Accelerated (4+1) English B.A. and M.A.

 

Our combined and accelerated BA and MA program in English is the only one of its kind in Colorado! It will allow you to gain both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in five rather than the usual six years, and it will save you thousands of tuition dollars through the double counting of 9 graduate credits. In addition, our 4+1 students are eligible to apply for a Teaching Assistantship or an English Office Graduate Assistantship in their fifth and final year of the program (subject to available funding). Transfer Students with an AA/AS degree may take the accelerated BA and MA as a 2+1 program and enjoy the same benefits.

 

Accelerated MA Overview

Motivated and high-achieving students may seek to complete the requirements for the B.A. and M.A. in English in five years. To obtain both degrees, students must complete all the requirements for the B.A. described in the Undergraduate Catalog (120 credit hours) and all of the requirements for the standard M.A. described in the Graduate Catalog (30 credit hours). However, the accelerated B.A./M.A. program involves 9 credit hours that are shared between the Bachelor's and Master's programs, so the total number of credit hours to complete the accelerated Master’s program is 141. Completing the requirements for both degrees is made possible by taking the 9 double-counted B.A./M.A. credits in the Senior year (paid for at the undergraduate tuition rate) and 6 graduate-level credits (online – graduate-level tuition rate) in the summer following the Senior year and completion of the undergraduate program. Students remain eligible for financial aid as an undergraduate; any Graduate School aid is not available until students are admitted as a Graduate student.

Transfer students who join our English Liberal Arts major in or before the junior year are also eligible to register on our accelerated program.

Admissions

Accelerated MA Admission

Due to its necessarily streamlined path of progression, admission to the Accelerated B.A. and M.A. in English occurs in the Fall semester only. Students interested in transferring into the accelerated program must:

• Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 to take graduate-level courses as a Senior.
• Meet with the English M.A. Director of Graduate Studies in the fall semester of the Junior year and apply during the spring semester of the Junior year (following the same procedure and meeting the same requirements as other M.A. applicants). Full admission is dependent on completing the B.A. requirements in the Senior year while maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA. The program application will be signed and forwarded to the Graduate School with signatures of the program advisor indicating the approval of graduate course transfer.
• Complete ENG 500 Introduction to Graduate Studies in the fall semester of their Senior year followed by two 500-level electives in the spring semester of that year. These are the 9 credits that are double counted within the accelerated program only.
• Students must apply for completion of their UG degree the semester before completing UG degree (i.e. in the fall semester of their Senior Year). To apply, students must be registered for all remaining courses in their final UG semester, that is, the spring semester of their Senior Year.
• For information concerning specific English MA courses and general program requirements, click here

Timeline

ACCELERATED MA Timeline

Outline for degree completion of the Accelerated B.A. and M.A. in English Liberal Arts

Fall Semester, Junior year
Meet with faculty advisor or Director of Graduate Studies and apply for the program

Fall Semester, Senior year
ENG 500 Introduction to Graduate Studies (3 credits, double-counted)

Spring Semester, Senior year
Two ENG or HUM 500-599 Electives (6 credits, double counted)

Summer after Senior year
One online ENG or HUM 500-699 level course (3 credits)

Notes:

• Because students are required to register for their six 500-level summer credits while they are still UG students, they must call the Office of the Registrar no later than the drop period for the summer semester to change their registration to graduate level

Fall Semester, fifth year

Three 500-699 ENG- or HUM-coded courses (9 credits)

Spring Semester, fifth year

Three 500-699 ENG- or HUM-coded courses (9 credits) + MA comprehensive examination