Accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Program Requirements

The accelerated Bachelor's and Master's degree programs at DBU provide a means for highly motivated individuals with clearly defined career goals to attain knowledge and skills from both undergraduate and master’s degrees in a single accelerated process. Combining the degrees provides a faster track to graduation, proves to be more cost-effective, and gives the student the opportunity to enter the workforce sooner with a competitive advantage.

PERMISSION TO PURSUE AN ACCELERATED BACHELOR'S AND MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAM

Students wishing to enter an accelerated program may complete a Request to Change Program form at any time. In doing so, the Student Planning degree audit (Progress Page) will reflect the accelerated path, although students will not be able to register for graduate courses. The Request to Change Program form does not give the student admission to take graduate courses, but it does help the student plan undergraduate coursework in a way that ensures the maximum value of the accelerated program. Permission to pursue the program will be considered only after the student has completed the Graduate Application and indicated the desire to be an accelerated student on the application. Permission to pursue the program will be considered based on the following criteria:

Completion of 70 semester hours of undergraduate credit in classes required by the program. BBA Accounting/MS Accounting students must apply at the completion of 96 hours.
A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 at the time of completing the graduate application. The minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and institutional GPA of 3.0 in coursework comprising the major or in all teacher certification coursework criteria must be maintained to continue in the program.
The Request to Change Program form must be approved and signed by both the undergraduate advisor and the Master’s program director. At that time, a new degree plan must be completed, approved, and signed by both the undergraduate advisor and the Master’s program director.
Successful completion of PRST 3301 if pursuing a BAS or BBS degree. Students pursuing the Accelerated BAS or BBS degree can also choose the Inverted Degree Option if their transfer credits qualify for that option.
The minimum University requirement of 36 upper-level undergraduate credit hours is also waived for students pursuing BAS and BBS accelerated degrees on the Inverted Degree Plan. Students must still meet the upper-level requirements in the major(s) and minor(s).
Once accepted into the Accelerated program, students must work with their advisor to complete the Accelerated Student Advising Form during the next-to-last semester of undergraduate coursework to ensure a proper transition to graduate coursework.

Note: Permission to pursue an accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s degree program does not guarantee admission to the Master’s program. All requirements for admission to the Master’s program must be met. Students may not enroll in the shared courses prior to admission to the Master’s program. Students may not enroll in non-shared 5000 or 6000-level courses until all accelerated undergraduate degree requirements have been fulfilled.

Note: Church Membership Requirement (for admission into the Master’s Ministry Degrees, and Advanced Ministry Certificate Programs, EDD in Educational Leadership—all concentrations, and PHD in Leadership Studies’ Ministry Concentration): Within the last 12 months, the applicant must have been an active member of a Christian church that holds Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who holds solely the Old Testament and the New Testament as sacred Scripture.

RETENTION IN AND GRADUATION FROM THE PROGRAM

Students must fulfill the following conditions to continue enrollment and graduate from an accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s degree program:

Students must maintain and graduate with the undergraduate GPA as stated in the undergraduate catalog relative to their degree and major.
A minimum 3.0 GPA must be maintained to continue in the program, and a minimum 3.0 GPA is required to graduate with a master’s degree.
Students must be advised by their undergraduate advisor until the completion of undergraduate credits.
Transfer students must meet the undergraduate residency requirement of a minimum of 30 hours at DBU. Shared courses at the graduate level are considered to be part of the undergraduate residency requirement. They also apply toward the undergraduate requirements of 36 upper-level credit hours and 30 of the last 36 credit hours in residence at Dallas Baptist University. They will appear on the graduate transcript and will count toward the graduate GPA. Therefore, they will not be seen or used on any undergraduate-level program transcript.
Each degree at DBU must satisfy its own residency requirement. For Accelerated degrees, both the bachelor’s and the master’s degree residency requirements must be met.
A student may elect to graduate under the degree requirements of the official catalog of any year in which the student is enrolled for classes and receives credit, provided that the period between such dates does not exceed six years, but both the Undergraduate and the Graduate catalogs must be the same year for the accelerated degrees.
Students pursuing an Accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s degree program are considered Graduate students upon the completion of all undergraduate degree requirements and shared graduate hours. Graduate students are ineligible for the Honors List, Dean’s List, or President’s List.
At the completion of the undergraduate degree requirements (including the shared hours), the student is no longer eligible for undergraduate scholarships.
If the student decides not to complete the Accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s degree program, he/she must work with the undergraduate advisor in order to meet the degree requirements as outlined in their BA, BS, BAS, BBA, or BBS degree in order to graduate. In addition, courses already taken at the graduate level may not be applied toward undergraduate-level requirements.

Note: Please refer to each program for requirements specific to that program only.