Framework for Accelerated Bachelor’s to Masters Degree(in process) at SFU

7 – Concurrent Bachelor’s and Master’s degree PDF HERE summary below

SFU has a Draft proposal for an “Accelerated Bachelor’s to Masters Degree”.

Main points to consider:

Question would this work with our MFA? Is it a good idea? Could we take 1 to 4 students (for instance) from Undergrad into Grad. (But it seems as if they would have to take the Grad Seminar and Studio in their 4th year of the BA/BFA, could it really sequence in to their program? Or would it only work as the absolute final credits of a BA/BA)

Would it be prudent to design a new degree with potential “accelerated” SCA undergrads in mind?

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Draft Proposal for the Creation of a Framework for the Establishment of Concurrent (Combined or Accelerated) Bachelor’s – Masters Degrees at SFU Concurrent Bachelor’s – Master’s Programs may be developed in response to a number of needs
among which are:
1. recognition of outstanding students and provision of academic enrichment for them;
2. provision of an introduction to the postgraduate milieu for good undergraduate students
who might otherwise overlook the opportunity of graduate studies;
3. the provision of a reasonably firm time horizon for the completion of the Master’s
program.
4. the opportunity to recruit outstanding high school students to UG programs with concurrent bachelor’s- master’s programs.
These types of programs exist at many institutions including the University of Waterloo, University of California – Berkeley, New York University, Johns Hopkins University, MIT, Brown University, Yale College, Temple University, and many others. All the programs share some common elements – higher admission standards than regular admission to the masters
program; restrictions on the number of units transferred at the UG level to the institution offering
the concurrent bachelor’s-master’s program; completion of no more than 6-12 units of graduate
work as part of the UG credential; limits on when student’s can apply to the program relative to
their UG degree completion progress; and time-limits on degree completion at the master’s level
which are quite short. This program provides a mechanism for the institution of a quicker route to the Master’s degree,
for outstanding students. The framework below is a minimum requirement and departments may add to, but not delete from the requirements of the program.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CONCURRENT BACHELOR’S – MASTER’S
PROGRAMS AT SFU
A concurrent Bachelor’s – Master’s program is one in which it is deemed academically advantageous to treat the educational process leading through the Bachelor’s to the Master’s degree as a single continuous integrated whole, while at the same time satisfying the requirements for both degrees. This stands in contradistinction to treatment of the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs each as terminal activities. Such structured programs, starting at the undergraduate level and terminating with a Master’s degree provide an alternative means, complementary to the existing undergraduate and graduate programs, for the attainment of the Master’s degree. The following are some general conditions that all such concurrent Bachelor’s – Master’s degree programs must contain:
1. Concurrent Bachelor’s – Master’s programs will require that:

• Student’s fulfill the degree requirements of both the Bachelor’s program and the Master’s program. This implies that:
• students complete at least two terms of full-time registration (or equivalent) at the graduate level (mandatory);
• the graduate program must adhere to the residence requirements for a Master’s degree at SFU (GGR 1.7.2)
• the Co-operative work term requirements of the Bachelor’s or Master’s programs
• or any internship requirements of the master’s programs must be met (if applicable).
•  the maximum number of graduate course units that can be counted towards the bachelor’s degree is ten units.
• each individual in any concurrent bachelor’s-master’s program must complete an individual or small group project as part of the program via at least 2 units of masters-level independent study units or master’s level project-based course to gain experience in applying research methodology to real-world problems (

2. There must be complete freedom of transferability from the concurrent programs to the
regular programs.
3. The culmination of the concurrent program is the Master’s degree.
4. Students admitted to the concurrent program will pay the UG per credit rate for all UG courses (or premium if applicable) and the graduate per credit rate (or premium if applicable) for all graduate courses while they are registered in their bachelors program (conditional graduate status). Once the condition is removed, students will pay the appropriate graduate tuition fees for that program.
5. Students admitted to the concurrent programs are ineligible for graduate scholarships or awards administered from SFU sources until they complete their bachelor degrees.
6. Students are expected to complete the master’s degree within 12 months of completion of the bachelor’s degree for a non-thesis master’s degree and within 18 months for a master’s program requiring a thesis.
7. Recruitment into a concurrent Bachelor’s – Master’s degree program must have the
flexibility to satisfy the requirements of individual students; at the same time it must have
coherence – each student’s program must be addressed toward a well-defined area of
specialization.
8. A supervisor and supervisory committee (where appropriate) must be

The following general criteria will apply for admissions to concurrent bachelor’s-master’s
programs:
1. Admission to the concurrent program is restricted to students with a consistently good academic record following the completion of 75 UG units and no more than 96 UG units with a minimum CGPA of 3.5/4.33 or an UD of 3.67/4.33 or better.
2. Admission would be granted as “conditional” and the condition to be fulfilled is satisfactory completion of the requirements of the bachelor’s degree with at least a B+ average.
The following general criteria will apply for participation and graduation in concurrent bachelor’s-master’s programs:
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1. Students who fail to maintain sufficiently high standing (achieve a minimum of a B+ overall in all graduate courses taken as part of the concurrent program) during their conditional admission, will be required to revert to the regular UG program, or if circumstances so warrant, to withdraw from the University.
2. Student’s registering for “piggybacked” undergraduate-graduate courses as part of their
concurrent program must register in the graduate course, complete the graduate course requirements and be graded accordingly.
3. The culmination of the concurrent program is the Master’s degree.
4. Students are expected to complete the master’s degree within 12 months of completion of the bachelor’s degree for a non-thesis master’s degree and within 18 months for a master’s program requiring a thesis. If the master’s program is not completed within these time limits, none of the courses may be double counted.
5. A student who is ineligible to continue to participate in (or withdraws from) the concurrent program cannot double-count any courses for the Bachelor’s and Master’s
degrees.
6. If a student becomes ineligible to continue to participate in the concurrent program, the Chair of the Graduate Program committee must inform the student in writing of his/her ineligibility and a copy of this letter must be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies.
Fees: Students admitted “conditionally” to the concurrent program will pay the UG per credit rate for all UG courses (or premium if applicable) and the graduate per credit rate (or premium if applicable) for all graduate courses taken while admitted conditionally to the concurrent program. Once the condition is removed, students will pay the appropriate graduate tuition fees for that program.

Withdrawal from the Concurrent Bachelor’s-Master’s Program
A student may withdraw at any time from an approved concurrent bachelor’s-master’s program by informing the Chairs of the undergraduate and graduate programs and the Dean of Graduate Studies in writing.