Outstanding undergraduate OSU students who have completed 105 of their required 180 credits (or more for some undergraduate programs) toward their degree with an OSU institution GPA of 3.25 or better are eligible to apply to an OSU Accelerated Master's Platform during their junior year. Postbaccalaureate students do not qualify for AMP.
With careful planning, students could complete a master’s degree within one year beyond completion of the bachelor’s degree requirements. Students admitted to the co-degree program must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better throughout their undergraduate and master’s degree programs, or they will be subject to dismissal from the AMP.
Successful applicants are allowed to apply a maximum of 22 graduate credits (taken for a letter grade and not including blanket-numbered courses), taken as an undergraduate, to both their undergraduate and master’s degrees.
These 22 credits are deducted from the allowed 22 maximum transfer credits applied to an OSU master's degree. Courses transferred must meet current graduate transfer credit guidelines (see the catalog for current guidelines.) In addition, those students in the Honors College, or in other undergraduate programs that require a thesis, may use the undergraduate thesis as a step towards completion of the master’s thesis. However, the undergraduate thesis would not serve as a replacement for a required master’s thesis.
Admission to the AMP is not automatic and will be competitive with students applying directly to the graduate program. Students must identify a graduate advisor prior to applying to the AMP. Students applying to a graduate program that requires a thesis for their master’s degree must have a graduate faculty member who agrees to serve as the thesis advisor prior to application. For students who are completing an undergraduate thesis, this could be the student’s thesis advisor. For students in non-thesis master's programs, the selected graduate advisor must be willing to work with the student to guide the scheduling of required coursework and facilitate the completion of the capstone project.
The following steps must be completed by all AMP applicants:
- Meet with the AMP advisor for the program of interest. The AMP advisor walks the student through any program-specific eligibility requirements or actions.
- If the AMP advisor determines that the student meets their program’s requirements, they’ll work together to develop a tentative plan of study that identifies up to 22 graduate-level credits that will apply toward the graduate degree and include additional planned courses for the graduate degree. The plan must be signed by the graduate advisor. The program advisor may supply their program's own plan of study form, or the graduate student can use the plan of study form provided by the Office of Graduate Education. It should include the projected term of completion of the bachelor’s degree requirements. This does not replace the Program of Study.
- The AMP advisor then recommends the student for university-level review by the graduate admissions office. If approved, the graduate admissions office will issue an AMP Student Agreement form for the student’s signature. Once signed, admission to the undergraduate portion of AMP is complete.
- At the beginning of the final term as an undergraduate, the student submits a graduate application via the graduate admissions application website.
Finances
Students enrolled in an AMP will be eligible for financial aid (Pell Grant) until they complete their undergraduate degree. It’s important for students to follow the AMP advisor’s guidance on course selection, as not all graduate coursework is aid eligible. Once the graduate degree is started, the student may be supported on a graduate teaching or research assistantship, or the student will pay graduate tuition and fees. The bachelor’s degree will be conferred after all requirements for the bachelor’s degree are met. The master’s degree will be conferred after all requirements for the master’s degree are met.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will students receive any kind of documentation once accepted?
Yes. Students will receive a pre-admission letter for their graduate program from OSU graduate admissions.
What term are students applying for?
There are two terms: one for starting AMP, the time in which undergraduate students are allowed to double count 22 graduate credits, and one for starting graduate school after the award of the bachelor's degree. These terms are typically one year apart.
Can students use graduate classes they have already taken as an undergraduate before being accepted into the AMP?
No. Retro-actively applying credits is not allowed.
Are students eligible to receive undergraduate financial aid for graduate courses taken under AMP?
Yes, graduate courses taken under AMP are eligible for undergraduate financial aid. It’s important to follow the AMP advisor’s guidance on course selection, as not all graduate coursework is aid eligible. All standard conditions regarding financial aid as administered by the Financial Aid office at OSU must be met. Please contact Financial Aid with any questions.
Are students eligible to receive graduate financial aid for graduate courses taken under AMP?
No. Students will be eligible for consideration for graduate financial aid once they’ve graduated with an OSU bachelor’s degree and started the master’s degree program.
Will graduate courses taken under AMP count toward the OSU undergraduate enrollment status (e.g., full-time, part-time, etc.)?
Yes, up to 22 credits of graduate courses taken under AMP will count toward the OSU enrollment status.
Will graduate courses taken under AMP appear on the undergraduate and graduate transcripts?
Courses will appear on transcripts based upon the level of the course; undergraduate courses will appear on an undergraduate transcript. Graduate courses will appear on a graduate transcript.
Will graduate courses taken under AMP be included in my undergraduate and graduate GPAs?
See above for transcript GPAs. Whether a graduate course will be included in the GPA for the undergraduate degree audit (MyDegrees) will vary by undergraduate major. Students should speak with their undergraduate advisor about this. Graduate courses taken while in the AMP program will count toward the graduate GPA, and on the program of study GPA if included on the program of study. The official GPA will be listed separately on each individual transcript (undergraduate courses on the undergraduate transcript and graduate courses listed on the graduate transcript).
Are graduate courses completed while an undergraduate in AMP counted as transfer courses on the master's program of study?
Yes, all courses completed prior to the term of full admission to the graduate degree are transfer courses and must meet all transfer credit policies.
Are students eligible to receive a graduate assistantship while taking graduate courses under AMP?
No. Students will be eligible for consideration for a graduate assistantship once they’ve graduated with an OSU bachelor’s degree and started the master’s degree program.
Will students be charged undergraduate or graduate tuition for graduate courses taken under AMP?
Students will be charged undergraduate tuition except for Ecampus courses which are charged by the course level, not student level. Undergraduate students enrolled in Ecampus graduate courses pay the graduate tuition and fees rate.
After admission to AMP, how do students register for graduate courses?
Students should contact their program's graduate coordinator to get an override. When contacting the coordinator, students should include their full name, student ID number, and the graduate course they would like to register for that term.
Do students need to submit/upload a copy of their OSU undergraduate transcript for the AMP application?
No. The program and OSU graduate admissions will have access to the transcripts after students have submitted the AMP application.
Will students need any overrides to register for graduate courses under AMP?
Yes, most graduate courses will require at least a “level” override.