4+1 BSc & MS

Accelerated 4+1 Bachelor & Master
General CS Concentration

The 4+ 1 academic program is open to students in the College of Science, Engineering, and Technology seeking a B.S. degree in Computer Science with a General CS Concentration.  Admission to this graduate program is not automatic.  The principal eligibility factors are the student’s cumulative GPA and the Computer Science course GPA.  The five-year program includes 141 academic hours of coursework.

Students entering the Master’s program through the 4+1 are not required to complete the GRE.

Designed for the dedicated and driven TSU student, the accelerated 4+1 program combines graduate coursework with advanced undergraduate coursework, enabling students to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree within five years. It provides top undergraduate students the flexibility to begin taking classes toward their master’s degree during their senior year of undergraduate studies. It also allows students to share nine credit hours between their bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

The accelerated 4+1 Computer Science (CS) programs are available for students currently admitted to the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science program. Students entering the 4+1 accelerated program will gain admission to the Master of Science in Computer Science thesis program or the Master of Computer Science non-thesis program.  Due to the research required for the thesis-based program, it may take more than one year of graduate work to complete the Master’s degree.

The integration between the two programs occurs when students select their CS elective courses. The courses elected to double count (CS5XX) will apply toward the 31-hour master’s degree (in addition to applying toward the 121-hour bachelor’s degree). Upon completing the bachelor’s degree, students will need an additional 22 credit hours to earn the master’s degree.

Students interested in this program must meet the following eligibility requirements to qualify for considered for admission:

1. Have at least 90 credits completed.
2. Have a cumulative TSU GPA of 3.0.
3. Have grades posted for all 300-level required courses.
4. Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for computer science courses.
5. Have two semesters left in an undergraduate program at the time of admission to the master’s program (senior year course work).

Students earning a B.S. degree can use up to nine credits of coursework, which must be CS 5XX courses.

Students in the 4+1 accelerated program must follow all course requirements related to both programs. Satisfactory progress in the program is achieved if the student maintains a 3.00 GPA in overall graduate coursework in the student’s master’s program. The student may drop out of the 4+1 accelerated program and return to a regular B.S. program anytime. Students opting not to continue with the 4+1 accelerated program will no longer be able to double count the nine hours towards their graduate degree.  Those nine hours will only count for undergraduate credit for their B.S. degree.

Students who are dismissed or voluntarily withdraw from the 4+1 accelerated program and return to undergraduate status are eligible to apply for admission to the stand-alone master’s program in Computer Science.

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Degree Plan – Total Credits: 141