Fast Track
The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology Fast Track Program offers a path for qualified Bass School undergraduates to begin work on a master’s degree before graduation. Qualified seniors in the program may take up to 15 credit hours of approved graduate courses in the school during senior year (within 30 hours of graduation), which apply to undergraduate degree plans as either major, related, prescribed or elective courses.
To qualify for admission to the Fast Track program, seniors (i.e., within 30 hours of graduation) must be core complete. Normally, students will have completed at least 12-hours of upper-division major requirements and have a major GPA of at least 3.5.
If interested, talk with your Bass School undergraduate academic advisor before completing the application form. The best time to apply is prior to the final year of courses for the BA degree.
Fast Track Admission Requirement Overview
Requirements:
- Senior standing at the end of the Spring term (i.e. within 30 hours of graduation)
- At minimum, 36 hours of the university core completed
Normally, students will have completed:
- At least 12* hours of upper-division major requirements completed or in-progress
- *This equates to one semester of upper-division major coursework. Students as juniors should have at least taken 12 hours of major upper-division courses. Fast Track students must be seniors, having 30 hours of credits to complete in their senior year which could be major courses or electives. Students who do not meet this threshold would still be able to appeal to apply to Fast Track. This rule is naturally met by the students who are already enrolled in Fast Track.
- GPA of 3.5 in the major
To apply, students will need to submit the Bass School Fast Track Application with supporting documents:
- Statement of Purpose (approximately 650-1000 words) statement of purpose that addresses their preparation and motivation for graduate study, their specific research interests and future professional goals, and the larger questions that will animate their study and research.
- Two letters of recommendation from faculty from the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology.
- Unofficial Transcript
- Program-Specific Materials:
- MA AHST – Please also include one sample of academic writing. Your writing sample should be in PDF format only and should not exceed 12 MB.
- MA VPA – Applicants from the Visual Arts should include a link to a portfolio in their Statement of Purpose.
Enrollment in Graduate Courses
After being admitted into the Bass School Fast Track program, Fast Track students will be directed to meet with a graduate advisor from the Bass School to discuss the graduate degree plan, what to expect in a grad course, and suggests courses for them to take in their first semester of Fast Track.
Then, the student will complete the Bass School Graduate Course Registration Form. Please note that the Bass School does not process the registration request until open enrollment begins so that graduate students have the first opportunity to enroll.
Matriculation into the MA program
As long as Fast Track students get at minimum Bs in all of their Fast Track courses and maintain a 3.5 GPA overall and in the major, then the student will receive automatic admissions into our MA programs upon their graduation of their undergraduate degree.
The Registrar’s Office will open the student’s graduate matriculation when they apply for graduation with their Undergraduate Program. The student’s graduation program will be activated and student’s will be able to register for graduate coursework when registration opens.