The University offers a number of joint degrees to students in the College. Interested students should meet with their advisers to discuss these programs.
Joint Bachelor's/Master's Programs
Professional Option Program
International Relations
The Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) (B.A./M.A. Option)
Joint Bachelor's/Master's Programs. Joint B.A.-M.A./M.S. programs permit qualified students to enter upon a course of graduate study while also completing their work in the College. Any department may decide to offer a joint program to those students accepted by the faculty. Departments and majors offering joint degrees include this information in the descriptions of undergraduate programs. Students in joint programs complete at least forty-eight courses instead of the forty-two courses required for a B.A. degree. Applicants must have completed a significant portion of their undergraduate program before they can apply to master's level programs. Generally this means that students are admitted to candidacy for the master's degree during their fourth year in the College. During this year of graduate work, students will be billed for tuition at the graduate rate. Students should consult their College advisers, as well as the appropriate program chairman or program coordinator, for detailed information about these options.
Professional Option Program in Medicine. The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine's Professional Option Program in Medicine permits undergraduate students who have demonstrated outstanding potential for success in medicine to begin medical school during their fourth year in the College. Students who have a clear understanding of their motivation for medicine, highly competitive academic records, and compelling reasons to attend Pritzker are strong candidates for this program. Candidates will apply to this program during their third year in the College. To be eligible, students must have completed thirty-three credits required for a degree in the College by the end of their third year. These thirty-three credits must include all fifteen general education requirements and one-half of the requirements for their major. Through this program, students will, upon completion of the first year of medical school at Pritzker, be allowed to use credit from their medical school courses to fulfill the remaining nine credits for the undergraduate degree. At the successful conclusion of their first year of medical school, students completing their degree in this fashion will receive the Bachelor of Arts in Professional Option: Medicine. Interested students should schedule an appointment with a health professions adviser early in their second year. Further information is available from the Office of Admissions at the Pritzker School of Medicine (pritzkeradmissions@bsd.uchicago.edu).
Professional Option Program in Public Policy Studies. The Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies offers a program to undergraduate students interested in early completion of an advanced professional degree. Students apply for admission to the program in autumn quarter of their third year in the College. To be eligible to apply, students must have completed thirty-three credits (of the forty-two required for a degree in the College) by the end of their third year. Completed credit must include fifteen general education courses (for students in the current curriculum), one-half of the requirements for a College major, and one-half of the required number of electives. At the end of their fourth year, having completed the first-year program of at least nine courses in the professional school, the student is awarded a B.A. in Professional Option-Public Policy Studies. Students who wish to apply to this professional option program should obtain more detailed information from their adviser early in their second year so that all College requirements can be met. Further information is available from the Office of the Dean of Students in the Harris School.