Bachelor's/Master's Program

WashU undergraduate students have the opportunity to earn a master’s degree with as little as one additional year of study. The application is open to current WashU undergraduate students holding a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA for all applicable course work taken at WashU.

With faculty adviser and departmental approval, up to 6 units can be used to satisfy requirements for both the bachelor's and master's degrees; the combined program still requires students to complete a minimum of 144 units in total. Dual-Degree students adding a master’s degree must also have a minimum of 84 total WashU residency units upon completion of the master’s.

Application Process

Students should discuss the program with their faculty and four-year advisers by the completion of six semesters in order to best develop a plan for their final undergraduate year leading into their master’s program. If you will complete your undergraduate degree prior to eight semesters, please speak with your four-year adviser for an alternate plan.

Applicants should apply during their final undergraduate year to the semester their graduate studies will begin. Applications for the BS/MS program are accepted on a rolling basis. Students have until the final day of classes in the current semester to apply to the following semester. We accept spring and fall applications beginning July 1. Students who complete their bachelor's program in under eight semesters will be required to submit a form from their advisor verifying that they are on track to complete their program early.

Important Note: On the second page of the application, when asked "Which type of program are your applying to," please select the option "Bachelor’s/Master’s Program for Current Undergraduate WashU Students".

Application requirements for current WashU students

Letter of recommendation: all departments - 1 McKelvey Engineering academic department faculty member (strongly encouraged from the department to which you are applying)
GRE is not required for application
Statement of purpose: Required
Resume: Required
Transcript: Upload WashU transcrips (Unofficial from WebSTAC)

Bachelor's/Master's Scholarship

Full-time Bachelor's/Master's students are eligible to receive a scholarship during their final master's year of study based on the undergraduate cumulative GPA at the time of application (see table below). The scholarship is available to both international and domestic students and is valid for two full-time master's semesters and one summer semester. Full-time for graduate students is defined as nine or more units. Part-time students, those taking less than nine units, are ineligible for the scholarship.

Domestic students are also eligible for loans and can email the Graduate Financial Aid Analyst & Accountant, Johanna Sengheiser, to inquire about loan options.

Bachelor's/Master's Scholarship Scale
Cumulative GPA at time of application	Scholarship amount
3.75-4.00	50% of tuition
3.65-3.74	45% of tuition
3.55-3.64	40% of tuition
3.45-3.54	35% of tuition
3.35-3.44	30% of tuition
3.25-3.34	25% of tuition
3.15-3.24	20% of tuition
3.05-3.14	15% of tuition
3.00-3.04	10% of tuition

Degree Conferral & Student Status

After completing the undergraduate degree requirements, students may choose to officially confer the bachelor's degree immediately or wait and confer both the bachelor's and master's degrees at the same time. There are several things to consider when deciding when to confer your bachelor's degree.

Student Status: Bachelor's/Master's students remain classified as undergraduate students until they have completed the equivalent of eight semesters (six semesters if Dual Degree student from affiliated liberal arts schools) of undergraduate enrollment or upon conferment of their undergraduate degree, whichever comes first. Students classified as graduate students are not eligible to participate in study abroad.
Tuition and the Bachelor's/Master's Scholarship: Once classified as a graduate student, tuition is charged at the graduate student rate and the Bachelor's/Master's Scholarship will be applied. Students who remain classified as undergraduate students are not eligible for the Bachelor's/Master's Scholarship.
Undergraduate Financial Aid: After transitioning to graduate student status, Bachelor's/Master's students are no longer eligible for undergraduate financial support or aid. Students comparing financial aid awards should check with Johanna Sengheiser to evaluate the impact of conferring their undergraduate degree prior to completing eight semesters. If you are a current federal student loan borrower, check with Student Financial Services as there may be implications to the grace period of your loan when conferring your undergraduate degree.
Undergraduate Final Latin Honors: Undergraduate final Latin honors are determined at the end of the academic year in which a student is officially awarded the undergraduate degree. The cumulative GPA used to determine Latin honors includes all course work taken up until the time the undergraduate degree is officially awarded. This means that master’s courses will also be included in the calculations if a student defers earning the bachelor's degree until the master’s degree is also earned. For further details about final Latin honors calculations, contact Engineering Undergraduate Student Services.

Immigration

International students on an F-1 visa should check with the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) when adding the master's program in order to discuss how this could affect status and eligibility for work authorization programs such as OPT and CPT.

