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Accelerated Masters of Engineering or Masters of Science in Civil Engineering

The accelerated version of the Master of Science program in Civil Engineering (CE) is limited to select Boise State University undergraduate students enrolled in the Civil Engineering program. Each interested student must contact the CE graduate program coordinator for preliminary advice, including student goals and academic preparation, prospective faculty advisors, and graduate courses proposed to be taken during the last two semesters of the undergraduate course of study.

The benefit of this program is that up to three graduate courses (9 credits) will count towards both the Bachelors and Masters of Science degrees in CE. This gives students the flexibility to receive their Master’s degree with one more year of study (fall, spring, summer) beyond their Bachelor’s degree.

Eligibility Requirements

Students may apply to pursue a Master’s degree in CE on an accelerated schedule based on the following eligibility requirements:

  1. Completion of at least 75 credits applicable to the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
  2.  A minimum overall GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale.
  3. A minimum GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale in a set of selected CE courses. The same set of courses will be uniformly applied to all students reviewed in each year’s recommendation procedure. These include all MATH, CHEM, PHYS, ENGR, and CE-titled courses within the undergraduate curriculum.

Meeting these eligibility requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the accelerated version of the Civil Engineering MS programs.

Departmental Selection Process

The departmental graduate program coordinator and the departmental graduate subcommittee evaluate the application materials and determine which applicants meet the eligibility requirements. The graduate coordinator then compiles a final list of students recommended for admission to the accelerated Master’s program. The final list is sent to the department chair. The chair then makes his/her decision on the qualifications of the students recommended by the graduate coordinator.

The chair will notify the recommended students by July 1st. Recommendation by the chair is not a guarantee that the students will be admitted to the Graduate College. Students who are notified will need to complete and submit a graduate application and pay the application fee by July 14th. The student must send an email to gradcoll@boisestate.edu, attention to the Graduate Admission and Degree Services (GADS) Supervisor (with a copy to the CE department chair and graduate program coordinator) informing them that the application that they just submitted is for the accelerated version of the Master’s program.

Admission

The Graduate College makes the final admission decision. Once the decision is made the students will receive a formal letter sent from the Dean of the Graduate College indicating their admission status (a copy is also sent to the department).

Registration

Please complete the following steps to ensure registration and connected processes occur without hindrance. With the exception of course selection and initial registration, all of these steps will be completed in an Accelerated Masters Program meeting during registration.

  • Enroll in undergraduate courses that you will take for graduate credit. These should have been discussed with the CE Graduate Program Coordinator.
  • Submit Permit for Seniors to Take Graduate Courses form. Multiple may be necessary depending on your planned courses. These forms will be signed by faculty present at the meeting and sent to the Graduate College for signature and ultimately to the registrar to process. The course number will be automatically updated for you.
  • Submit an Academic Adjustment for Financial Aid. The request should read, “I am taking courses at the 500 level in the Civil Engineering Accelerated Masters Program. The specific courses are _______. These courses count towards completing my undergraduate degree as well as a graduate degree in the future.”
  • Submit an Academic Adjustment for dual-credit. It should say, “Please utilize ________ to count towards the civil engineering degree requirement of ________. This is a course being taken for credit in an accelerated masters program and counts towards both undergraduate and graduate requirements.”

First Year after Receiving the Bachelor Degree

When a student who is admitted to the CE Accelerated Masters Program completes their undergraduate degree requirements, they will receive their bachelor’s degree and will then be classified as a graduate student and proceed to fulfill requirements for the MS in Civil Engineering. At this time, they are eligible to receive financial support with Graduate Assistantships. To be considered for these competitive Graduate Assistantship positions, students should apply in the senior year of their bachelor’s degree.

Accelerated master’s students are subject to all academic performance requirements of the Graduate College, including semester GPA, program GPA, and individual course grade requirements. These requirements include maintaining a 3.0 GP A in the graduate-level courses taken during the bachelor’s degree.

Undergraduate students at other departments, colleges, and universities are not eligible to participate in this program.