A 4+1 program is an accelerated sequence of a bachelor’s to a master’s degree in the same discipline completed in a total of 5 years.
Two applications are required:
- Application to participate in the BA/MA (BS/MS) program can be found here. This application should be filed by the end of the sophomore year.
PLEASE NOTE - If your major is English, Secondary Education, History, Secondary Education, or Math, Secondary Education please use this form here. - Application for graduate studies should be filed in the fall of the senior year.
Here are instructions on how to fill out a PDF form electronically.
Application procedures: The application for the BA/MA (BS/MS) program requires approvals of the department chair, the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. This application must include a list, compiled with the major department, of a maximum of four courses that may be taken for both undergraduate and graduate credit. Any subsequent change in these designated courses requires the approval of the department chair and the associate deans. In addition, courses for such "double" credit must be so designated before the beginning of the semester in which they are taken. The application for graduate studies requires the same procedure required of regular graduate applicants with the exception of letters of recommendation (which are waived) and GRE results (which are waived).
Approval of applications: The application for the BA/MA (BS/MS) requires approval by the faculty of the major department (appropriate procedures will be established by the department) and by the associate dean of graduate programs and associate dean of undergraduate programs. These approvals are subject to review of academic progress at the end of the junior year. The application for graduate study requires approval by the major department and the associate dean for graduate studies. Any approval will be provisional, subject to review of the student’s academic record in the junior and senior years.
BA/MA (BS/MS) requirements: All academic regulations remain in effect. The student must complete all requirements for both the BA/BS and the MA/MS degrees. The foreign language/research tool requirement for the MA/MS must be satisfied before the MA/MS comprehensive examination can be taken.
The only exceptions to standard requirements for the MA/MS are:
(1) up to four courses properly designated (see above) may be counted toward both the BA/BS and MA/MS degrees, and (2) a student who completes both degrees at the end of the fourth year after matriculation may submit the MA/MS comprehensive examination in fulfillment of the BA/BS comprehensive requirement. Ideally, students take one (1) graduate course per semester, for each of the four (4) semesters of the junior and senior years. No student enrolled in this program may take more than two (2) graduate courses in one semester while completing the BA or BS requirements.
Time limitations: The BA/BS must be completed no later than four years after matriculation. The MA/MS must be completed no later than five years after matriculation (i.e., one calendar year after the BA/BS is received). No leave of absence or extensions of this time limit will be permitted. A student who fails to complete all requirements for the MA/MS within this time may not count the designated courses toward the graduate degree. (Assuming satisfactory progress, such a student may continue in the MA/MS program.)
Record keeping: The undergraduate office maintains records pertaining to the BA/BS. The undergraduate office provides to the graduate office grades in courses which are taken for both undergraduate and graduate credit. The graduate office maintains records pertaining to MA/MS requirements.
GPA/Class Standing: The undergraduate grade point average (which is printed on the transcript and used to calculate class standing) includes all CUA courses taken prior receiving the BA/BS, including the "double" BA/MA (BS/MS) courses. However, courses taken only for the MA/MS are not included in the undergraduate GPA, even if these are completed prior to awarding of the BA/BS degree.
FURTHER INFORMATION: Major Department and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs (as-ugprogramsoffice@cua.edu)
Reviewed July 27, 2023