Bachelor's to Accelerated Master's Programs

When you choose a BAM pathway, you’ll be opening yourself up to an even richer world of experiences and opportunities while getting one step closer to capping your George Mason journey with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. Some benefits include:

• BAM students can complete up to 18 credits of their Master's degree coursework while still an undergraduate, saving time and money. Twelve of those credits can also count towards the undergraduate degree.
• These graduate credits taken as an undergraduate are billed at the undergraduate rate, which can save you up to $8,000.
• The graduate application fee is waived for BAM applicants.
• GRE test scores are not required for BAM applicants.
• You will continue to expand your network of connections in the Washington, D.C. area and have expanded career opportunities with a graduate degree.

Students may formally apply for the BAM program after they have earned 60 credits and after any prerequisites have been met, such as a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA. However, students are encouraged to identify their interest in pursuing a particular accelerated pathway as soon as possible within their undergraduate career.

1. Choose the master's program you would like to apply to and submit your application here.
2. Submit your application. After you submit your application, you can upload any supplementary materials such as recommendations, resume, goals statement, and endorsement worksheets.

Once your application is complete, it will undergo an admission review. Applicants may be required to take part in an interview and complete a writing sample.

The processing time for the BAM applications is three to five business days after submission of the online application. Only completed files will be available to the program for admissions review.

Most of our programs accept students on a rolling admissions cycle. Specific deadlines are listed on the Graduate Application Deadlines and Requirements webpage.

Priority deadline ensures consideration for the intended semester as well as financial aid options for students. Programs will continue to review applications until they are at capacity.

Applicants who are interested in starting during the summer term must apply and have a completed application by April 1 for full consideration to enroll in summer courses.

If your BAM application is approved, you will receive a notice of approval via the admissions web portal. You will be notified via email when a decision has been made. The name of your graduate advisor will be provided in this correspondence.

Approved BAM participants will be allowed to register for graduate courses via PatriotWeb after at least 90 hours of undergraduate degree credits have been earned. Those who were previously listed under Junior or Senior status in Patriot Web will now be listed as “Junior Plus” or “Senior Plus.”

Please note that approval of specific courses on the application does not guarantee a specific course section will be open or offered at the time of registration.

Approval for the BAM program only guarantees admission to a degree program if the student maintains the required GPA and follows all of the Transition to Graduate Status admission instructions.

Transition to Graduate Status

File your intent to graduate in your second to final semester of your undergraduate degree.

At the beginning of your final undergraduate semester, meet with your undergraduate and graduate advisors to have your Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's (BAM) Transition Form signed and approved.

The approved BAM Transition Form must be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office (OGA) and will then be forwarded by CEHD to the Registrar’s Office. Once the BAM Transition Form has been processed by OGA and the Registrar, you will receive an official admission letter to the graduate program via the admissions web portal. You will be required to confirm enrollment in the graduate program. If this form is not received by Graduate Admissions, you will not be eligible to be formally admitted to your graduate program.

If you would like to qualify for in-state tuition for your graduate program, you must also submit a new domicile form with your BAM Transition Form to Graduate Admissions.

Note: All graduate courses students take are subject to the same rules and regulations as indicated in the University Catalog.

Before applying to a BAM program, meet with your undergrad advisor to talk about how the graduate-level courses would fit into your schedule while you complete your bachelor’s degree. Create a potential plan that includes your BAM start term and when you’ll graduate with your bachelor’s degree.

If you are applying to an initial licensure education program that requires Content Area courses (Inclusive Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Foreign Language), then request your initial Content Area Review (CAR), and schedule a meeting with the pre-BAM advisor in the Office of Teacher Preparation at endorse@gmu.edu.

If you have questions about the graduate program or the timeline for your BAM application and start term, please reach out to the advisor (link: https://cehd.gmu.edu/current-students/advising/) for that program as soon as possible to learn more. After you have applied to a BAM program, we recommend scheduling an appointment with the graduate advisor so you can understand the program requirements and learn which graduate level courses would be best to take while in undergraduate status.

Apply to the BAM program. Questions about the BAM application should be directed to cehdooa@gmu.edu. Decisions will not be given over the phone by the program or by the CEHD Admissions Office.