Application Deadlines
- Fall: August 1
- Spring: December 1
As a qualified UMBC undergraduate student, you may apply to the Accelerated Program in your junior or senior year, earning up to six credits toward a future graduate certificate or nine credits toward a future master’s degree. You will benefit by shortening the time to degree completion, experiencing the cost savings of taking graduate courses at undergraduate tuition rates, having flexible learning options (many courses taught in evening or in hybrid format), and gaining practical knowledge and skills.
At a Glance
Delivery
Hybrid
Locations Offered
- UMBC Campus (Catonsville)
Key Benefits:
- Earn your bachelor’s and master’s or certificate in as little as five years.
- Enhance your career potential.
- Apply in the future to a UMBC graduate program with a $50 graduate fee waiver.
- Pay toward your first graduate semester with UMBC’s $1,000 Alumni Scholarship.
Accelerated Program Admissions Requirements
To be eligible for the accelerated graduate certificate or master’s degree option, you must meet the following requirements:
- Have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. If less than 3.0, admission consideration is based on the Graduate Program Director’s discretion.
- Be a junior or senior at UMBC, and be admitted at least one semester prior to completion of a bachelor’s degree.
Accelerated Program Application Process
All accelerated program application materials will be submitted through UMBC’s Docusign platform. Complete the following steps to submit your application through Docusign:
- Contact the Graduate Program Director before applying if you have questions about your eligibility or the program.
- Complete the Graduate School Accelerated Program Application Form.
- List Renee Eisenhuth, reisen@umbc.edu, as the Graduate Program Coordinator, and Gib Mason, gibmason@umbc.edu, as Graduate Program Director.
- Attach your unofficial undergraduate transcripts to the Docusign form.
- If you are a transfer student, include transcripts from the previous institutions you attended.
- Optional: Obtain and attach recommendation letters. Recommendation letters are not required but may be included to support your application.
After Accelerated Program Admission
Once admitted to the Accelerated Program, review the course schedule and complete the Approval for Undergraduates to Take Courses for Graduate Credit form to request permission to enroll in the graduate-level courses you plan to take in your first semester as an Accelerated Program student. This form must be resubmitted each semester you plan to take graduate-level courses as an undergraduate.
One semester prior to the completion of your bachelor’s degree, submit an application to the Graduate School. The Graduate School application fee is waived for Accelerated Program students (contact the Graduate School if you do not have the fee waiver code).
Once admitted to the Graduate School, complete the Graduate School’s Credit Transfer form to transfer the graduate-level courses you took as an undergraduate to the graduate program. You may transfer up to six credits toward a graduate certificate or up to nine credits toward a master’s degree. Only graduate courses completed with a B or higher are eligible to be transferred.
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Course Selection
- As an undergraduate student in the Accelerated Program, you may take six to nine graduate-level credits that may be double-counted toward your undergraduate degree.
- Review your course selections with your undergraduate advisor to ensure the graduate-level courses will count toward your undergraduate degree.
- The following courses are some of the courses that undergraduates in the Accelerated Program are eligible to complete. For a full list of ENTR courses, go to the EIL Course Descriptions page.
This course provides participants with the tools necessary for applying entrepreneurial thinking in their work and life. In this course, participants learn concepts for handling the ambiguity inherent in every business plan. The course focuses on increasing a participant’s aptitude for adapting to unexpected circumstances as well as their openness to pursuing untried solutions and innovating within their field.
Students learn effective management and communication skills through case study-analysis, reading, class discussion and role-playing. The course covers topics such as effective listening, setting expectations, delegation, coaching, performance, evaluations, conflict management, negotiation with senior management and managing with integrity.
Organizations have a myriad of responsibilities driven by legal requirements and ethical responsibilities/principles. This course focuses on the legal issues faced by entrepreneurial organizations and how they are often intertwined with the organization’s ethical responsibilities.
Prerequisite: Enrollment in the program or at least the second semester of graduate study.
This course focuses on finance, planning and start-up considerations that every entrepreneur must face. It is designed for students who have a deep interest in understandings the inner-workings of a start-up entity and an entrepreneurial venture. The purpose of the course is to teach what is needed to properly plan, finance and maintain a healthily entrepreneurial venture.
Prerequisite: Enrollment in the program or at least the second semester of graduate study. A working knowledge of basic accounting terms and financial statements.
Accelerated Program Academic Standards
Once admitted to the Accelerated Program, you must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher. If you earn a C or lower in a graduate-level course while in the Accelerated Program, that course cannot be transferred to a master’s degree or graduate certificate. You may be removed from the Accelerated Program if your GPA falls below 3.0, if you receive more than two C grades, or if you receive any D or F grade. Consult your undergraduate advisor to determine if any grades received in graduate-level courses will affect your ability to complete your undergraduate degree.
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