The Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) enables undergraduate students who have a minimum 3.3 GPA when applying for the AMP to earn a bachelor's and master's degree within five years. Students apply for admission in spring of their junior year. If they are accepted into this program, they can take up to 12 graduate credits in their fourth year and continue to work with the Director of Graduate Studies to ensure that all courses and requirements are met in the fifth year, including a project or thesis.
The journalism MA requires 33 credits. In the AMP, undergrads would have up to 12 journalism graduate credits at the end of their senior year (JOUR 539, JOUR 590F or JOUR 597, JOUR 508 and JOUR 589) that would apply to that 33 and would need only 21 to complete the MA after completing their BA.
Once students complete their BA degree, their status changes from undergraduate to graduate student. Students work with the Director of Graduate Studies on needed coursework in the fifth year, plus do a thesis or professional project. AMP students may receive up to 3 units of internship credit for JOUR 593, which can be used as elective credit toward the degree. AMP students may also take as many graduate courses outside the journalism major as the Graduate College allows.