School of Arts and Sciences
Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development

Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program: BA/MA in Child Study and Human Development

The Department of Child Study and Human Development offers exceptional Tufts undergraduate CSHD majors the option of a Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program: BA/MA in Child Study and Human Development. This program allows students to finish the 10-course undergraduate degree requirements and the 11-course master's degree typically in five calendar years.

Graduates of the Fifth-Year Master's Program receive both a bachelor's degree and a master’s degree from Tufts, and each degrees is awarded upon completion of requirements for each portion. In other words, you would graduate with an undergraduate degree with your undergraduate class and graduate with a master's with your master’s cohort once your graduate requirements are met.

Eligibility and Admissions Process

Admission to the Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program: BA/MA in Child Study and Human Development is open to current Tufts undergraduates who:

  • Major in CSHD (or double major in CSHD)
  • Have a minimum within-major GPA of 3.4
  • Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2

Applicants to the program will have the application fee waived and only need to submit two letters of recommendation – at least one from an Eliot-Pearson faculty member.

Students must apply for admission to the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program in the Fall of their Senior year. For application deadlines, please see the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' Fifth-Year Master's Degree information. Students will be admitted to the program contingent on their maintenance of the GPA requirements outlined above and on the successful completion of TWO graduate-level (100 or 200-level) courses taken during their senior year ("successful completion means earning a B+ or above in both courses).  Students have 3 options for pairing these two courses alongside their undergraduate major: 1) by both courses being SHARED (i.e., counted toward both BA and MA Degrees), 2) both courses being RESERVED (i.e., counted ONLY toward the MA), or 3) one course being shared and one being reserved.  The two courses may be used to satisfy any of the MA requirements (e.g., foundational courses, research methods, or electives).  

Students who are admitted to the Fifth-Year Master’s Program will not be eligible to do an MA thesis; they will have to do the applied track.  However, it is possible for these students to do an undergraduate honors thesis in their senior year.

Tuition and Aid

Fifth-Year Master's students may seek financial aid assistance for their graduate degree. Students will receive the same percentage of aid that they received from Tufts as undergraduates in the fifth year of this combined degree program.

If admitted to the 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.