Economics Five-Year Bachelor's to Master's Program

Description

Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ's College of Liberal Arts & Education accelerated bachelor's to master's degree programs will increase your knowledge and skills in economics as a full-time student for 10 semesters (five academic years) before entering the workforce. This program creates the opportunity for students to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts with a major in economics and a Master of Arts in Economics in five years.

Through Detroit-Mercy's undergraduate curriculum, students delve into the realms of economic analyses with a strong foundation in the theory and application of economic principles. Within the context of a liberal arts education, the program provides a well-rounded knowledge of the history, institutions and the dynamic evolution of a world economy, and prepares them to think analytically and critically about the moral and ethical issues that occur in the academic domains of economics.

From there, the program allows students to have the opportunity to learn and apply economic and financial principles relating to the U.S. as well as international financial systems. The flexibility of the program allows the student to pursue either a more applied concentration in coursework that helps provide for a more practical orientation or a theoretical concentration that is more of an academically oriented program.

In order to complete both of the bachelor's and master's degrees in five years, the student must:

  • Be very well prepared as an incoming freshman or transfer student;
  • Satisfy all the admission criteria (see below); and
  • Maintain a cumulative 3.25 GPA at Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ, in order to take graduate-level courses while still an undergraduate.

This program allows incoming freshmen to complete both the bachelor's and master's degrees by being a full-time student for five academic years (10 consecutive semesters). Juniors at Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà and transfer students may be admitted into the program with the permission of the department and Dean’s Office.

To obtain both the undergraduate degree and graduate degree in this accelerated program, the student must fulfill the requirements of undergraduate degree by completing the University core curriculum, the requirements for the undergraduate major, and a minimum of 126 credit hours AND fulfill the requirements of the graduate program and the 30 credit hours of the degree. Both graduate and undergraduate requirements total a minimum of 156 credit hours.

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    Admission to the Program

    Qualifications for the accelerated programs for new freshmen are:

    • Enter the accelerated/five-year option as a full-time incoming freshman;
    • Have a high school ACT composite score of 24, with a minimum of 22 in each section;
    • Have a high school grade point average of 3.4 overall on a 4.0 point scale; and
    • Place into appropriate-level freshmen math and writing courses at Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ.

    Qualifications for the accelerated programs for juniors and transfer students are:

    • Receive program and Dean's Office approval;
    • Can transfer in up to first term as a junior;
    • Have a minimum GPA of 3.25; and
    • Have a minimum of 72 credits.
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    Program Requirements

    • Must maintain full-time status throughout undergraduate and graduate segments
    • All undergraduate and graduate requirements must be met
    • May take up to four graduate classes in the senior year
    • May experience different financial aid packages for onsite and online graduate programs
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    How it Works—Save Time and Money

    The student pays full-time undergraduate tuition during the first four years and regular graduate tuition for the fifth year. One economic benefit to the student is that the cost of the first 12 graduate credits (two courses in the fall and two courses in the winter) has been covered by the normal undergraduate tuition meaning that no additional costs are incurred in the fourth-year-full-time tuition rate. Since the graduate program will be reduced by the four graduate courses taken while an undergraduate student, the graduate program can be done faster and more economically. Certain financial aid benefits are also applied to the entire five-year program usually resulting in more cost-savings.

    The student MUST maintain full-time status during the first three years. Depending on the program and the student’s incoming record such as AP credits, full-time status usually means 15 to 18 credit-hours per semester. This will result in the student having 102 to 108 credits entering the senior year. During the senior year, the student must remain full-time, finishing their undergraduate degree while taking up to 12 credits of graduate work. A maximum of 12 graduate credits is allowed in the undergraduate portion of the program (6 credits in fall and 6 in winter). For freshmen, this program MUST be completed in five years from start to finish. If the student does not finish within the five years, then the program reverts to the costs associated with earning a master's degree outside of the five-year program and other financial aid benefits may be lost. Students who transfer into the program MUST maintain full-time status until the completion of the program.

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    Degree Information

    For specific information on each degree, please refer to the catalog entry:

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    Sample Five-Year Program

    (Note: Full-time status must be maintained in all semesters)

    • First Year: 36 undergraduate credits
    • Second Year: 36 undergraduate credits
    • Third Year: 36 undergraduate credits
    • Fourth Year:
      • First Semester: 9-12 undergraduate credits, 6 graduate credits
      • Second Semester: 9-12 undergraduate credits, 6 graduate credits
    • Fifth Year
      • First Semester: 9-12 graduate credits (depending on program)
      • Second Semester: 9-12 graduate credits (depending on program)

Department Chair: Raphael Shen, S.J., Ph.D.
 Briggs Building, Room 315
McNichols Campus

Email: shenrs@udmercy.edu
Telephone: 313-993-1738
Fax: 313-993-1166