Appendix K. Accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees (ABM) and Accelerated Bachelor’s and Graduate Certificates (ABC)
K. 1.0 Application and Admission. Students applying for admission into ABM or ABC must do so through the URI Graduate School admission system. Applicants should be at least two semesters away from intended graduation before they are eligible to apply; petitions for exception will be considered on recommendation of a Graduate Faculty member. Students will be enrolled in ABM or ABC after they have met all Graduate School admission requirements, and completed at least 90 undergraduate credits, but will not be considered a graduate student until the undergraduate degree is conferred. The application materials will include a preliminary graduate program of study that outlines which undergraduate classes are intended to be double counted, the transfer of eligible advanced standing credits not utilized toward the undergraduate degree, and the additional graduate courses that will be taken as a graduate student to meet the program’s degree requirements. ABM and ABC students will be separately coded to distinguish them from other graduate students. (Amended February 12, 2024)
K. 1.1 Credit Requirements. Only students accepted into the ABM or ABC program will be able to double count credits towards both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The total number of credits that will be allowed to be double counted is up to one-third of the total credits required in the master’s program (ABM) or three-fourth of the total credits required in the certificate program (ABC). In addition, students can transfer up to 1/5 of the required master’s or graduate certificate credits of advanced standing credits (eligible for graduate credit, see section 7.20) taken during their undergraduate degree but not counted toward their undergrad degree. For example, in a 30 credit program, 10 credits (one-third) can be double-counted from the undergraduate degree and an additional six credits (one-fifth) advanced standing credits can be transferred. Only 500 and 600-level courses, as well as 400-level courses designated for graduate credit, can be credited towards a master’s degree. (Amended February 12, 2024)
K. 1.2 Credits Taken Outside of a program or from another department. Students can transfer credits between URI programs and departments. Only credits earned at URI may be counted toward the master’s portion of the ABM or ABC. (Amended February 12, 2024)
K. 1.3 Time-to-degree Limit. Students must complete all graduate degree requirements for an ABM or ABC within 2 years after their enrollment and coding as ABM or ABC students. An additional year for ABM programs with more than 30 credits may be allowed with the permission of the Graduate School. Failure to complete the ABM or ABC in the allotted time effectively ends the ABM or ABC and students will not be able to double count credits. (Amended February 12, 2024)
K. 1.4 Program of Study. ABM or ABC students must complete a Program of Study and submit it to the Graduate School as part of their application materials. The Program of Study lists the courses to be taken to fulfill the requirement of the master’s degree and those carried over from the undergraduate career. If any changes in the original Program of Study are made, a new Program of Study must be submitted as soon as possible. All ABM or ABC programs will have an established list of core courses and suitable electives that can be used to satisfy the requirements for the combined degree. (Amended February 12, 2024)
K. 1.5 Nomination for Graduation. A Nomination for Graduation form must be submitted to the Graduate School by the ABM or ABC Program Coordinator in a student’s final semester. Deadlines for submission are published in the Deadline Calendar on the Graduate School website. The master’s degree or graduate certificate will not be conferred on students prior to completion of their bachelor’s degree. Simultaneous conferral of both degrees may be considered. (Amended February 12, 2024)
K. 1.6 Grades and Grade Point Averages. Students must meet the acceptable grade requirements as described in Section 10 of the Graduate School Manual.
K. 1.7 Continuous Enrollment. Continuous enrollment (see Section 4.40 of the Graduate School Manual) is required once students are coded and enrolled as ABM or ABC students. (Amended February 12, 2024)
K. 2.0 ABM Program Coordinators. Every ABM shall have at least one Coordinator. The Coordinator must assure that students enrolled in ABM or ABC are advised by the Coordinator or designated participating faculty. Coordinators recommend approval or denial of applicant admissions to the Graduate School, approve Programs of Study, and submit Nominations for Graduation. Coordinators and participating faculty also respond to programmatic questions from potential applicants, maintain files on active students, and keep records of the number of students who have participated in the ABM or ABC Program from its inception. These statistics should be reported to the Dean of the College sponsoring the ABM or ABC, the URI Office of Institutional Research, and the Graduate School. (Amended February 12, 2024)
K. 3.0 Proposals for New ABM or ABC Programs. Proposals for new ABM or ABC Programs should be submitted to the Graduate School after securing approval from the College in which the ABM or ABC will be housed. ABMs are designed for non-thesis master’s programs. Programs proposing a thesis option will have to justify their ability to complete a thesis within the time limit imposed by the ABM and with the rigor required for a thesis. The New Program Committee of the Graduate Council will review the proposal and make a recommendation on its merits to the full Graduate Council. If approved by vote of the Graduate Council, it will be submitted to the Faculty Senate for review and approval. (Amended February 12, 2024)