This document summarizes key policies for 4+1 students, who typically begin graduate coursework in their 4th year, earn their undergraduate degree at the end of their 4th year, and complete their master’s requirements about 1 year later.
This section was copied from “Types of Acceptance” section of the 2024-2025 Graduate Catalog—June Update:
Conditional Acceptance of Early Entry Graduate Students
Enrolled undergraduate students at MSOE may apply for early entry into select graduate programs during their junior year. Students who meet the admission criteria will then be notified that they are conditionally accepted and are eligible to continue in the program provided they maintain a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA in the remainder of their undergraduate courses and at least a 3.0 cumulative graduate GPA in the graduate courses they take as part of their undergraduate program. If these GPA requirements are met, students achieve full acceptance to the graduate program. If students do not meet those requirements, they will either lose their conditional acceptance or transition to probationary acceptance, which they must resolve within two terms.
The application process for early entry status varies by program. Please check with the program director with any questions.
Students must apply for early entry status while they have junior standing.
This section was copied from the “Graduate Tuition and Fees” section of the 2024–2025 Graduate Catalog—June Update:
Early Entry Master’s Degree Program Charges
Early entry master’s programs offer the ability for MSOE students to complete both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years. Students in this program are considered undergraduate students until their undergraduate degree is conferred. Depending on the program, students may take up to 16 graduate-level credits as an undergraduate student, and those credits may apply to both degrees.
Full-time students (12 credits or more) accepted into an early entry program are charged full-time undergraduate tuition rates and will receive undergraduate financial aid until their undergraduate degree is conferred. In the student’s fifth year, they are charged the graduate per credit rate for their program of study.
These requirements only apply to students who are completing their BS degree in 5/2025 or earlier and they apply to the phase after the BS is conferred.
With the exception of summer term, you must enroll in at least 8 credits in a term. In rare cases where MSOE’s offerings do not make it possible to do this, this restriction will generally be waived.
You must complete the master’s within 1 year of completing your BS. In rare cases where MSOE’s offerings do not make it possible to do this, the deadline will generally be extended by the minimum amount needed to meet the course requirements.
Please talk with your program director regarding requesting official approval for such waivers and extensions.
If a student wants to apply to the MSML but doesn’t meet the 3.0 GPA requirement they may apply through the normal process and must include a discussion in a personal statement of how they plan to meet the additional challenges of graduate coursework so that they can earn at least a minimum of a 3.0 GPA each term going forward (both overall and in their MS classes) through completion of the MSML.
The MSML program director will review this statement and the student’s transcript and make an admission decision based on the totality of the information. Students with an MSOE undergraduate GPA below 2.7 will not be considered at this time.
Students admitted who do not meet the 3.0 GPA will need to earn at least a 3.0 GPA overall and in their graduate classes each term going forward to maintain early entry status and to keep the tuition discount after the bachelor’s degree is conferred.
An early entry student is taking 14 credits of classes that meet UG requirements including 1 course that also meets an MSML requirement. The student is also taking a 4-credit class that meets an MSML requirement but not an UG requirement. In this case the tuition for the semester is the standard UG FT tuition (since 12 ≤ total credits ≤ 19) less any FT UG scholarships, etc.
An early entry student in their final undergraduate semester has only 11 required UG credits remaining, including an elective that can double-count for the MSML (under the 16-credit limit of graduate classes at UG tuition). The student is also taking a 4-credit class that meets an MSML requirement but not an UG requirement. In this case the tuition for the semester is the standard UG FT tuition (UG FT status can apply in final semester when UG required credits < 12) less any FT UG scholarships.
A student wants to take both the DS minor and the MSML. However, the minor would fulfil major elective requirements that the student prefers to reserve for the MSML for tuition, financial aid, full time standing, or other reasons. A student may declare that they want their minor courses to be additional requirements and not fulfil their UG elective requirements. A student who wishes to do this should first check with their academic advisor and then the student or the advisor will follow-up with the registrar’s office, who will inform financial aid if needed.