Combined B.S./M.S. Program
Outstanding WPI ECE undergraduates who wish to continue their studies toward a Master's Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at WPI are encouraged to plan a combined program which will accelerate their progress. The field of study for the M.S. degree is usually, but need not be, in the same discipline as that for the B.S. degree.
Students in the combined program continue to be registered as undergraduates until they have completed all requirements for the B.S. degree. Up to 40% of the credits submitted for candidacy for the graduate degree may be from Courses, acceptable for graduate credit, taken while an undergraduate. All Courses used to satisfy the graduate degree requirements will be recorded on both the student's undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
A student may use six credit hours of work to count towards both the B.S. and M.S. degrees. Additional credit hours of work (beyond any Courses applied toward the 15 units required for the B.S. degree), up to a maximum of 12 credit hours, defined at the time of application, may be transferred from the student's undergraduate transcript.
The Courses selected for transfer from the undergraduate transcript may be all advanced undergraduate Courses, graduate Courses or combinations of both at the discretion of the student's advisor and subject to the approval of the ECE Department Graduate Program Committee.
Students usually apply for admission to the combined degree status in their sophomore or junior year of undergraduate study. Students are required to submit to the Graduate Coordinator of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department a list of proposed Courses to be taken as part of the Master's degree program. A copy of the student's transcript (grade report) must be included with the application.
Under no condition will Courses taken prior to applying for combined program admission be admissible for satisfying the M.S. degree requirements.
After being admitted to the combined Bachelors/Masters Program, the student must satisfy all requirements for the advanced degree in order to obtain that degree.
Students who fail to Maintain a 2.9 QPA at the end of any semester will be required to take additional Courses as recommended by the Dean of Graduate Studies and the ECE department head.
Students who intend to pursue this program must obtain an application form from the Office of Graduate Studies. This form must be filed in the Office of Graduate Studies before a student enrolls in any undergraduate course which is to be used for graduate credit.
Students taking advantage of this program are ordinarily expected to complete the work of the Master's degree within one calendar year after receipt of the bachelor's degree.
In many instances, however, this accelerated approach to education will not be the most desirable route, and the student will benefit more by broadening the undergraduate experience before taking graduate Courses. The best approach will be determined by each student in consultation with the academic and project advisors.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: December 03, 2007 15:20:50