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The Accelerated Bachelor’s / Master’s Combined Curriculum Plan of Study (ABM plan of study) offers high‐achieving undergraduate students at UL Lafayette the opportunity to earn both the baccalaureate degree and master’s degree in less time and at less cost. It does so by allowing these exceptional students to count up to 9 graduate credit hours (in a 30‐ or 33‐hour master’s degree program) or 12 hours (in a 36‐hour or greater master’s degree program) toward both degrees.
Application and Admission Requirements
Undergraduate students must be formally admitted to an ABM plan of study by the Graduate School prior to registration in any graduate‐level course.
To be eligible for admission, students must:
- be in senior standing with a minimum of 90 credit hours and lacking no more than 30 semester hours to complete the baccalaureate degree
- have completed at least 24 hours of coursework at UL Lafayette, if a transfer student
- have a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.2
Because English language proficiency, GRE, and/or GMAT exams, and letters of reference are tools used to facilitate admission decisions, these requirements are eliminated for students formally accepted into an ABM plan of study to pursue the identified master’s degree program unless specified by the graduate degree program.
Students applying under these circumstances must meet all other application and admission requirements (including program‐specific requirements) with the exception of holding a baccalaureate degree.
Application requires that students:
- complete an “Application for Admission to an Accelerated Bachelor’s / Master’s Combined Curriculum Plan of Study”
- secure approval from the Undergraduate Advisor, Graduate Coordinator, and Department Head in the degree‐granting department as well as their Academic College Dean and the Dean of the Graduate School
- upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, apply for regular admission to the Graduate School by submitting an additional online application, application fee, official transcripts from other colleges or universities attended as required by the Graduate School, and any additional program‐specific application materials required by the individual degree program
Students admitted under these circumstances are admitted provisionally to the Graduate School. Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, participating students must apply for regular admission to the Graduate School. Upon review of the application and confirmation that the student has met ABM plan of study requirements (including conferral of the baccalaureate degree), provisional admission is changed to regular admission for the academic term following conferral of the baccalaureate degree.
Grade, Credit, and Time Requirements
- No more than 9 graduate credit hours (in a 30‐ or 33‐hour master’s degree program) or 12 hours (in a 36‐ hour or greater master’s degree program) may be double counted toward the requirements of both degrees. Only graduate‐level courses may be counted toward graduate degree requirements.
- ABM students may register for a maximum of 6 hours of graduate credit per semester and total combined registration, both graduate and undergraduate, may not exceed 16 credit hours during a regular semester or 9 credit hours during a summer session.
- ABM students must earn a grade of B or better in all double‐counted graduate‐level courses. Graduate courses in which a grade lower than B may be counted toward satisfaction of the baccalaureate degree requirements but not toward the master’s degree requirements.
- ABM students must maintain an overall graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, earn a grade of B or better in all ABM graduate‐level courses, and follow the approved ABM plan of study. If a student falls below an overall graduate GPA of 3.0, does not follow the approved ABM plan of study, or completes the baccalaureate degree requirements with an overall undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0, the student cannot double‐count graduate credit hours and is ineligible to continue in the ABM plan of study.
- No more than 12 graduate credit hours may be earned while still completing requirements for the baccalaureate degree.
- ABM students retain their undergraduate status, and thus shall be assessed undergraduate tuition and fee rates, until they are awarded the baccalaureate degree. They are not eligible for graduate assistantship or fellowship appointments, graduate scholarships, graduate‐level student worker pay rates, or financial aid for graduate studies until the baccalaureate degree has been conferred.
- ABM students cannot opt to bypass the bachelor’s degree. The baccalaureate degree must be awarded following completion of the undergraduate degree requirements and at least two semesters before the graduate degree is awarded.
- At the time of application for the baccalaureate degree, students must apply for regular admission to the Graduate School. Upon review of the application and confirmation that the student has met ABM requirements including conferral of the baccalaureate degree, provisional admission is changed to regular admission to graduate studies for the academic term following conferral of the baccalaureate degree.
- All master’s degree requirements must be completed within six calendar years following admission to the ABM plan of study.
- ABM students may withdraw voluntarily from the ABM plan of study at any time. To do so, they must notify the Graduate School in writing. A copy of the request to withdraw should be sent to their Undergraduate Advisor and Graduate Coordinator.
- If an ABM student voluntarily withdraws from the ABM plan of study, does not meet the ABM continuation requirements, completes the baccalaureate degree requirements with an overall undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0, requests admission to any other graduate program, does not complete the approved master’s degree requirements within the prescribed time, or otherwise becomes ineligible, the student cannot double‐count graduate credit hours. In such instances, graduate credits earned as an ABM student would be counted toward satisfaction of the bachelor’s degree requirements but not toward the master’s degree requirements.
- A student may be enrolled in only one ABM combined curriculum program.
Subject to approval by the normal curriculum review processes, individual graduate programs may set higher standards or require additional criteria for application, admission, and continuation for an accelerated bachelor’s / master’s combined curriculum plan of study.
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