Electrical Engineering Accelerated BS/MS Pathway for Bridgewater State University Students
UMass Dartmouth has partnered with Bridgewater State University to develop a pathway for Bridgewater students to earn both a bachelor’s degree from BSU and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from UMass Dartmouth in just five years. This accelerated pathway allows students to save time and money earning an advanced degree by enrolling in master's level courses early and double-counting some courses toward both degrees.
Requirements
Interested students should:
- Apply to the electrical engineering MS program in the spring semester of their junior year by March 31
- Have a 3.2 or better GPA overall after completion of the fall semester of their junior year
Eligible courses
1. BSU students who complete any two PHOE courses from the list below can apply six credits to the Electrical Engineering MS degree at UMass Dartmouth. The required grade is B or better for each course.
See (4) below for double counting credits.
| BSU course | # of BSU credits | UMD course equivalent | # of UMD credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHOE 403 - Semiconductor Device | 3 | ECE 403 - Special Topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering | 3 |
| PHOE 420 - Laser Engineering with Lab | 4 | ECE 403 - Special Topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering | 3 |
| PHOE 450 - Photonics Integrated Circuit Design | 3 | ECE 403 - Special Topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering | 3 |
2. A BSU student may opt to take one graduate-level ECE course at UMassD during their senior year at BSU. The course should be chosen in consultation with the ECE graduate program director. The required grade is C or better. See (4) below for double counting credits.
3. A BSU student may opt to take one of the following computer science courses at BSU as part of their full-time load, which counts as a 500-level free elective in the ECE graduate program. The required grade for the computer science course at BSU is (B-, B minus) or better. See (4) below for double counting credits.
| BSU course | # of BSU's credits | UMD course equivalent | # of UMD credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMP 590 Computer Architecture | 3 | Free Elective: ECE 562 Advanced Computer Architecture | 3 |
| COMP 594 Computer Networks | 3 | Free Elective: ECE 569 Advanced Computer Networks | 3 |
4. Double counting:
- With option (1) only, a maximum of 6 credits may be double counted toward the Photonics and Optical Engineering BS degree at BSU and Electrical Engineering MS degree at UMassD from the following set: PHOE 403, PHOE 420, PHOE 450. The student will have 6 credits invested toward the 30 credits required for the Electrical Engineering MS degree.
- With options (1) and (2) only, a maximum of 9 credits may be double counted toward the Photonics and Optical Engineering BS degree at BSU and Electrical Engineering MS degree at UMassD from the following sets: two courses from PHOE 403, PHOE 420, PHOE 450, and one graduate-level ECE course at UMassD. The student will have 9 credits invested toward the 30 credits required for the Electrical Engineering MS degree.
- With options (1) and (3) only, a maximum of 9 credits may be double counted toward the Photonics and Optical Engineering BS degree at BSU and Electrical Engineering MS degree at UMassD from the following sets: two courses from PHOE 403, PHOE 420, PHOE 450, and one course from COMP 590, COMP 594. The student will have 9 credits invested toward the 30 credits required for the Electrical Engineering MS degree.
- With options (1), (2) and (3), a maximum of 9 credits may be double counted toward the Photonics and Optical Engineering BS degree at BSU and Electrical Engineering MS degree at UMassD from the following sets: two courses from PHOE 403, PHOE 420, PHOE 450, and one course from COMP 590, COMP 594. By (3), the student will earn 3 credits for a standalone graduate-level ECE course at UMassD, which is excluded from the double counting scheme. All in all, the student will have 12 credits invested toward the 30 credits required for the Electrical Engineering MS degree.