Accelerated BE/MS Program
- The Accelerated BE/MS program is designed to allow civil engineering students in good academic standing to graduate with both a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in five years. This is achieved by allowing undergraduate students in the program to take multiple graduate courses as their undergraduate technical electives. These graduate courses will also be counted towards their Master's degree. According to Graduate School policy, up to 6 credits taken as an undergraduate student may be counted for both degrees. As a result, students can complete both degrees in five years (i.e., just one extra year or two semesters for the MS). Generally, three or four semesters are needed to obtain an MS degree in the graduate program.
Requirements for Admission
1. Applicants must be a Civil Engineering student with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher at the time of application to enroll. Applicants interested in a graduate degree who do not meet these criteria are encouraged to apply directly to the MS program.
2. Applicants must also have completed at least three upper-division Civil Engineering courses at Stony Brook.
Applications are reviewed by the Civil Engineering Graduate Admissions Committee and students are typically notified in June if they have been admitted to the Accelerated Program. The BE/MS is a sequential degree program; therefore, you will remain an undergraduate student until the bachelor's degree requirements are completed.
Students are encouraged to apply to this five-year program in the spring semester of their junior year. The deadline for submission of documents is May 15, 2024. The application must include the following, submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator at malina.salman@stonybrook.edu.
- Senior Year and MS Schedule Form, to be completed in consultation with the student's proposed MS Advisor
- Resume
- A recent unofficial transcript
- Two recommendation forms
- At least one must be from a current CIV department faculty member.
- The other may be completed by a non-CIV professor or professional who can comment on the applicant's academic background.
If you are admitted to the Accelerated Program, SOLAR will not let you add your graduate classes; you must get permission from the Graduate School first. To get permission, you must complete these steps in order, at least 3 weeks before the semester starts:
- Complete the Permission for Undergraduate Students in an Accelerated or Combined Degree Program
to Enroll in Graduate Course form.
- Email filled form to GPD ruwen.qin@stonybrook.edu, requesting approval.
- Send signed form to UPD maria.moore@stonybrook.edu, requesting approval.
- Save signed form. You will need it for the next step.
- Complete the Graduate School's Google Form: Permission for Undergraduate Students in an Accelerated or Combined Degree Program to Enroll in a Graduate Course. This Google form will request that you upload email approvals from UPD and GPD. This is where you will upload the signed pdf from Step 1.
Please note that students may elect to take all 6 credits of MS coursework in one semester, although it is not recommended. Unless you are enrolled in the Accelerated Program, a graduate course taken while an undergraduate student will not be counted toward the MS degree, even if you are later admitted into the MS program.
- Complete the Permission for Undergraduate Students in an Accelerated or Combined Degree Program
to Enroll in Graduate Course form.
1. The Graduate School requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at the end of a student's senior year to matriculate into the graduate program
2. Students planning on advancing to their MS program must apply for admission to the Graduate School to be matriculated in their MS program in Civil Engineering. For most students, this happens at the beginning of their fifth year. An Application Form to Graduate School for the Accelerated Bachelors/Masters Degree must be completed.
3. Once formally admitted into your MS program, you are required to attend New Graduate Student Orientation for the Graduate School and Civil Engineering.
When will I get my Bachelor's Degree?
You will get your BE degree when you have fulfilled the requirements regardless of whether you are still in the Accelerated Program or not.
Can I continue the graduate portion of the program as a part-time student after completing the BE degree?
Yes. In this case, you will not be able to finish both degrees in five years. However, you will still be allowed to remain in the program to complete the MS degree requirements.
What about campus housing?
If you are living on campus, you are expected to move from Undergraduate to Graduate Housing once you begin your Graduate Career during the fifth year. However, a grace period of six months may be granted.
What about financial support?
In general, you are expected to be self-funded and would not normally be considered candidates for a Tuition Scholarship. You will not be considered for TA positions since TA positions are generally only offered to graduate students in the PhD program according to the Graduate School Policy. RA positions may be offered, but only in special cases due to the shortened length of the program. However, the SPIR Program may offer opportunities to work part-time at local companies with stipend and tuition waiver. Please contact Prof. Anurag Purwar for more information regarding the SPIR Program.
Whom should I contact for more information?
Schedule an appointment with your Civil Engineering academic adviser. You may also contact the Graduate Program Director for program related information or the Graduate Program Coordinator, for administrative questions.