I. Program Description

The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s degree program in Sociology offers highly-qualified UCCS sociology majors the opportunity of pursuing the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sociology and Masters of Arts (MA) in Sociology concurrently. The main benefit of the program is that it allows for up to nine credit hours to be used for both the BA and MA.  The program is a designed to be a 5-year program for currently enrolled University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) sociology majors. We intend this program to serve the interests of our students by facilitating earning their graduate degree in an expedited process.

The requirements for the Accelerated program are equivalent to the aggregate of the BA and MA degrees, except that up to nine credits hours can be applied toward both the BA and MA requirements.  Students admitted to the Accelerated degree program will maintain their undergraduate standing until the mid-program review, which will determine the student’s eligibility to continue in the Accelerated degree program.  The mid-program review will be conducted the semester in which the student will complete the BA requirements (including 120 credit hours).  A student will be considered eligible to continue upon meeting the following minimum standards and criteria: completion of the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and maintenance of a minimum cumulative overall G.P.A. of 3.25 and sociology GPA of 3.50. 

Upon determination of eligibility to continue, the student will be recommended for formal admission to the Graduate School.  Such a recommendation must be made by the Sociology Graduate Director.  Upon approval of the recommendation, the office of the Dean of the Graduate School will complete the necessary procedures to admit the candidate as a graduate student for the completion of their program.  Any students not recommended for continuation in the Accelerated degree program will be eligible to complete their Bachelor’s degree. 

BA/MA students are not required to complete the MA program. BA/MA students are admitted, however, on the premise that they intend to complete both degrees.

Dual Credits

The BA/MA program allows students to count 9 semester credits toward both the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Master in Sociology programs. In order for credit to be double-counted, the following conditions must be met:

1. Dual credit courses are approved by the Graduate Director of Sociology
2. Dual credit courses must be completed with a B+ or better
3. Dual credit courses must be taken for graduate credit (5000 level)
4. Dual credit courses must be offered by the department of sociology at UCCS

II.  BA/MA Application Process

Current UCCS sociology majors are eligible to apply after meeting the following:

1. Completed the University of Colorado Colorado Springs’s lower division core curriculum (LAS general education requirements).
2. Completed 90 semester credit hours
3. Transfer students must complete at least 24 credit hours of sociology courses at UCCS before applying to the Accelerated program.
4. Completed the following 15 semester credit hours in sociology:
   • Soc 1110 Introduction to Sociology
   • Soc 2120 Research Methods
   • Soc 3150 Social Theory
   • Soc 3170 Social Statistics
5. Minimum 3.25 overall cumulative GPA
6. Minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA in sociology courses

Students can apply for the Accelerated program in their junior or senior year after completion of the above requirements (but students will most likely apply during the second semester of their junior year.) The submission deadline is Nov 1st (Jan 25th 2013 for this startup year) for admission to the spring semester and by April 15th for admission to the fall semester. The student must submit the following items to the Sociology Graduate Director (Dr. Heather Albanesi):

• Accelerated BA/MA in Sociology Application Form
• Personal statement of purpose
• One letter of recommendation from a UCCS Sociology faculty member
• An unofficial transcript

Admission Criteria

Admission to the BA/MA in Sociology program is competitive. Applicants will be evaluated on the following:

1. Grade point average (overall and in sociology course work)
2. Grade trend (improving, consistent, or declining)
3. Likelihood of success and persistence based from the statement of purpose
4. Reference Letter

Students who are not admitted to the Accelerated Sociology BA/MA in program are eligible to reapply after completing an additional 12 semester credit hours. Students can apply and be considered for admission to the Accelerated BA/MA program a maximum of two times. The Sociology Graduate Director will be responsible for admissions procedures and decisions.

III  Program Requirements

• Once admitted into the Accelerated BA/MA program, (while an undergraduate student), accelerated students complete three graduate courses with a minimum grade of 3.25 in each course. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.25 in all coursework and in coursework applied to their major.
• After completion of the 9 graduate credits (which count toward both their BA and MA) and 111 undergraduate credits, students will be considered graduate students. They must meet all master’s degree requirements except for the three courses (9 credits) they completed as undergraduates.  If a student took a combined 4000/5000 course at the 4000 level, they cannot take the same combined course at the 5000 level.
• Issues of satisfactory academic progress, petition/appeal, transfer credit and grievance will be the responsibility of the Accelerated program administrator with participation by the Sociology Chair and Graduate Dean as appropriate.  The Accelerated program administrator will be responsible for dismissing or placing on probation those students who do not maintain the minimum requirements stated above.
• Students who drop out or are dismissed from the Accelerated program and have not yet had their mid-program review will be eligible to complete their Bachelor’s degree, subject to the normal rules of that program.  Students who drop out or are dismissed from the Accelerated program after having had a successful mid-program review will be awarded the BA.   They will be eligible to apply to the Sociology Master’s program and transfer credits (subject to normal limitations) that were not used toward the Bachelor of Arts.
• Within two weeks of being accepted in the Accelerated MA program, student will complete a Plan of Study form indicating how the student intends to complete the 30 credit hours based on projected MA courses in next 2-3 years along with the BA degree program. 

IV.       Tuition and Fees

Students will be assessed tuition and fees at the undergraduate rate until the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology degree is conferred.  Students will assess tuition and fees at the graduate level upon formal acceptance to the Sociology Masters program.

V. Awarding of Degrees
Upon completion of both the BA and the MA degrees, students will then graduate and be awarded both degrees simultaneously. Therefore, most students in the program will receive both degrees at the conclusion of their fifth year or thereafter.

See Dr. Heather Albanesi, Columbine 1021, 255-4137 or halbanes@uccs.edu for further information. Deadline for this startup year is January 25, 2013.