Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees

Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate (IUG) degrees allow academically talented undergraduate students to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree at the same time. IUG programs make it possible to complete the two degrees in five years.

The College of IST offers the following residential IUG degree programs:

The college also offers an IUG degree program through Penn State World Campus for a B.S. in Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations/MPS in Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations.

Steps to Complete Before Applying

Undergraduate students in the College of Information Sciences and Technology may apply to an IUG degree program after earning 60 credits, which is typically in the spring semester of their second year.

In the spring of your sophomore year or the fall of your junior year, interested students should:

  • Meet with a College of IST Academic Adviser
    • During this meeting, you will discuss your interest in an IUG program, receive an assessment of whether the academic plan will accommodate the program requirements, and discuss the personal statement of interest.
  • Prepare a Personal Statement of Interest
    • In this two-to-three page statement to be shared with the Director of Master's Programs, you will detail why you would like to pursue a graduate degree.
  • Meet With the Director of Master’s Programs (if Recommended or Requested)
    • A meeting with the Director of Master's programs to discuss your interest in an IUG degree may be requested.
  • Prepare a Draft IUG Planner for Your Specific IUG Program Using the Template Available Below
    • You will enter remaining UG degree requirements and note planned shared courses.
    • This plan will be submitted for approval to your undergraduate academic adviser.
  • Submit the IUG Intention Form
    • With this form, you will request a meeting with the Graduate Programs Team to finalize your IUG plan and receive approval to submit your graduate application.

Automatic Consideration & Application Fee Waiver

  • The College of IST offers automatic consideration and expedited review into one of the college’s M.S. or MPS degree programs and will cover the application fee for any graduate from an IST bachelor’s degree program with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
  • This offer is good for 2 years after graduating from an IST program (any PSU campus).
  • Eligible applicants should contact istgradprograms@psu.edu for verification and issuance of the waiver.

IUG degrees offer undergraduate students the benefits of graduate education. These programs aim to:

  • introduce undergraduate students to the rigors of graduate study and graduate faculty
  • make the resources of the Graduate School available to IUG students
  • allow students with IUG status to benefit from their association with graduate students whose level of work and whose intensity of interest and commitment parallel their own
  • permit coherent planning of studies through the graduate degree, with advising informed by not only the requirements of the baccalaureate program, but also the longer-range goals of the graduate degree

Use the template for the IUG that you are interested in pursuing to draft a plan for the degree. Please refer to the course share table on the second page to identify the approved sharable IUG courses.

The first two to three years of your undergraduate coursework follow the same undergraduate curriculum that other students follow in their respective undergraduate majors. The final years of study include undergraduate and graduate requirements.

You may double-count a maximum of 12 specified credits toward your graduate and undergraduate degrees, thus making faster progress toward each degree. A minimum of 50% of the of the courses proposed to count for both degrees must be at the 500 or 800 level.

Your performance will be monitored on an ongoing basis by your adviser and the Graduate Programs Office. Students admitted to the integrated degrees program must maintain a high cumulative GPA to remain in good academic standing and meet graduation requirements.

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Office of Undergraduate Academic Advising

E103 Westgate Building
University Park, PA 16802

Make an Appointment

advising@ist.psu.edu
(814) 865-8947