Students pursuing the accelerated MS option must have approval from the Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Graduate School the summer (at the very latest) prior to entering their senior year.  Please see Doreen Brown (CBB 153, or email, dbrown@montana.edu) for additional information. 

An accelerated MS degree in either Biochemistry or Chemistry is available to MSU students working on their undergraduate B.S degree.  This option means a student can complete both their B.S and M.S degrees within 5 years. 

Students typically apply to the accelerated masters program during their third year or during fall term of the fourth year of the B.S. degree program. A minimum of 90 undergraduate credits must be completed at the time of application. Normally the B.S. will be awarded at the end of the student's senior (transition) year, and enrollment in the M.S. degree program will commence at the start of the fifth (graduate) year.  All M.S. program admission prerequisites listed and all application procedures required by both the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Graduate School apply. This includes the application fees. Students apply to the accelerated masters program by applying to the Graduate School and selecting the term that they intend to start their graduate program, i.e. the term after they finish their undergraduate degree.

Reserved Credits: After being accepted into the accelerated masters, a student at MSU may take up to twelve graduate level credits to reserve towards a graduate degree. The coursework used for reserved credits may not be counted toward the B.S. degree requirements. In order to reserve credits toward the M.S. degree, the student must request approval through the Department’s Advisor overseeing the accelerated masters program. The Advisor must approve the request and document the specific courses to be reserved within DegreeWorks.

The following information is copied from the Graduate School's webpage at

https://www.montana.edu/gradschool/accelerated_guidelines.html.

Students’ application process

Departments will manage how they recruit and manage curriculum changes for students that are interested in an accelerated master’s program. The current guidelines include “Accelerated master’s and certificate programs require early advising (junior standing) and successful students typically have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.25 or above or a 3.30 GPA in upper division courses in the undergraduate major.” Please include your process and how students will change their curriculum in your CIM proposal.

Once a program determines that they want to start a student on the accelerated track they should:

  • Have the student apply to the Graduate School. In the application, the student should select a term after they finish their undergraduate degree. This is due to Banner’s current restriction that a student cannot be an undergraduate and a graduate student at the same time. By being accepted into the accelerated program a student can take and reserve graduate credits.
    • We acknowledge this application has a $60 fee and departments may either cover the costs from departmental funds or have the student pay the fee.
    • The reason for the graduate application is that it provides a mechanism for the student to take graduate level courses since CollegeNet connects smoothly to other university systems.
    • The student will also receive a conditional offer of admission into the accelerated program from the Graduate School. Their formal status will remain as an undergraduate until they graduate with their undergraduate degree.
    • The student will not need to apply again during their senior year, i.e. the total cost is the same, but the fee is paid during their junior year instead of senior year.
    • This is a new step which REPLACES the need for the student to complete a Petition to Reserve credits (see below for instructions on reserving credits).
  • The department will then recommend admission of the applicant in CollegeNet. In the Public Notes section, the Department will indicate that the student is an "ACCL" student. 
    • In preparation the department should include a Department Specific Note in CollegeNET congratulating the student on being admitted as an Accelerated Masters Student. It could  say something like this: "

      "Congratulations on being admitted into the Accelerated Masters in __[program name]_____. This admission shows your abilities as…… [department to indicate specifics here ].  While you have been admitted to the Master’s program in ____[program name]____, you will remain an undergraduate student until you complete your undergraduate degree; however, you will be taking and reserving some graduate courses as identified by your advisor. Once your undergraduate degree is conferred, your status will be amended to graduate standing."

    • Additionally, the Department will need to let the student know who their advisor is and who they should go to for further questions; this can ALSO be indicated in the Department Specific Notes in CollegeNET. 
  • The G.S. will offer the student admission into the accelerated program, send the offer letter, and tag the student “ACCL.”
  • The offer cannot be fully processed in BANNER until the student is awarded their MSU bachelor’s degree. 
  • Once the MSU undergraduate degree is awarded, G.S. Admissions will finish admitting the student into BANNER and will indicate ACCL as a concentration code.
  • Transcripts will then reflect the accelerated Graduate Program.
  • If a student is admitted into an accelerated certificate, they might be able to reserve enough credits (maximum of 12cr) to earn the graduate certificate. In this case, the student will be transitioned to graduate standing in the semester after they earn their undergraduate degree, and not need to take any further graduate courses. The student can apply to have the certificate conferred once they have met all the requirements for the certificate, though the certificate will be awarded after they receive their undergraduate degree.

    NOTE: If at a later date the student/advisor would like to 'un-reserve' credits and not pursue the ACCL track, a GARC will need to be initiated. The Graduate School will also need to be notified that the student will be declining the offer into the masters program. 

Reserving Credits

When the student is asked to apply, the department’s advisor overseeing Accelerated Master’s and certificate students should make a note in DegreeWorks. This note should indicate that the student is: 1) on the Accelerated Graduate Master’s or certificate track, and 2) list the courses which would need to be reserved.

The specific courses for each student would need to be approved by the student’s department or graduate committee.

The Office of the Registrar has created the following pre-defined note for this use:

  • Accelerated Student- Approved Courses:
  • Then the advisor will type in the courses, e.g. M 502, M 503, M 505

Courses should be reserved (note entered in DegreeWorks) in the first 15 class days of a given semester (or earlier). Courses should be listed for reserve each term (rather than listing all classes in one note--only list classes to be reserved that the student is to be enrolled in for the current term). The Office of the Registrar will both register and reserve the courses for your student.