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Accelerated Masters
Overview
The Accelerated M.S. is a program available to EE, CMPE, and RE undergraduate students that allows them to complete a significant portion of their M.S. degree during their undergraduate studies. Upon graduation from their Bachelor’s degree, students enroll in the M.S. program to complete the requirements. The Accelerated M.S. program is a Plan-A program, hence all the corresponding requirements apply. As such, the Accelerated M.S. program is a research-centered degree. Seniors enrolled in the program conduct research under the supervision of their future M.S. major advisor. This research continues after graduation from the Bachelor’s degree into the Master’s degree studies and forms the basis for the student’s Master’s thesis.
In addition to conducting research during the senior year, and possibly even during the junior year, undergraduate students enrolled in the program take 5/6000-level courses that satisfy the requirements of the M.S. degree to make progress towards the M.S. coursework requirements. As noted in the Graduate School’s academic regulations, the University allows up to 12 credits of these graduate-level courses to be used to satisfy the requirements of both the undergraduate degree and the M.S. degree (for example, to be used as EE professional requirements for the undergraduate degree). It is strongly recommended that Accelerated M.S. students take at least two graduate-level courses during their senior year to satisfy the M.S. coursework requirements.
The ability to conduct a significant portion of the research and coursework required for the M.S. degree during their undergraduate studies allows students enrolled in the program to complete the M.S. degree in a shorter time (typically one year) than the regular degree. Since this is a Plan-A M.S., students must write a Master’s thesis and defend it to graduate from the program. Note also that Accelerated M.S. students need only enroll in ECE 6094 – Graduate Seminar during the graduate portion of their degree.
Accelerated M.S. students working on research projects may be financially supported during their master’s study (after finishing the bachelor’s degree) via a research assistantship, which is provided by the faculty member who supervises the student’s research. Often, they also work as undergraduate researchers on a paid, hourly basis during the summer term between the end of the bachelor’s degree and the beginning of the master’s degree. Note that participation in the program requires that there is no time gap between the undergraduate studies and the subsequent M.S. studies.
The timeline for participating in the program is as follows:
- Strive to maintain excellent academic standing during your undergraduate degree.
- No later than the last Spring semester of your junior year, contact faculty members in the school whose research areas interest you, and express your intent to pursue the Accelerated M.S. program, and inquire whether they could serve as your research advisor and perhaps sponsor your Master’s study via a graduate assistantship. It is suggested you discuss this with your intended faculty advisor prior to submitting the form to enroll in the program. You should also discuss if the faculty advisor has an opportunity and/or expectation that you will conduct research during the summer semester in between your graduation from the Bachelor's degree and the start of the Master's degree.
- Conduct research under the supervision of your research advisor.
- Enroll in at least two graduate-level (i.e., 5/6000-level) courses during the year. You can transfer up to a total of 12 credits of graduate courses to your MS degree (these can count towards both the undergraduate degree and the MS degree). If you take more than 12 credits of graduate coursework, you cannot transfer them to your M.S. degree, even if the additional credits are not used towards your undergraduate degree.
- Prepare and submit a regular graduate application for the M.S. program in your senior year, before February 1 for Fall admission. As with any graduate application, you must provide 3 letters of reference. Typically, one of these letters is provided by the faculty research advisor.
- Submit your application. You will receive notice of the admission decision during your last Spring semester.
- Complete and submit a Transfer Credit Request Form and email it to Degree Audit at degreeaudit@uconn.edu to transfer the graduate-level courses you took during your undergraduate degree to your M.S. degree (up to 12 credits).
- Continue enrolling in courses to satisfy the remaining coursework requirements for the Plan A-M.S. degree, including registration in ECE 6094 - Graduate Seminar. If you have taken 2 graduate courses during your senior year, you will need to take an additional 5 graduate courses during your fifth year.
- Continue working on your research and register for at least nine credits of GRAD 5950 - Master's Thesis Research. It is recommended you discuss with your major advisor how to distribute these credits during the semesters of your M.S. degree. However, note that you may enroll in up to nine credits of GRAD 5950 in a single term.
- Have at least one conference or journal paper accepted before graduation
- Write and defend a Master's thesis.
- In the last semester of your M.S. studies, apply for graduation.
Undergraduates Requesting Graduate Courses
Undergraduate students who desire to take a graduate-level course must directly email the course instructor requesting a permission number. The instructor will decide whether the student can take the course, and if a positive decision is made, issue a permission number.
