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
Location
- 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:
- Be a junior or senior at UMBC, and be admitted at least one semester prior to completion of a bachelor’s degree.
- Have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. If less than 3.0, admission consideration based on Graduate Program Director’s discretion.
- Have completed applied calculus or equivalent course and an introduction to computer science or equivalent course or field experience.
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:
- Complete the Graduate School Accelerated Program Application Form. List Renee Eisenhuth, reisen@umbc.edu, as the Graduate Program Coordinator, and Mohammad Samarah, msamarah@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 eligible for undergraduates in the Accelerated Program to complete:
This course introduces students to the social impacts of computers and software in the context of real world software development and management. The course also covers aspects of privacy, bias, regulations, intellectual property as it applies to software engineering and to phases of the software development lifecycle.
Advanced study of structure systems development. Emphasis on strategies and techniques of structured analysis and structured design for producing logical methodologies for dealing with complexity in developing information systems.
This course covers the various software development processes that are followed in the industry and discusses the tradeoffs between the processes. An emphasis is placed on Agile development practices. The course uses case studies to instill an understanding of the decision making involved in choosing a software development process. The course also connects practical software development practices to theories to explain the reasons for why and where the processes work.
Modern approaches to software development: requirements analysis, system design techniques, formal description techniques, implementation, testing, debugging, metrics, human factors, quality assurance, cost estimation, maintenance and tools.
Prerequisite: CMSC 445 or consent of instructor.
This course will examine the fundamentals of software testing by looking at the main phases in the software testing process, and the different types of software testing methods that are available. Problems that arise from testing different types of software, such as object-oriented, distributed, Graphical User Interfaces, cloud and web software will be discussed, and the relevant program analysis techniques will be studied. Topics include, but are not limited to, a general overview of the software testing process, approaches to automatic test case generation, test oracles, coverage analysis to decide when to stop testing, test prioritization, mutation testing, regression testing, and automated software testing tools.
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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