Computer Engineering 5-year BS/MS Dual Degree Program
The accelerated 5-year B.S./M.S. Dual Degree Program in Computer Engineering (CENG) is developed for high-performing CENG undergraduate students who would like to continue their graduate study in CENG M.S. program immediately upon completion of the B.S. degree. Students accepted into this program can take up to six graduate credit hours that are applied to both undergraduate and graduate degrees. One major goal of this program is to build a pathway for our CENG undergraduate students to enter the graduate CENG degree plan at several points in their undergraduate career and complete it in a more affordable way.
Students may pursue either thesis or extended coursework M.S. degree completion options. This dual degree program requires 153 credit hours for master’s thesis option and 156 credit hours for extended coursework option. The plan offers 123 hours of coursework at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level, it offers 30 hours of graduate hours for master’s thesis option and 33-credit hours for extended coursework option. Currently, ABET-accredited CENG B.S. program requires 129 credit hours including 9-hour electives. The students accepted into this program take 6-hour graduate credit as their 6-hour of 9-hour electives.
The graduate courses must be approved prior to enrollment and should provide a good substitution for the undergraduate courses required in the undergraduate degree program. Students may begin taking graduate courses after completing 100 credit hours including transfer credits that count towards CENG B.S. degree.
GRE score is not required for the application.
Eligibility and Application
Interested students should submit "Accelerated B.S./M.S. Dual Degree Program Application" form along with a general petition for course substitution to the Engineering Department Senior Secretary. Minimum eligibility requirements are as follows
- Junior or Senior standing and at least 20 credit hours of CENG and CSCI course work completed
- 3.0 grade point average over all UHCL course work
- 3.0 grade point average over all CENG and CSCI course work
Admission to the Graduate Program
Acceptance into the dual degree program does not constitute automatic admission to the graduate program. Completion of the B.S. degree and the standard admission requirements for the graduate degree program apply.
Performance Requirements While in the Program
A committee of CENG faculty members monitors the progress of students participating in this program. After a student is accepted into the program, if the student’s cumulative UHCL GPA falls below 3.0/4, the student will be on probation. The probation will be lifted once the cumulative GPA again rises to 3.0. If the student’s cumulative UHCL GPA falls below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters, the student will be transferred to the regular BS program. The UHCL graduate GPA requirement of 3.0 or higher continues to be operational for all students in this plan.
Granting of Degrees
CENG B.S. degree will be conferred upon completion of the undergraduate curriculum requirements with appropriate undergraduate/graduate course substitutions. The graduate degree will be awarded based upon existing requirements of CENG M.S. degree.
The application form along with the information sheet is available in the following link: Accelerated B.S./M.S. Dual Degree Program Application.