Concurrent BS/Masters Program

Background:

The goal of the concurrent enrollment for Bachelor of Science/Master of Science (BS/MS) degree is to provide the opportunity for senior-year undergraduate students to obtain a Master of Science (MS) or Master of Engineering (ME) degree simultaneously with his or her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. This concurrent enrollment degree is achieved by extending the BS degree program by an additional year in which the student takes a number of graduate-level courses. At the end of the additional year of study, the student will be awarded both a BS and a MS (or ME) degrees.

The graduation requirements of the BS program in Civil Engineering is the completion of 126 semester credit hours. The requirements for the concurrent degree program is the completion of 150 semester credit hours, i.e., 24 additional hours beyond the requirement for the BS degree. In essence, a student enrolled in the concurrent degree program will need to complete six semester credit hours less than a student who finishes his or her BS degree and then enrolls in the MS degree program after graduation. The requirement for the MS degree is 30 semester hours, with the exception that the Plan C masters requires an extra 3 credits.

Enrollment Policy:

  • A student interested in the concurrent enrollment program must have completed 90 semester credit hours towards his or her BS graduation requirement to qualify for this program.
  • A student who wishes to enroll in the program should apply at the beginning of his or her senior year.  The decision to apply for graduation with a BS degree the following May, or to continue with the concurrent enrollment program for two more years, should be made by the Spring (or Summer at the latest) of the student's junior year.
  • The student's GPA (overall, as well as over the last 60 semester hours) at the time of the application, should be at least 3.0.
  • The student should take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) during, or before, his or her senior year and demonstrate a GRE cumulative verbal score >450, quantitative and analytic scores >4.0.
  • The student should fill out an application for admission to the Graduate School, indicating departmental acceptance into the concurrent enrollment program.
  • The student should be formally accepted into the Graduate School.
  • The student should form an Advisory Committee , approved by the Department Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering and prepare a program of study in consultation with the chair of this committee and in compliance with the water program course requirements. The program of study should be approved by the Advisory Committee and the Graduate School.
  • The program of study should include a “ fall back ” plan to allow students that change their mind in their senior year to graduate only with a BS degree.
  • The student should fill out and submit to the College of Engineering a Split Registration Form, indicating departmental acceptance into the concurrent enrollment program, each semester that he or she participates in the program.

Graduate Advisory Committee:

Concurrent enrollment students doing an MS plan A or B that requires a thesis or report should select an advisory committee consiting of three faculty members most suitable to provide guidance in the subject matter of the thesis or report. A standing committee will serve as advisory committee for students doing a ME or MS plan C. The standing advisory committee is: Prof. Jagath Kaluarachchi (chair for students specializing in Hydrology and Water Resources)
Prof. Bill Rahmeyer (chair for students specializing in Hydraulics and Fluid Mechanics)
Prof. Mac McKee

"Fall back" Plan:

The program of study should be prepared in such a way that if a concurrent enrollment student changes his or her mind during the course of his or her senior year, they have the necessary 126 credits and meet the undergraduate breadth and depth requirements to graduate with a BS degree.