Accelerated Bachelor's and Master's of Science
Accelerate your education when you pursue a BS/MS program.
The School of Life Sciences has various accelerated BS/MS programs, which allow students to share up to 12 credits between their bachelor's and master's degrees during their senior undergraduate year. This allows them to complete the 120 credit undergraduate degree and 30 credit graduate degree in 138 total credit hours, instead of 150. Students are considered undergraduate students and pay undergraduate tuition prices until their BS degree is awarded, at which point they move into their plus one year to fulfill the remaining 18 credits needed for the MS degree.
Eligibility Requirements
- Student must be in an eligible undergraduate degree and select an eligible master's degree as indicated here: Accelerated Masters Degrees
- Must have at least 75 credit hours completed toward their undergraduate degree
- Must have at least a 3.0 GPA
- Must have at least 2 full semesters OR 30 credit hours left towards their undergraduate degree
- Must pursue a program with an available modality that matches the undergraduate degree modality
For research and thesis programs only
- Must have identified a faculty advisor willing to host research
- This requires prospective research & thesis students to reach out to SOLS faculty members with their areas of interest, research project ideas, and ask if they are open to mentoring them for their MS thesis.
If you have unique circumstances related to the eligibility requirements, please reach out to the SOLS Graduate Office to discuss your potential eligibility.
Program and pathway options
Research and thesis programs
offered on campus only
Coursework and capstone programs
offered on campus OR online
Application process
Phase
01
Phase 1 approval means you have been accepted into the SOLS Accelerated BS/MS Program: you may begin sharing credits and taking graduate-level classes.
Students that meet the above eligibility criteria and wish to apply should meet with their undergraduate advisor to confirm progress and discuss room for sharing credits. Then, proceed with the application linked below. Students are required to submit a Phase 1 application form.
Materials
Electronic (Adobe Sign) Phase 1 application form (linked below)
Email addresses of undergraduate advisor and graduate advisor
1-paragraph personal statement indicating areas of interest within the appropriate program field
For research and thesis programs only: in addition, include a short description of your proposed MS research project, and email addresses of faculty advisor and MS program director(s)
Application deadlines
*Note: the phase 1 application can take up to several weeks for all signatures to be gathered.
Please submit proactively to allow sufficient time for review.
July 15 - to begin sharing coursework in the Fall semester
Dec. 15 - to begin sharing coursework in the Spring semester
April 15 - to begin sharing coursework in the Summer Session
Research and Thesis Phase 1 Application Form
Coursework Based Phase 1 Application Form
*Note: This phase approval solely indicates that a student intends to pursue the MS degree following their undergraduate graduation. Students that have phase 1 approval are still considered undergraduate students in the ASU system during this time and are not considered MS students yet.
Phase
02
Applying and being approved for phase 2 means that students are admitted to the MS program and can officially continue onto the graduate degree after graduating with their undergraduate degree. This phase approval indicates that a student will be considered a graduate student in the ASU system once they begin the first semester of their plus one year.
Once students have applied for their undergraduate graduation, they must submit the phase 2 application for admission consideration to the MS program they were approved for during phase 1.
*Note: All applicants must still meet the established eligibility requirements. If you no longer meet eligibility, then the form won't have you proceed further. Should your plans have changed since Phase 1 such as a change in program, campus, or graduation date, please connect with our office before completing the form.
Application deadlines
Sept. 15 - if student is graduating with their bachelor's at the end of Fall semester
Feb. 1 - if student is graduating with their bachelor's at the end of Spring semester
June 1 - if student is graduating with their bachelor's at the end of Summer Session
We are currently only accepting phase 2 applications from students who are graduating from their undergraduate degree in Spring 2026.
Degree requirements
Accelerated BS/MS students are required to complete the same requirements as a traditionally admitted MS student. They should refer to the SOLS Handbook to ensure they understand the 30 credits required within their chosen and approved accelerated MS degree. The difference, however, is they may begin to complete up to 12 credit hours of the 30 credits required in their senior undergraduate year. These 12 credit hours are chosen in consultation with their undergraduate and graduate advisors.
Sharing credits
Accelerated BS/MS students may share up to 12 credit hours between degrees during their last 2 semesters or 30 credit hours. Up to 6 of the 12 credits can be 400-level life science coursework, while the other 6 must be 500-level or above life science coursework or higher. The grade in the class must be a "B" grade or higher to share.
Due to differences in MS degree requirements and the space students may have remaining in their BS degree, there is no blanket map for completing 12 shareable credits. Students should meet with their undergraduate and graduate advisors to create a plan.
It is best if students have 400-level required courses to complete still during their last 2 semesters or 30 credit hours, because those may be shareable as is, or the course may be combined with a 500-level equivalent the student could switch to. Students that need certain 400-level major requirements, more upper division hours, and elective credits are situated well to share credits. They will need overrides for any 500-level+ course they want to take during their shared year and should use the course permission request form linked below.
Additional resources
Accelerated BS/MS program
information sessions
The SOLS Graduate Office hosts information sessions each semester for students interested in our accelerated BS/MS programs. To inquire about the next information session date, please reach out to [email protected]. You can also access the presentation slides from a previous information session by clicking the button below.
Advising appointments
For individualized support as you explore accelerated BS/MS program options, you may schedule an advising appointment with our staff in the SOLS Graduate Office. Please click one of the email links below to schedule an appointment.
On campus accelerated students: Email [email protected] to set up an appointment.
Online students: Email [email protected] to set up an appointment.
Graduate student
success site
The SOLS Graduate Office has created an internal site designed to help students access the information they may need to be successful in their programs. The site has a wide array of helpful information, including course offering lists on each of the master's degree pages which may support coursework planning for accelerated BS/MS students choosing shared coursework.