Combined Baccalaureate and Master's Programs

Persons with outstanding undergraduate records or exemplary professional credentials may be eligible for one of the following enrollments in a combined baccalaureate and master’s program:

I.  A Combined Baccalaureate/Master’s for Degree Students Early In Their Undergraduate Studies
   Students who have achieved a GPA of one of the following
      • 3.50 after 60 semester hours
      • 3.40 after 75 semester hours
      • 3.30 after 90 semester hours
      • 3.20 after 105 semester hours
   may apply for early admission to a master’s degree program by successfully accomplishing the following:

A. Completing the Application for Admission.

B. Completing the Combined Baccalaureate and Master’s Program form, which includes:

1. Listing the courses at the undergraduate level that need to be taken for the baccalaureate degree.

2. The Beginning date for graduate study. 

3. Listing of graduate courses to be utilized in satisfying the undergraduate degree. (In participating departments/schools, students may apply up to 12 of their accumulated graduate hours toward the completion of their undergraduate degree requirements as well.  The students' undergraduate department will determine the undergraduate coursework for which graduate credits may be substituted). In some departments graduate coursework may be substituted only for elective undergraduate coursework and cannot be used as substitution within the major. Please check with the graduate coordinator in your individual department. The selection of the graduate coursework and the number of credits to be applied toward an undergraduate degree requires the approval of the graduate chair in the students' academic department and the appropriate undergraduate and graduate deans. 

C. Providing three letters of recommendation from the instructors who are familiar with the students’ achievements and intended academic goals.

D. Submitting any needed test scores from standardized examinations.

II. Combined Baccalaureate/Master’s Program for Specified Professional Programs

1. Combined Baccalaureate/Master’s Degree Program in Speech Pathology and Audiology Leading to Clinical Certification
   Students who have earned 90 semester hours and achieved a minimum GPA of 3.00 may, with approval of the School of Speech Pathology and Audiology, apply for admission to the combined program. Admission will be based upon satisfactory GRE scores, three letters of recommendation and completion of the Application for Admission and Combined Baccalaureate and Master’s Program forms.
2. Combined Baccalaureate/Master’s Program in the College of Business Administration and Graduate School of Management 
   Students must have earned 90 semester hours to apply for the Combined Baccalaureate/Master’s Program in the College of Business Administration. In addition, they must meet the GPA requirements outlined under Item I.
3. Combined Baccalaureate/Master’s Program in the Center for International and Comparative Programs and the Graduate School of Management Leading to the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration Degrees     
   Students must be international relations majors and complete their undergraduate coursework in the first  three years of study. In addition, students must pass a language proficiency exam, have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 and earn a minimum GMAT score of 525 before being admitted to the M.B.A. program. In the fourth year of this combined program, students take graduate business courses that are applicable to the undergraduate degree as electives and to the M.B.A. degree as foundation coursework. During the final year, students take advanced graduate business coursework leading to the M.B.A. degree.
4. Combined Baccalaureate in Fashion Merchandising/Master of Business Administration in the College of  Business and Graduate School of Management Fashion merchandising majors who qualify may enroll in the combined Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising/Master’s of Business Administration program and complete both degrees within five years. Careful planning and advising are needed in order to successfully complete the programs in a timely way. Students intending to follow this plan should work closely with their faculty advisor. In the freshman year, the  math choice should be MATH 11012 or MATH 12002. When the student has achieved 90 hours or more in the merchandising program (beginning of the junior year) and has a GPA of 3.30 or higher, he or she should apply for conditional admission to the M.B.A program. This application must occur no later than April 1 of the junior year. The GMAT exam must be completed with an appropriately high score at the time application is made.
5. The Combined Bachelor of Science/Master of Arts in Visual Communication Design This is a five-year degree program with optional concentrations in 2-D graphic design, 3-D graphic design and illustration. Students who pass the junior portfolio review, complete a minimum of 90 semester hours, demonstrate excellence in formal organization, conceptual problem-solving abilities and technical skills and maintain a minimum 3.00 overall GPA and a 3.25 in the major will be invited or may petition to enter this program. An overall GPA of 3.00 and a major GPA of 3.00 in both the bachelor’s and master’s programs will be required for graduation.
6. The Combined Bachelor of Science/Master of Science in Nursing Program   An accelerated combined degree program for undergraduate KSU nursing students who have completed 60 semester hours and meet the GPA requirements delineated in Combined Baccalaureate/Master’s for Degree Students Early In Their Undergraduate Studies. Qualified students may apply by completing an application for admission to the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program of choice and gaining approval from the appropriate graduate faculty program director. A plan of substituting selected master’s core courses for selected undergraduate courses should be carefully worked out with the faculty advisor. Following graduation and passing the state licensing examination (NCLEX-RN), students’ MSN application may be activated for admission into the selected master’s program.

III. A Nontraditional Master’s Degree Student
    In rare instances, persons who have not completed a baccalaureate degree will be considered for admission to the appropriate graduate unit due to unusual and exemplary experiential learning. Such applicants may apply for admission by presenting for
    departmental consideration a curricular plan encompassing undergraduate and graduate coursework to  achieve a liberal educational background and professional graduate degree and three letters of recommendation attesting to their potential for graduate
    study. Upon departmental recommendation and the approval of the dean of the appropriate graduate unit, the applicants will be admitted to undertake graduate work. Upon successful completion of the curricular plan and the particular master’s degree
    requirements, the students will be awarded the master’s degree.