Accelerated MA Degree

This program allows qualified Washington University undergraduates to complete a Master of Arts (AM) degree in a one-year accelerated program after completing the AB degree. The undergraduate and graduate degrees are awarded sequentially, with admission to the master’s degree, if approved, for the fall semester following completion of the undergraduate degree in the preceding December, May, or August. Applications may be submitted anytime during the senior year through August 1, and GRE tests are not required. The program is available only to students currently in their senior year and only for continuous enrollment in the next year. There is no option for deferred admissions.

In order to complete an AM in one year, students may apply five courses taken at the 400 level or above as an undergraduate (with a maximum of 16 units) towards master’s degree programs which require 36 or more units for completion.  Undergraduate courses must be acceptable to the department or program offering the Master’s degree and must be completed with a final grade of B or higher. All admissions are provisional until the successful completion of the AB.  Actual award of each degree is contingent on the successful completion of all requirements for that degree.

Tuition and Remission

What about tuition?

Students accepted into the Accelerated AM program will receive a scholarship for 25% of tuition charges for the AM year, subject to the standard enrollment and remission policies of the Office of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences. On all registrations of 9 or more units, the Office of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences uses a flat tuition rate, which is subject to annual change. Students who enroll for 9 or more units per semester (which will include all students enrolled in the Accelerated AM program) are automatically regarded as full-time students and are charged the flat full-time rate. (Students enrolled for fewer than 9 units are charged on a per-unit basis.)

Application Instructions

Students applying to the Accelerated AM program must send all application materials via email directly to the Director of Graduate Studies, Paige McGinley. The Director of Graduate Studies then forwards the application and the department’s recommendation for admission to the Office of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences. Neither an application fee nor GRE scores are required for students applying for the Accelerated AM program. A completed application for the Accelerated AM program consists of:

  • this completed application form from the Office of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences
  • a personal statement describing your primary area(s) of interest and your rationale for graduate study
  • a writing sample (one ten-page essay)
  • three letters of recommendation (please have recommenders email them directly to the Director of Graduate Studies)

More Information

Student Health Insurance and Fee

The University’s student health insurance will no longer be mandatory. Domestic students will have the option to waive coverage if they can document that they have adequate coverage through another plan. (The University plan will continue to be mandatory for international students.) The insurance will now be an annual enrollment and the full charge will appear on the fall billing statement. In addition, Washington University will have a student health and wellness fee designed to improve the health and wellness of the entire Washington University community. The fee will be billed to the student tuition statement each semester.

Further information may be found about student health insurance by clicking this link.

Only students who are fully funded (full remission plus TA, RA or Fellowship) will receive health fee and insurance subsidies.

Orientation

New students in the Accelerated AM program are expected to attend the Office of Graduate Studies Orientation, which will assist in making the transition to graduate school. This event is normally held the week prior to the start of fall classes. Students should also check with their DGS about department-sponsored orientations and pre-class programs which may start earlier.