Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees

When you’re driven, you should be allowed to show your stuff.

RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees are for our most highly focused, goal-oriented students. These pathways enable you to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as little as five years. That’s a full year of time, effort, and expense shaved off from what is normally a six- to seven-year journey.

Prepare for your future faster.

RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees are designed for exceptional undergraduate students with outstanding academic records. They accelerate your learning and position you for success. You’ll earn two degrees in less time, and with a cost savings, while still taking advantage of cooperative education experiences, internships, research, study abroad, and more.

There are two ways to enroll in one of these pathways:

A large group of students walking down the Quarter Mile walkway at RIT.

Outstanding applicants for first-year admission may be offered conditional early acceptance to a master’s degree program as an incoming first-year student.

Two RIT students working on a project in a lab at the MAGIC Center.

RIT students currently enrolled in a qualifying undergraduate degree program may apply for admission to a combined accelerated bachelor’s/master’s pathway after their second or third year of study, depending upon their bachelor’s degree program.

6 Reasons Why RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees Prepare You for Success

A Highly Selective Offer
If you are admitted to one of our Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees, you have demonstrated remarkable aptitude, capability, and potential to succeed. We recognize that you are ahead of your peers and ready to position yourself for a successful future.

Diversify Your Education
Add an MBA to your engineering degree or a master of architecture to your design degree. These pathways are designed for you to pursue your professional interests and create dynamic career opportunities.

Exceptional Value
By collapsing what is normally a six- or seven-year academic journey into approximately five years of study, a Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees maximizes your investment by saving you time and money. And, earning two degrees from RIT means you’ll benefit from our rich reputation for career success.

Maximize Your Earning Potential
Graduating with a bachelor’s and a master’s—and the experience and knowledge that comes with both degrees—often means higher starting salaries and more earning potential over the course of your career.

Extraordinary Support
You’ll receive highly personalized academic support and advising to guide you in course selection, cooperative education and internships, undergraduate research opportunities, and overall career planning.

Expand Your Network
Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees enable you to build relationships with graduate faculty and network with professional contacts sooner as you engage in hands-on research opportunities and projects with industry partners.

Accelerated Degree Programs

In our accelerated bachelor’s and master’s pathways, graduate courses with the same or similar learning outcomes as an equivalent undergraduate course are waived. You will find information on curriculum, course requirements, and more at the links below.

Dual-Degree Programs (BS/MS, BS/ME)

In our accelerated dual-degree programs, RIT generally double-counts six to nine credit hours in both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, enabling you to accelerate your studies to complete both degrees faster. You will find information on curriculum, course requirements, and more on the BS program page.

Conditional early acceptance offered to outstanding first-year applicants

Bachelor’s Degree	Master’s Degree(s)
Accounting BS	Accounting and Analytics MS
Advertising and Public Relations BS	Communication MS
Applied Mathematics BS	Applied and Computational Mathematics MS
Applied Statistics and Data Analytics BS	Applied and Computational Mathematics MS Applied Statistics MS
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology BS	Bioinformatics MS
Biology BS	Environmental Science MS
Biomedical Engineering BS	Science, Technology, and Public Policy MS
Biomedical Sciences BS	Health and Well-Being Management MS
Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience BS	Bioinformatics MS
Chemical Engineering BS	Materials Science and Engineering MS Science, Technology, and Public Policy MS
Chemistry BS	Chemistry MS Materials Science and Engineering MS
Communication BS	Communication MS
Computational Mathematics BS	Applied and Computational Mathematics MS Computer Science MS
Computer Engineering BS	Computer Engineering MS Science, Technology, and Public Policy MS
Computer Engineering Technology BS	Computer Science MS
Computer Science BS	Computer Science MS Cybersecurity MS Software Engineering MS
Criminal Justice BS	Criminal Justice MS
Cybersecurity BS	Cybersecurity MS Science, Technology and Public Policy MS
Economics BS	Science, Technology and Public Policy MS Sustainable Systems MS
Electrical Engineering BS	Electrical Engineering MS Science, Technology and Public Policy MS
Environmental Science BS	Environmental Science MS Science, Technology and Public Policy MS
Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety BS	Environmental Health and Safety Management MS
Game Design and Development BS	Game Design and Development MS
History BS	Sustainable Systems MS
Industrial Engineering BS	Engineering Management ME Industrial and Systems Engineering MS Science, Technology and Public Policy MS
International and Global Studies BS	Science, Technology, and Public Policy MS
Journalism BS	Communication MS
Mechanical Engineering BS	Mechanical Engineering MS Mechanical Engineering ME Science, Technology, and Public Policy MS
Mechanical Engineering Technology BS	Manufacturing and Mechanical Systems Integration MS
Mechatronics Engineering Technology BS	Manufacturing and Mechanical Systems Integration MS
Microelectronic Engineering BS	Material Science and Engineering MS Science, Technology, and Public Policy MS
Nutritional Sciences BS	Dietetics and Nutrition MS Health and Well-being Management MS
Packaging Science BS	Packaging Science MS Materials Science and Engineering MS
Philosophy BS	Sustainable Systems MS
Photographic Sciences BS	Color Science MS
Physician Assistant BS/MS
Physics BS	Astrophysical Sciences and Technology MS Materials Science and Engineering MS Physics MS Science, Technology, and Public Policy MS Sustainable Systems MS
Political Science BS	Sustainable Systems MS
Print and Graphic Media Technology BS	Packaging Science MS
Psychology BS	Experimental Psychology MS Artificial Intelligence MS Sustainable Systems MS
Robotics and Manufacturing Engineering Technology BS	Manufacturing and Mechanical Systems Integration MS
Sociology and Anthropology BS	Communication MS Hospitality Business Management MS Science, Technology, and Public Policy MS Sustainable Systems MS
Software Engineering BS	Computer Science MS Cybersecurity MS Software Engineering MS

Conditions for Continuance for Early Accept Accelerated Scholars

RIT offers conditional early acceptance into a Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program to outstanding first-year applicants. Acceptance is considered ‘conditional’ until set program requirements are met. To view or download the requirements for continuance in an a Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree, click the links below based on enrollment term:

Program Handbook

Check out the Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees handbook to take a deeper dive into how the program works.

Accelerated Scholars Handbook

Partner Programs

Partner programs are agreements between RIT and other academic institutions in which RIT students may be offered conditional or guaranteed acceptance to graduate programs at one of these colleges and universities:

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Early Acceptance Programs
RIT has partnered with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine to offer early acceptance programs to RIT students interested in pursuing medical and dental school, or a graduate degree in pharmacy.

RIT-Syracuse University College of Law Accelerated 3+3 BS/JD Option
RIT has partnered with Syracuse University College of Law to offer an accelerated 3+3 BS/JD option for highly capable and motivated students who wish to fast-track their pathway to law school.

Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees

What is a Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree?