Admission

To be considered for admission to the accelerated program in aging studies, a prospective student must submit a graduate school application and fee, and satisfy the following requirements:

1. An overall undergraduate GPA of 2.750;
2. Completion of at least 60 credit hours of undergraduate study;
3. A letter of recommendation from one faculty member; and
4. A personal goals essay of 500 words or less which clearly articulates the applicant's reason for seeking admission to the accelerated program.

Prospective students apply for admission to the program during the semester prior to the first semester in which they intend to enroll in a course for graduate credit.

A student in the dual/accelerated program will be admitted to the MA in aging studies 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.

Program Requirements

The department of public health sciences’ online dual/accelerated bachelor's to master's in aging studies program enables academically qualified WSU undergraduate students a direct path to simultaneously earn both undergraduate and graduate (dual) credits in aging studies. The accelerated program is ideal for any undergraduate junior/senior student seeking to complement their area of study with graduate aging coursework. Students admitted to the accelerated program enroll in graduate coursework (up to 9 credit hours) while completing their undergraduate degree. Students should consult with their advisor and the director of graduate programs to determine the specific 9 credit hours that will align with their undergraduate curriculum.  

Students completing an undergraduate degree in health management or business/HR should select three of the following four courses to pursue for dual credit: PHS 560, PHS 562, PHS 622, PHS 626. All four courses are part of the graduate senior living management concentration in the MA in aging studies program.

Students completing an undergraduate degree in the social sciences should select three of the following four courses to pursue for dual credit: PHS 710, PHS 717, PHS 718, PHS 765. All four courses are part of the graduate core courses for the MA in aging studies program.

Program Guidelines

• For each of the dual credit courses, the student must meet the learning outcomes specific to graduate students to apply the course to graduate credit, earning no less than a 3.000 in each course.
• Each course taken for joint credit must be so identified at the time of enrollment in that course and a dual enrollment form must be completed which indicates the courses taken for graduate credit.
• Continuation in the accelerated program also requires a continuing WSU undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 2.750.
• A student who has previously been admitted to a graduate degree program at Wichita State may not be admitted to the dual/accelerated program.
• For the purpose of requesting exceptions to the program and university regulations, students in a dual/accelerated degree program are considered undergraduates and thus proceed through the undergraduate process until the bachelor’s degree is awarded.