Boeing Graduate Residency Program Partnership

Students can apply to the Boeing Graduate Residency Program directly through Boeing during the fall semester of their final undergraduate year. The program begins the summer after a student has earned their undergraduate degree. Application to the program is available to US citizens only. Engineering Intern Programs at Boeing

Bachelor's/Master's students who have been accepted to the Boeing Graduate Residency Program may be granted time off work in order to attend master's courses. Boeing Residency participants will still be eligible for the scholarship award percentages.

Graduate Admissions
314-935-5830
engineeringgradadmissions@wustl.edu

FAQs

Most frequently asked questions about the Bachelor's/Master's Program. Please be sure to read the overall website for information not covered below

When should I apply to the master’s degree for the Bachelor's/Master's Program?

You may apply up until the last day of classes the semester prior to beginning a master’s program. For most students, this is at the end of the spring semester of their senior year. Keep in mind you will want to provide adequate time for faculty to write letters of recommendation (i.e., several weeks in advance of the last day of classes). The earliest you should apply is at the start of your senior year. However, you can start discussing and planning for this option with your advisors much earlier (such as at the start of your junior year). Scholarship levels for the master’s degree, which are based upon cumulative GPA’s, are determined at the time of application to the master’s degree.

Am I required to earn both the bachelor’s degree and the master’s degree at the same time?

No, you may be awarded the bachelor’s degree before you earn the master’s degree. Many students do wait and earn both degrees at the same time. Students who started WashU as first-year students are classified as undergraduates for eight semesters (four years), and are then classified as master’s students during their final two semesters (fifth year) at WashU.

The master’s scholarship is only applied when a student is classified as a master’s student. This occurs after 8 semesters of undergraduate study or upon conferral of your undergraduate degree.

Note that undergraduate Latin Honors are based upon a student’s cumulative GPA when the bachelor’s degree is earned, regardless of when the bachelor’s degree is earned (i.e., if you earn both the bachelor’s degree and the master’s degree at the same time, the master’s course grades are included in the cumulative GPA).

What if I can graduate early with my undergraduate degree? When should I apply for the master’s?

If you can graduate early with your undergraduate degree, yes, you can apply for the master’s degree early. You should apply during the semester that you are finishing your undergraduate degree requirements. In order to receive the master’s scholarship early, you must confer your degree. If this is under eight semesters the admissions department will request that you ask for a verification form from your advisor. This form that your four-year advisor will need to complete and sign confirms you will be able to graduate early. If you can graduate early with your bachelor’s degree, it is still okay to overlap six approved units for both the bachelor’s degree and the master’s degree.

What if I can graduate early with my undergraduate degree, but my undergraduate financial aid is higher than the master’s scholarship amount. What should I do?

In this case, it will be to your advantage to stay classified as an undergraduate student for as long as possible, so that you can continue to maintain your classification as an undergraduate student and receive undergraduate financial aid. For students entering WashU as first-year students, the maximum number of financial aid semesters is eight (four years). In this case, if you are able to complete your undergraduate degree requirement in three years (as an example), and then complete your master’s requirements in one year, it would take you four years to earn both degrees, which would allow you maintain your undergraduate financial aid for all four years while earning both degrees. Again, in this case, you would wait and earn both degrees at the same time, and your undergraduate student status would remain your “prime” status for all four years. This would void the Bachelor’s/Master’s discount. Also, extra care would be needed to ensure your undergraduate status does not flip to graduate student status after you are admitted to the master’s program (you would discuss this with the Engineering Graduate Services Office at: engineeringgradadmissions@wustl.edu.)

What if I have questions about a specific master’s program?

Please contact that specific academic department with your questions. The contact names are most often listed on that department’s website, on the webpage that describes the specific master’s program.

What if I have questions about the master’s application process?

First, please carefully read this webpage for the answers to your questions. If you still have questions, please email engineeringgradadmissions@wustl.edu.

If I am admitted to the master’s program, what if I change my mind and no longer want to pursue it?

You are under no obligation to pursue the master’s program if you are admitted. Inform Engineering Graduate Services Office that you have changed your mind. Email them at: engineeringgradadmissions@wustl.edu.

If I am admitted to the master’s program, can I graduate with my undergraduate degree and delay starting the master’s degree for a period of time?

Yes, you may defer your offer for up to one year. To request a deferral please contact Engineering Graduate Services Office at: engineeringgradadmissions@wustl.edu.

Can I use my master’s scholarship to help pay summer school tuition at WashU?

Yes, for one summer, and the courses must be engineering courses that count toward your master’s degree. Contact Engineering Graduate Services Office at: engineeringgradadmissions@wustl.edu.

If am earning my WashU undergraduate degree outside of McKelvey Engineering, but I want to earn a McKelvey master’s degree (e.g., in computer science), are the answers above any different for me?

The same answers provided to the questions above all still apply to you.