Accelerated Joint BS/MS (4+1) Degree Programs

Earn more. Choose one of our 4+1 programs and earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in as little as five years. The accelerated degree programs allow students to apply for graduate programs during their junior year. If granted provisional acceptance, you may take graduate-level courses during the final year of your undergraduate program. Because some undergraduate courses are waived under an accelerated degree program, you’ll be able to complete both the undergraduate and graduate degrees in only one additional year.

Mechanical Engineering 4+1 

The 4+1 BME/MSME degree program is for highly-qualified undergraduate students who wish to earn both the Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (BME) and the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME) degree in 5 years of full-time study in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware. Through the 4+1 program, both degrees can be completed in less time, and at a reduced cost, than the two degrees earned sequentially.

Requirements

  1. Students will complete all the required credits for the BME.
  2. Students will take two 600-level technical electives as part of the requirements for the BME degree. These courses are to be chosen from the course requirements for the MSME and will also count towards their MSME degree requirements.
  3. Students will complete an additional 24 credits of coursework to meet the course requirements for the MSME degree
  4. Students must achieve a 3.0 GPA (B average) in their graduate work to earn the MSME.

Mechanical Engineering/Business Administration 4+1

By developing business management skills in the MBA, you’ll complement your degree in mechanical engineering. These skills can help you grow into management positions as well as offer more diverse career choices.

Engineering students in the accelerated degree program (4+1) can enter immediately into the MBA program full time upon graduation with the possibility of completing it within one year.

Program Highlights

Graduate Internship Program

The Graduate Internship Program is an elite internship program for full-time students. Graduate interns gain experience working in an industry setting – with companies like AAA, Christiana Care, Siegfried, DuPont and Barclays – while earning a stipend and tuition scholarship. Many also earn job offers through their performance in the program.

Program Requirements

In the accelerated degree program, you may waive up to four (12 credits) of the core MBA courses. For a course to be waived, you must earn a grade of B or better in two or sometimes three undergraduate courses in that subject area, at least one of which must be at the intermediate level. After the four course waivers, 36 credits (generally 12 courses) can be completed during a one-year period with proper planning.

Engineering students who have been granted “provisional admission” may begin taking graduate business courses in their senior year if they have permission from their advisor in the College of Engineering. Students who have taken at least four graduate­-level courses in their senior year and waived at least one graduate-level course based on their undergraduate coursework may be able to complete the MBA within one year. Graduate courses used toward obtaining the MBA degree cannot be counted as credits earned toward obtaining the undergraduate engineering degree.

The MBA degree is granted after you complete all requirements with a grade point average of at least 3.0 in courses to be applied toward the MBA degree. The work toward the MBA degree may be pursued part-time over a longer period.

Admission to the Accelerated Degree Program

Provisional admission to the MBA program may be obtained in the spring of your junior year. Once you have earned your bachelor’s degree, the provisional status is removed. Admission is based on the results of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), GPA, work experience, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, maturity and a personal interview. If you wish to enroll in the MBA Program, you should take the GMAT by the spring of your junior year. GMAT scores are good for five years so it may be taken prior to your junior year.

Tuition and Fees

During your first four years in the engineering program, you pay undergraduate tuition and fees. During the fifth year of study, and any subsequent period if it becomes necessary, applicable tuition and fees are those for MBA graduate students.

Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science and Engineering 4+1 

The Materials Science and Engineering (MSEG) department offers a special 4+1 BS/MMSE program for highly-qualified undergraduate students from the University of Delaware. This program allows the student to earn a bachelor’s degree from one of several partnering departments (including Chemical EngineeringMechanical EngineeringElectrical and Computer Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering, and Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences) and the Master’s of Materials Science and Engineering (MMSE) degree in 5 years of full-time study at the University of Delaware. To apply for the MSEG 4+1 Program a student must:

  • Already be enrolled in one of the programs listed above
  • Apply by January 7 in their Junior year
  • An undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.2

Have questions? See the Frequently Asked Questions for this program.

Mechanical Engineering/Robotics 4+1:

The Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering/Robotics (MS) is for highly-qualified undergraduate students already enrolled in the BME degree program. This program allows the student to earn both the BME and the MSR degree in 5 years of full-time study in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware. Students should apply in the spring of their junior year.

Requirements:

  • Students will complete all the required credits for the BME.
  • Students will take two 600-level technical electives as part of the requirements for the BME degree. These courses are to be chosen from the course requirements for the MEM and will also count towards their MSR degree requirements.
  • Students will complete an additional 24 credits of coursework to meet the course requirements for the MSR degree
  • Students must achieve a 3.0 GPA (B average) in their graduate work to earn the MSR.

Mechanical Engineering/Data Science 4+1:

The interdisciplinary Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS) offers combined 4+1 Bachelors and MSDS programs that allow students to complete both the Bachelor’s degree from a variety of departments and the MSDS in a total of five years of full-time study. The undergraduate degree options include those from the Departments of Mathematical Sciences and of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences; and the Departments of Computer and Information Sciences, of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering. All requirements of both degree programs must be satisfied. Up to six credits of graduate coursework in the department of the undergraduate major may be applied toward satisfying the requirements of both degrees.

Students applying to a 4+1 Bachelor/MSDS program must be in their junior year of study at the University of Delaware, enrolled in a Bachelor degree program administered by one of the departments listed above, must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2, a GPA of at least 3.4 in their major, and must have completed at least two courses at or above the 400 level in the undergraduate major. The application process requires two letters of recommendation, which must be written by University of Delaware faculty, and academic transcripts. The application to this option is reviewed by the executive committee of the MSDS program.

Complete information on requirements, admissions policies and current events for the MSDS program can be found on its website at www.msds.udel.edu.

AcademicsAccelerated Joint BS/MS (4+1) Degree Programs