Accelerated Pathways
Bachelor's + Master's Degree in 5 Years
Maximize your future options by earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in less time than completing the degrees separately.
- Start exploring this option in the spring of your sophomore year.
- Students are encouraged to apply the semester before they reach 90 credit hours.
- Begin taking graduate-level coursework that will be applied to both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees (up to 9 hours). (Please note: Students must complete their bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 129 credit hours.)
- Network with your graduate-level classmates who have years of experience to share with you.
If you are interested in Accelerated Pathways, you need to apply to the SMU Lyle graduate program in which you are interested. Indicate that you wish to be evaluated as an Accelerated Pathways program candidate.
Applicants must also complete a Graduate Application.
Accelerated Pathways Program Application
For questions about SMU Lyle graduate programs, contact Zaria Kelley.
For questions about required credits or when to apply, contact Misti Compton.
Accelerated Pathways Leadership and Service Scholarship Information
SMU Lyle offers an Accelerated Pathways Leadership and Service scholarship worth up to 75% of fifth-year tuition. Depending on your GPA and volunteer and leadership contributions to SMU Lyle, up to 75% of the tuition of the seven available Lyle master’s-level Accelerated Pathways could be covered as follows:- 3.750-3.899 SMU GPA could earn a scholarship of 50% tuition*
- 3.900-4.000 SMU GPA could earn a scholarship of 75% tuition*
* Does not include student fee charges
The Accelerated Pathways Leadership and Service Scholarship is only applicable to master’s-level programs and not to other graduate programs at SMU.
How to Apply for the Accelerated Pathways Leadership and Service Scholarship
The Accelerated Pathways Leadership and Service Scholarship is awarded after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred. It is awarded based on the student’s cumulative SMU undergraduate GPA at the time of graduation with the undergraduate degree and contributions to SMU Lyle via volunteer work and leadership activities.
The scholarship covers tuition (not student fees) for the seven (7) additional Lyle graduate courses required for the first master’s degree received. Eight (8) hours per semester of documented volunteer and leadership work per semester is the minimum requirement in addition to the GPA requisite. Seniors should have completed 48 hours of volunteer/leadership activity by the time of graduation for an undergraduate degree. Students currently in SMU Lyle’s undergraduate programs should inquire about specific volunteer commitments.
At the end of the undergraduate program, the application is submitted and will be reviewed by the Accelerated Pathways Leadership and Service Scholarship committee.
All leadership and volunteer activity will be verified by the relevant supervisory office where it occurred.
Please submit completed scholarship applications to:
Jim Dees
Executive Director, Student Experience and Scholarship
jdees@lyle.smu.edu
Master’s Degree Requirements
- Have a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 in the master’s degree course work (including the graduate course work applied towards the undergraduate degree requirements).
- Complete a minimum of 21 term-credit hours of graduate coursework at SMU.
- Fulfill all requirements for the master’s- level degree after completion of a bachelor’s degree. You are required to be enrolled in at least one term solely as a graduate student.
- A minimum of 150 credit hours is required when combining credit hours from the bachelor’s degree and master’s degree.