Combined Bachelor’s + Master’s Degrees
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DePaul’s combined bachelor’s + master’s degree programs allow you to earn both your undergraduate and graduate degrees in about five years (rather than the traditional six or more). To accomplish this, students admitted to a combined degree program are allowed to take a maximum of 3 graduate level courses during the bachelor’s degree program, typically during their senior year.
The graduate level courses you’ll take during your bachelor’s degree will count toward both your bachelor’s and master’s degrees, saving you time and money, and moving you seamlessly from your undergraduate classes right into your graduate coursework.
The following CDM master’s degrees can be combined with all current DePaul undergraduate majors. Other CDM master’s degrees are open only to CDM undergraduate majors.
- MA in Animation
- MS in Artificial Intelligence
- MS in Computer Science
- MS in Data Science
- MS in Information Systems
- MS in Health Informatics
- MS in Business Information Technology
Find out which combined degree options are compatible with your CDM major:
If you are currently a CDM student and interested in combining your CDM bachelor’s degree with a non-CDM graduate degree, please contact the respective college for admission and application procedures.
Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Computing or the
Bachelor of Arts in Professional Studies with a major in Computing joint degree programs between CDM and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies are eligible for this program. Interested students who meet the admission criteria for a combined degree should contact
SCPS Academic Services for more information. Advanced programs (e.g., JD/MS, MFA, and PhD) are not eligible for the combined degree program.
Admission Criteria for CDM Combined Programs
- Sophomore status (at least 44 quarter hours earned)
- Minimum of 12 quarter hours earned at DePaul
- GPA of 3.3 or higher in courses taken at DePaul
- Full admission to the designated master’s program requires meeting
admission requirements for that program
- • Faculty endorsement from the CDM full-time faculty member designated as the advisor for the intended master’s program (see list below)
Designated CDM Combined Degree Program Faculty Advisors
- MA Animation, Josh Jones
- MS Artificial Intelligence, Noriko Tomuro
- MS Business Information Technology, Makoto Nakayama
- MS Computer Science, Amber Settle
- MS Cybersecurity, JP Labruyere
- MS Data Science, Raffaella Settimi
- MA Digital Communication and Media Arts, Weijing (Vivian) Xu
- MS Film and Television, Brad Riddell
- MS Game Programming, Andre Berthiaume or Ed Keenan
- MS Health Informatics, Casey Bennett
- MS Human-Computer Interaction, Craig Miller
- MS Information Systems, Makoto Nakayama
- MS Software Engineering, James Riely
Interested students should schedule an appointment with the designated faculty advisor via OneDePaul before submitting an application for admission. If the faculty advisor does not have appointment availability in OneDePaul, send them an email with your name, ID number, and a request for a meeting to discuss the combined degree program.
During your initial meeting with the faculty advisor, you should discuss your academic and career goals and identify the list of graduate courses to take and how the courses will be applied in both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Remember that a maximum of 3 graduate level courses may be taken during the bachelor’s degree.
Note: Graduate level introductory courses for a CDM graduate program may NOT be taken as any of the 3 allowed combined degree program courses. Rather, students should plan to take the corresponding undergraduate equivalent course for any graduate level introductory course during their undergraduate degree, whenever possible.
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Program Structure
Students in the combined degree program may take a maximum of three graduate level courses that count toward both their bachelor's and master's degree programs. It is extremely important that the student and faculty advisor work together on a course of study immediately upon admission to the combined degree program. If introductory courses are required for the intended graduate program, those courses should be completed during the undergraduate program by taking corresponding undergraduate courses. The plan should identify (A) appropriate graduate level courses (3 courses maximum) to be taken during the undergraduate program and (B) exactly which undergraduate requirements those graduate level courses will replace. Failure to put together a solid plan can lead to extra coursework and a lengthening of the Combined Degree Program.
The designated faculty advisor is responsible for submitting all enrollment requests in MyCDM for the graduate courses taken during the bachelor’s degree program.
During the program, the college monitors the academic progress for all combined degree program students to ensure they maintain the minimum GPA requirement for the program. If the cumulative GPA falls below the minimum 3.300 requirements, students will be given one additional term to show improvement. If the minimum GPA is not met after the next term, or if significant progress is not made, the college will determine if the student may remain in the combined degree program.
Combined degree program students must apply for their bachelor’s degree graduation in the normal way, following the instructions and deadlines on the commencement web site, and will receive the bachelor's degree after meeting all graduation requirements for that degree.
During the final term of the bachelor’s degree program, the college evaluates the student’s academic progress and matriculates the student’s graduate program record assuming the student is indeed on track to complete the bachelor’s degree that term. This allows the student to enroll as a graduate student for the following term. A final evaluation of bachelor’s degree completion is done after the grading deadline for the final term.
To earn the master's degree, the student must complete all remaining requirements for the graduate degree, following the master's degree program requirements for the term they are admitted to the program.