Accelerated Degree Pathways
Pathway Options
Qualifying undergraduate students can choose from 30 Accelerated Degree Pathways (ADP). Review the full list in the graduate catalog.
Getting Started with ADP
- Download and fill out the forms in the ADP packet.
- Work with your undergraduate academic advisor, department chairperson and graduate program advisor to complete the ADP packet and collect signatures of approval.
- Hand deliver or email the completed and signed forms to the graduate college.
- Once the ADP packet is approved, apply to UCO Jackson College of Graduate Studies for graduate admission, complete the application and pay the $60 application fee.
- If approved, graduate admission will be granted by the graduate college, and you will be contacted with a decision of admission to graduate study.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is an Accelerated Degree Pathway (ADP)?
- Who can apply for ADP?
- How do I get started with ADP?
- What are the available pathways?
- What is the difference between Mixed Enrollment and ADP?
- What does “continuous enrollment” mean?
What is an Accelerated Degree Pathway (ADP)?
An accelerated degree pathway (ADP) allows qualifying UCO students to earn graduate credit, generally in the last year of their undergraduate program, and to use that graduate coursework to satisfy degree requirements in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. This pathway creates a number of advantages for UCO students who are committed to graduate study:
- The potential to get a head start on a graduate degree, increasing the likelihood of finishing it earlier than expected;
- Cost savings of up to 10 credit hours of undergraduate tuition because the courses count in both programs, which reduces the total combined hours of both programs; and,
- Early exposure to the expectations of graduate-level coursework.
For a list of approved pathways, see the list on the ADP section of the Graduate Catalog, as well as the associated program degree sheets.
Who can apply for ADP?
To qualify for an ADP program option as a UCO student, you must meet the following criteria.
- Be enrolled in an undergraduate UCO major that is listed as part of the official UCO Accelerated Degree Pathway offerings.
- Have senior standing or have completed the first semester of your junior year in the associated undergraduate program.
- Have a minimum overall undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher and 3.0 or higher in major-specific coursework.
How do I get started with ADP?
Download and fill out the forms in the ADP packet and follow the steps on Getting Started with ADP.
What are the available pathways?
For a list of approved pathways, see the list on the ADP section of the graduate catalog, as well as the associated program degree sheets.
What is the difference between Mixed Enrollment and ADP?
Mixed enrollment
- Undergraduate students may enroll in graduate courses (up to 10 hours) before the completion of the undergraduate degree
- Available to non-UCO students
- Maximum of two semesters of mixed enrollment before completion of undergraduate degree
- Maximum of 16 hours (undergraduate and graduate combined) in spring and fall terms
- Maximum of 12 hours (undergraduate and graduate combined) of mixed enrollment in summer
- 3.00 overall undergraduate GPA required to begin mixed enrollment
- Courses do not double count
- Continuous enrollment in graduate courses not required
Get Started with mixed enrollment
Accelerated Degree Pathway
- Only applies to approved programs
- Only applies to UCO undergraduate students
- Students must be classified as senior standing or in the last semester of junior standing
- Is essentially an offer of contract admission to the graduate program
- Undergraduate students may enroll in graduate courses (up to 10 hours) before the completion of the undergraduate degree
- Maximum of 16 hours (undergraduate and graduate combined) in spring and fall terms
- Maximum of 12 hours (undergraduate and graduate combined) in summer
- Graduate courses may double count in both the undergraduate and graduate programs.
- Continuous enrollment in graduate courses required
- After beginning the ADP program, skipping a fall or spring semester of graduate coursework will result in the counting of graduate courses only in the undergraduate program.
What does continuous enrollment mean?
Upon beginning graduate coursework, continuously enrolled students will enroll in at least one graduate credit hour every fall and spring semester until the completion of the master’s degree program to which they are admitted.
Students in ADP programs who do not enroll in at least one credit hour of graduate coursework every fall and spring semester until they complete their master’s degree program will only be allowed to apply graduate coursework taken as an undergraduate to the undergraduate degree. The graduate courses that would have applied to the graduate program under the ADP double-counting policy will still appear on the graduate transcript, but they cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.