level or greater)—with a grade of B or better as part of the requirements for their bachelor’s degree—may have these courses also counted towards their master’s degree, reducing the total number of credits required for both degrees. Students in the program may also be admitted early to their graduate program and be dual-enrolled as undergraduate and graduate students simultaneously for up to two semesters, allowing them to complete additional coursework towards their master’s degree prior to completion of their bachelor’s degree.

The master's degree may be in the same subject as the bachelor's degree, or in another discipline within the School of Engineering, but in the latter case, the courses to be double-counted must be approved by the chair/director of both programs. 

Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.2, or higher, and a total of 60 semester credit hours completed (45 of which must be taken at Catholic University), are eligible to apply for this program. Additionally, a student must also have a cumulative GPA of 3.2, or higher, at the time of completion of the bachelor's degree to be eligible. The following steps are required:

  1. Complete the School of Engineering Accelerated Joint Bachelor's/Master's Program Approval Form (prior to enrollment in any courses that will double-counted towards both degrees). Typically done during second semester junior year, or first semester senior year, to apply for preliminary approval.
  2. Update the form to list graduate coursework taken as an undergraduate, as approved by department chair, or program director.
  3. Apply for admission to the relevant graduate program (prior to enrollment in any courses that count only towards the graduate degree). Typically done during the final undergraduate semester.
  4. Final approval to double-count two courses is given upon completion of the undergraduate degree with a GPA of 3.2 or higher, and an approval form that shows that two appropriate coursescompleted at the 500-level, or higher with a grade of B or betterhave been approved to count towards the master's degree*.

*Approval to double-count courses as part of the accelerated program does not guarantee admission into a Master’s degree program.