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Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Applicants

Application Process and Deadlines

Undergraduate students in the Quaker Consortium (Penn, Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr) may apply for the Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Program during their sophomore, junior, or the first semester of their senior year. Students are encouraged to apply earlier in their academic careers to maximize the program’s financial benefits. Click here to learn more about undergraduate options.

Application Deadlines

Fall entry:  July 1
Spring entry:  December 1
Summer entry: May 1

Application Process

STEP 1: 
1. Students complete the Accelerated Program Application and upload a resume, a personal statement of no more than 750 words, and unofficial transcripts to this application. 

On the Program Information page of the application, students should choose “Accelerated Program” in the Degree Selection question. They will then choose the appropriate program in the Program Selection pulldown menu where they hope to begin taking courses.

3. Additionally, students must submit two letters of recommendation. Students will enter their recommenders’ information in the application, and the system will send the recommenders links to upload these letters. At least one of these letters should come from an academic source.

STEP 2:
Will be completed in a student’s final undergraduate semester. This step will change the student’s status to a graduate student for the following semester.

1. Penn GSE’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid will contact the appropriate Accelerated students in their final undergraduate semester to confirm their intent to enroll in the relevant master’s degree programs. 

2. The students will be asked to complete an online form that confirms their enrollment in the master’s program, effective either in the summer or fall immediately following their undergraduate degree conferral.

Students from Penn or the Tri-College Consortium who have already obtained their bachelor's degrees are not eligible for this accelerated degree program, but can apply for graduate study through our traditional application process.

Additional Information

A student must earn a grade of B or better in the GSE classes to count them toward the master's degree.

All students enrolled in the Accelerated Program must remain in good academic standing.
 
Students in the Accelerated Program will remain solely in undergraduate status until their bachelor’s degree is conferred. After completing the bachelor’s degree and confirming their intent to enroll in the master’s degree, the student’s primary curriculum will change to the appropriate M.S.Ed. program.
 
Once a student enters the master’s program, the GSE coursework taken while an undergraduate will be applied toward their graduate degree. This will reduce the number of courses required to earn the master’s degree (except for UTAP students). 
 
Students admitted to the Accelerated program should meet with the relevant GSE Program Manager to discuss appropriate coursework.