Updated October 16, 2025
Accelerated Bachelor’s/Graduate (for example, “4+1”) programs allow students to complete two sequential degrees on an accelerated timeline. Students enrolled in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Graduate program may, in their final year of undergraduate study, take a limited amount of graduate coursework that satisfies both undergraduate and graduate requirements. Typically, no more than 40% of the credits towards the graduate degree may be taken during the final year of undergraduate study. Accelerated Bachelor’s/Graduate programs must not change the requirements of either the Bachelor’s or graduate degree and must be approved by the Office of the Provost.
Please submit a memo electronically to the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies (graduate@pitt.edu) to propose a new accelerated program. The memo should come from the dean(s) of the school or president of the campus offering the undergraduate and the master’s degree programs. Note that the memo does not need to be submitted via the Curriculog system.
The memo will be reviewed by the Vice Provosts for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies. Questions about these guidelines can be directed to Vice Provost Amanda Godley (VPGodley@pitt.edu) or Vice Provost Adam Lee (VPLee@pitt.edu).
- Confirm that the requirements for the undergraduate and the master’s degree programs are not being changed by offering them in an accelerated format. If one or both of the degree programs need to be created or modified in order to be able to offer the new accelerated program, then the appropriate proposal(s) must be submitted through the established Curriculog process along with a request via memo to offer the degrees in an accelerated program.
- Describe which of the requirements will be counted toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees simultaneously. If more than 40% of the credits from the graduate degree are also being used toward the undergraduate degree, please provide justification for the larger degree of overlap.
- List the undergraduate majors that will be included in the accelerated program and how the graduate courses will be counted towards the undergraduate degree (e.g., as electives, as major requirements, etc.)
- Provide an overview of the undergraduate/graduate academic terms in which each requirement for the graduate/professional program (e.g., specific courses, milestones) will be completed. A table is preferred.
- Confirm that the requirements for the master’s degree, under the proposed accelerated arrangement, will still include 30 or more credits at the graduate level.
- Provide enrollment estimates for the first five years of the program.
- The table that follows provides a summary of how the student will be classified as they progress through the program, under most scenarios.
- The“cross-over year” is the transitional year between the undergraduate and the graduate programs where students will be satisfying degree requirements from both programs.
Confirm that during the cross-over year, students
- continuing to complete the requirements of the undergraduate degree for the duration and
- billed at a rate equivalent to that of their undergraduate program.
The end of the cross-over year typically coincides with the end of the undergraduate program; however, the student must graduate from the undergraduate degree – and the cross-over “year” will come to a close – as soon as they complete the undergraduate program requirements.
| Year | Registration Status | Financial Aid and Scholarship Eligibility | Tuition Rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years 1-3 | Undergraduate | Undergraduate | Undergraduate |
| Year 4 (cross-over year) | Undergraduate | Undergraduate | Undergraduate |
| Year(s) 5+ | Graduate | Graduate | Graduate |