BAM

Our Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's programs will get you on a fast track toward your Master's degree.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers several options for students to pursue a Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's (BAM) program. By taking graduate courses during the junior and senior years, undergraduate students can earn their bachelor’s degree and move straight on to one of our graduate programs, reducing the time it takes to earn a master’s degree.

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BAM students can take up to:

  • 4 graduate courses (12 credits) that count towards both the BS and the MS degrees
  • 2 graduate courses (6 credits) are to be held on reserve until the start of the MS degree

Advantages:

There are several advantages to pursuing our BAM programs:

  • You can earn both a BS and MS degree in as little as five years by taking several graduate courses while still an undergraduate student.
  • You can take graduate courses while still an undergraduate at undergraduate tuition rates, resulting in significant cost savings. 
  • You have access to a variety of cutting-edge coursework, providing you with an opportunity to delve deeper into subject areas of interest.
  • You will have the opportunity to work on exciting projects with faculty members through coursework, scholarly papers, or a thesis.

We invite you to view our BAM presentation slides as well as the video presentation at the bottom of this page to learn more about these and other advantages.

Types of BAM programs:

We offer pathways from both our undergraduate programs to our master's programs:

  • BS Computer Engineering/Accelerated MS Computer Engineering
  • BS Computer Engineering/Accelerated MS Electrical Engineering
  • BS Electrical Engineering/Accelerated MS Computer Engineering
  • BS Electrical Engineering/Accelerated MS Electrical Engineering

Please visit our catalog for more information on these and other pathways.

Application:

A professional headshot of Smriti Kansal, ECE undergraduate advisor, wearing a pink cardigan and navy-blue blouse.
Smriti Kansal -- BAM Advisor
  • Students will be considered for admission into the BAM Pathway after completion of a minimum of 60 credits with an overall GPA of 3.0.
  • Students accepted into the BAM Pathway will be allowed to register for graduate-level courses after completing a minimum of 75 undergraduate credits and course-specific prerequisites.
  • To apply, visit the Admissions Office Accelerated Master’s page. Make sure to list the ECE department's BAM advisor Ms. Smriti Kansal Patwardhan as your recommender in the application. Note that the application fee is waived. Ms. Kansal is available to help you with your application process, and course selection, and answer any questions.

While in the BAM Program:

  • Electrical engineering undergraduate students may take either ECE 584, ECE 586, or ECE 587 to meet the ECE 433 requirement for the BS in Electrical Engineering program.
  • Computer engineering undergraduate students may take ECE 542 to meet the ECE 465 requirement for the BS in Computer Engineering program. 
  • An additional 9 credits of graduate-level courses from the catalog's master list of ECE graduate courses may be selected to substitute in place of the 9 credits of technical electives required for the undergraduate degree. It is recommended that these courses be selected based on the selected concentration in the Master's program.   
  • An additional 6 credits of graduate courses can be taken to be put on reserve.
  • Faculty advisors work closely with BAM students on the selection of graduate coursework

Transitioning to the Master's Program

  • Complete a Bachelor’s-Accelerated-Master’s (BS-MS) transition form and submit it to the ECE BAM advisor Ms. Smriti Kansal Patwardhan at the same time that you file your intent to graduate from your Bachelor’s degree.
  • If you took any courses on reserve, list those on the same transition form
  • Upon submission of your BS-MS Transition form, and having met all necessary requirements, you will receive an offer of admission to your approved Master’s Program, as well as be given advanced standing. This means that your graduate credits have been earned and will later be applied to your Master’s program.

Plan of Study