Admission

To be considered for admission to the program, the following must be satisfied:

1. An undergraduate GPA of 3.000 overall and 3.500 in communication courses;
2. Completion of at least 60 credit hours of undergraduate study, with at least 18 credit hours remaining for completion of the undergraduate degree;
3. Completion of four communication classes at the 300 level or above; and
4. Positive recommendation from at least one member of the communication graduate faculty.

The student should apply for admission to the program during the semester prior to the first semester in which he or she intends to enroll in a course for graduate credit.

A student in the dual/accelerated program will be admitted to the MA program in communication upon being awarded the bachelor’s degree if all admission requirements for the master’s program are satisfied at that time and the student has made continued satisfactory progress.

Overview

The dual/accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program in communication is a coordinated program leading to both a bachelor’s and master’s degree.

A student admitted to the dual/accelerated program in communication as an undergraduate may take up to 9 credit hours that are applied toward both the bachelor’s degree and master’s degree program requirements. A course taken for dual credit must be so identified at the time of enrollment in the course.

Program Requirements

Students admitted to the dual/accelerated program will be allowed to enroll in courses for graduate credit prior to completing undergraduate degree requirements. A maximum of 9 credit hours may be dual degree hours — hours taken for graduate credit at the 500 level (or above) that are also applied to both the bachelor’s degree and master’s degree program requirements. Dual degree hours may not include undergraduate core curriculum courses. A course taken for dual credit must be so identified at the time of enrollment in that course. Where courses specify differing requirements for graduate and undergraduate students (500–699), the student must meet the requirements for graduate students to apply the course to graduate credit.

After initial admission, continuation in the program requires a continuing WSU undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.000 and a GPA of at least 3.000 in courses taken for graduate credit.

Upon admission to the dual/accelerated program the student is granted tentative admission to the graduate program in communication, pending award of the undergraduate degree. The student should draw up a tentative plan of study in consult with the graduate coordinator. This plan will be reviewed periodically by the graduate coordinator.