Accelerated Dual Degree Programs

Students must apply to the Graduate School and be accepted into an accelerated dual degree program  (e.g. 3+2, 4+1 programs) before beginning coursework in that program. Admission requirements and deadlines vary by program. Admission decisions to accelerated dual degree  programs are final. The following guidelines, including those describing the number of credits allowed to doubly count toward undergraduate and graduate degree programs, represent an institution-defined maximum allowance. Any accelerated dual degree  program at John Carroll University may be established with lower allowances, and students must abide by the requirements of the program in which they are enrolled. Students are not eligible to create their own accelerated dual degree  program pathways.

Double-Counting Credits

Students who have been accepted into a JCU accelerated dual degree  program are eligible to take up to 9 credits of graduate coursework prior to undergraduate graduation to dually satisfy both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements, including total credits toward degree completion. These graduate courses' final grades will factor into the GPA of the undergraduate major and/or minor to which they are applying, but not into the cumulative undergraduate GPA. The cumulative graduate GPA will only include graduate course grades.

Registration Requirements and Academic Standards

After admission to an accelerated dual degree  program, in order to be eligible to begin graduate coursework at JCU, the student must already have completed:

  • At least 90 undergraduate credit hours, which may include transfer credit;

  • At least three-quarters of all academic programs, including majors, concentrations, and minors;

  • The majority of the undergraduate Integrative Core Curriculum, but may have up to four remaining courses to complete in the last year of undergraduate study  in addition to  the “Core within the major” (i.e. capstone, additional writing, and oral presentation)

A student will retain undergraduate status for purposes of tuition and financial aid until their undergraduate degree requirements have been fulfilled. A student who is pursuing an accelerated dual degree  program and is still in  undergraduate status may pursue up to 18  credits of graduate-level coursework, though only up to 9  can dually satisfy specific undergraduate and graduate program requirements (that is, the credits not double-counting can only apply to the graduate degree). If a dual degree student who is still in undergraduate status wishes to take graduate-level coursework in excess of the credits which will double-count for their dual degree, they must submit a request to the Graduate School for permission to register for these additional graduate-level credits–however, this scenario may have significant financial aid ramifications and the student is responsible for understanding the implications of this for their particular situation.

Please note that, to optimize financial aid eligibility, it is in the student’s best interest to maintain full-time undergraduate status (i.e. registered for at least 12 credits of coursework applying to the undergraduate degree each fall and spring term) while they are pursuing the undergraduate degree.

For students to earn credit toward a graduate program, they must be enrolled in the graduate-level section of the course which, in most cases, will be a course numbered in the 5000s. In cases of cross-listed undergraduate and graduate sections, the student must register for the graduate section (e.g. 5000s). Graduate courses taken for credit toward the undergraduate degree must satisfy graduate-level minimum grade standards (i.e. a C or higher in each 5000-level course or B in any 4000-level graduate course) or undergraduate standards, whichever is higher. In general, more rigorous GPA requirements exist for coursework applied toward a graduate degree and students are responsible for understanding the requirements of their Master’s degree programs. Undergraduate students in dual degree programs who have begun taking graduate-level courses will be evaluated for their academic standing at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Degree Conferral

For accelerated dual degree programs, conferral of the baccalaureate degree will take place upon successful completion of all undergraduate requirements, which, in most cases, will be prior to conferral of the graduate degree. However, the student should work closely with their advisor to determine anticipated graduation timelines for both degree programs.

Discontinuing Study

Prior to undergraduate graduation, if a student begins graduate-level coursework for the dual degree but either 1. decides to discontinue graduate studies or 2. does not meet academic standards to continue in the graduate program, any double-counted graduate coursework that was successfully completed will apply to the undergraduate degree. However, the student will be expected to complete the remainder of the Bachelor’s degree with the undergraduate (i.e. non-dual-degree) program requirements. Students discontinuing studies in that graduate program are eligible to request graduate academic forgiveness, per that policy, but should be aware that excluded graduate courses cannot be used to satisfy undergraduate requirements. 

Students who begin a course of study in an accelerated dual degree  program but, after undergraduate graduation, do not wish to continue in the graduate program may withdraw from the institution. Students in this scenario are eligible to request graduate academic forgiveness, per that policy, but once the Bachelor’s degree is conferred, graduate courses used to double-count for undergraduate requirements cannot be excluded. Additionally, the use of graduate academic forgiveness precludes any possibility of re-entry to the same JCU graduate program in the future. Should the student later wish to return to JCU, they must apply for readmission and, if readmitted, abide by graduate program requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the institution. Any previous coursework may be considered for application toward the new degree program in accordance with the new requirements and degree completion time limit policy.