School of Arts and Sciences

GSAS Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program

The Fifth-Year Master's Degree program (formerly called the GSAS Combined Degree program) allows Tufts undergraduates to continue on to a master's degree with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences after completing their bachelor's degree. 

In this program, students complete all requirements for the BA or BS and for the MA or MS. The last two years of undergraduate study are integrated with the first year of graduate work, eliminating duplication of courses and reducing the time required to earn the two degrees. 

Tufts undergraduate students have the options of:

  • double-counting up to two graduate-level courses (100-level or higher) toward both their Bachelor's and Master's degree requirements
  • reserving graduate-level courses from Tufts undergraduate studies toward the master's requirements (pending faculty approval). Please contact the Registrar's Office for more information.

This rewarding degree program is an ideal fit for Tufts undergraduates who are interested in rigorous, innovative programming.

Application

Students must apply for this program before they complete their undergraduate studies, typically in their junior or early in their senior year. The deadline to apply is March 15 for juniors. The deadline has been extended to April 1 for seniors.

All admission decisions for graduate programs are made at the program level by faculty. Rising juniors and seniors who are interested in pursuing a Fifth-Year Master’s should contact the Director of Graduate Study of their intended programs. Students must be enrolled as an active undergraduate student at the time of application, but may defer their admission for up to two years with approval of the program.

Seniors must submit their graduation packet and Course Distribution Form to Student Services by May 1. Forms will not be accepted after May 1; there will be no exceptions. Seniors who apply to the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program will be required to submit this form as a part of their application materials. If the required forms for course distribution have not been submitted by May 1 to Student Services, you will be considered for the master’s program only, not the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program.

Application Benefits

  • No application fee
  • No enrollment deposit
  • No GRE scores needed

Only two letters of recommendation required (we strongly suggest one is from an academic advisor)

Tuition & Aid Benefits

  • Lower Tuition Cost: if admitted to your program, you will reduce the cost of your master's by applying credits already earned as an undergraduate. Students accepted into a Fifth-year Master's Program will be charged graduate tuition per-credit once they receive their bachelor’s degree and only for the courses that are left to complete.
  • Financial Aid Match: The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will match any undergraduate institutional grant/scholarship aid a student has at the time of application.
  • Scholarships and Aid: Many programs offer assistantships to their master’s students. Please visit GSAS Funding Opportunities for Incoming Students to learn more.

Eligible Programs

Fifth-Year Master’s programs are offered for a number of our graduate programs, but not all. The current list of programs are:

Participating programs may consider counting one to two approved undergraduate courses towards the graduate degree. Requirements vary by program. Tufts undergraduate students who are interested in these programs should contact their department early to ensure that their course of study at the undergraduate level is preparing them for this graduate program.