BEME Dual Accelerated Master's Program

Eligibility

To be eligible for the option, a student must:

•      Be enrolled in the undergraduate BENG/ME dual program (BSE-BEME) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
•      Have a 3.4 cumulative GPA or better.    

Double Counting and Transfer Credits

1.   The accelerated undergraduate/master’s studies option allows current students enrolled in the BENG/ME undergraduate dual degree program at UM-Dearborn to complete the ME and BENG BSE degrees and the MSE bioengineering degree in an accelerated format. This is achieved via combining a portion of undergraduate and graduate coursework. Admitted students can double-count up to 9 credits of 500-level or above bioengineering elective, core, or cognate courses taken during their junior or senior years. Of these, only one cognate course is allowed.

2.   In practice with the usual graduate student program rules, these students may also transfer a maximum of 6 additional 500-level credits toward the 30-credit master's degree. These additional transfer credits can be taken during their junior and senior years and cannot be used for any portion of the undergraduate degree.

3.  Depending on the number of double-counted and transfer credits, 15-21 additional credits would be needed to complete the master's program.

Admission to the Option

1.   Participation in the accelerated master's option is limited to students who have completed at least 60 undergraduate credit hours, have attained junior standing, have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.4, and have completed the following courses with grades of B+ or better:

• ME 230 and ME 345
• At least two of the following: BENG 325, 351, 370, 375, 381

2.   Admission to the accelerated master's option is at the discretion of the BENG graduate committee and requires a pre-admission interview.

3.   Double-counted credits can only be applied to the MSE-BENG program.

4.   The online graduate application should be completed with a "Yes" response to the accelerated master’s option question. The only supplemental steps required for applicants are two letters of recommendation from ME or BENG faculty members, official transcripts, and an interview with the BENG graduate committee.

5.   Students must earn a grade of B or better in each 500-level class taken as an undergraduate student and used for graduate credit in the accelerated master’s option. Failure to do so may result in removal from the option.

Option Notes

• Deferred enrollment by 4+1 students into the master’s program is not permitted. In cases of medical or personal matters, a special request for deferment can be made by petition to the BENG graduate committee. 

To complete the accelerated master's option, students must complete 2 core courses, 2 cognates, and 6 electives, which may include up to 6 credits of thesis. A student who does not utilize the 3 transfer credit option will be required to take 4 graduate courses during one term of the final year of study, which is burdensome. In this case, students should plan on completing the master’s degree in three terms after the BSE degree is completed.