BACHELOR'S TO MASTER'S FIVE-YEAR DEGREE PROGRAMS

BACHELOR’S TO MASTER’S FIVE-YEAR DEGREE PROGRAMS

Christopher Newport University offers master’s degree programs that CNU students can complete with one additional year beyond the senior year. At the end of four years of study a student earns a bachelor’s degree, and the student enrolls the next semester/term in graduate courses leading to a master’s degree. Please note that the use of the term ‘five-year’ is not meant to ensure the completion of the master’s in precisely five years. While in most cases this should be possible, the number of graduate hours completed while an undergraduate, the number of hours required for the master’s, and the vagaries of thesis research may require a specific student to take longer than five years.

Students may elect to participate in a Bachelor’s to Master’s Five-year Program to earn their master’s degree in one of the following areas*:

Applied Physics and Computer Science (MS - APCS)

Environmental Science (MS - ENVS)

Teaching (MAT)

Admission Requirements

• Current Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher.

• Entrance examination scores: See each degree program for specific requirements

• Two completed recommendation forms, submitted electronically (one must be from a CNU faculty member in the major).

There is a specific recommendation form for MS applicants and a specific recommendation form for MAT applicants.

Application Process

• The student completes and electronically submits the Application for Admission to the Bachelor’s to Master’s Five Year Graduate Study Program at: cnu.edu/admission/graduate/fiveyear. Select Apply Now • The student submits all items required for admission to the program of their choice. • The application deadline for the Bachelor’s to Master’s Five-year Graduate Study Program is February 1 of the junior year. Sixty-five (65) undergraduate credits must have been earned prior to submitting the application. Transfer students may apply at this time, but a decision will not be made until applicants have earned at least 12 hours of credit at Christopher Newport University with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The application and all supporting documents

must be received by Graduate Admission by February 1.

• No application fee is required. After the complete admission package has been received by Graduate Admission at gradadmit@cnu.edu, it will be sent to the appropriate Graduate Program Director for review and: • Please allow three weeks for the committee’s decision and processing for APCS or ENVS programs. A decision letter will be sent to you by mail; • For MAT applications, the MAT Admission Committee will begin reviewing application packages

March 15. A decision letter will be mailed by April 1. • To check the status of the application email gradadmit@cnu.edu.

Once accepted into the Bachelor’s to Master’s program, students begin taking graduate classes in their senior year at CNU.

* The Master of Financial Analysis (MFinA) program does not have a five-year application for CNU juniors, but is a 1 year program. It is described on page 66 as part of the Master’s Degree Program section.

Academic Performance as an Undergraduate Student in a Bachelor’s to Master’s Five-year Program

a) To continue in the five-year program, a student must maintain a 3.0 GPA, and remain in good standing by earning a grade of B- or better in any graduate course taken while in the undergraduate status. b) Upon completion of the normal requirements in his or her respective undergraduate program, a bachelor’s degree will be awarded to the student.

Graduate Grading System

If an undergraduate student in a five-year program enrolls in a graduate course, the following graduate grading system will apply:

Letter Grade Meaning Numerical Value

A Excellent 4.00

A- 3.70

B+ 3.30

B Good 3.00

B- 2.70

C+ 2.30

C Passing (Poor) 2.00

C- 1.70

F Failing 0.00

I Incomplete

W Withdrew

Z Grade for 0 credit lab

Graduate courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.

Graduate Courses taken while a Senior, and accepted into the Bachelor’s to Master’s program, may be transferred to a CNU Graduate Transcript

During the senior year, the Bachelor’s to Master’s five-year student will enroll in graduate credit hours that may be transferred to the graduate transcript. The student is responsible for earning 120 credits to complete the undergraduate degree. Up to 12 graduate credits earned while in undergraduate status may be transferred to the graduate transcript if those hours were earned above the 120 credits required for the bachelor’s degree. Only the graduate courses and the credits are posted to the graduate transcript. No grades are posted for the transferred courses.

Credits

To receive the master’s degree, all graduate students, including those enrolled in the five-year bachelor’s to master’s programs, must present on the graduate transcript successful completion of a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credits. However, individual programs may require additional hours.

The Bachelor’s to Master’s Five-year Program Requirements, Graduate Course Hours and Course of Study for each program are listed on the following pages.