Accelerated 4+1 ECE Master's Program 

Eligibility 

The five-year BS/MS program in Electrical and Computer Engineering is open to all undergraduate students at UMass Amherst who are enrolled as majors in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering and who meet the necessary GPA requirements*. For the GPA requirements, the cumulative GPA, usually at the end of the third year (i.e., including all required 300-level ECE courses) is used. Based on this GPA, eligibility for the five-year program is determined as follows: 

  • GPA ≥ 3.5: Automatic admission to five-year program (no letters or reference or personal statement required)
  • 3.5> GPA ≥ 3.3: Admission to five-year program based on committee review.
  • GPA < 3.3: Not eligible for five-year program, but application to M.S. program through the regular admission process is possible. Students may also wait until their GPA is above 3.3 to apply. 

All admissions into the five-year B.S./M.S. program are conditional. Specifically, admitted students are required to complete their B.S. degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher. 

* Rules are subject to change. 

 

Requirements 

All requirements for the M.S. thesis or non-thesis apply to students in the 4+1 program. To complete all the required courses for the B.S. and M.S. degrees within five years, several adjustments to the B.S. degree schedule are necessary. The main changes are: 

  • During the first four years (typically the senior year), one or two additional graduate-level courses (3 or 4 credits) are taken that are later transferred into the M.S. program.
  • Two graduate-level courses can be counted toward both the B.S. and M.S. degrees, provided that they are ECE courses at the 500-level or above.  Thus, up to four courses may be transferred from the undergraduate program. However, only three may be 500-level, at least one 600-level ECE course is required in order to transfer four courses.
  • During the fifth year, 6 to 8 graduate courses (3 or 4 credits) are taken in the M.S. program (depending on how many courses were successfully transferred). 

 It might be necessary to shift some electives or General Education courses to make room for the additional graduate courses necessary for finishing the M.S. degree in one year. Summer or winter courses, or credit overloads, might also be needed to create space needed for extra courses. Participants in the five-year program will be advised on an individual basis to ensure that their academic plan meets the necessary requirements.