Combined Bachelor's/Master's Programs

Accelerate your education and maximize your investment.

Graduate and Professional Studies

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Earn your master's degree in a shorter timeframe and graduate with the tools you need for the career you want. At Salve, you have the opportunity to begin a graduate program in your final undergraduate year, saving time and money. Our popular combined bachelor's/master's programs are designed for students who meet certain criteria, maintain a specific GPA and are conditionally accepted into a graduate program.

Save Time and Money

Completing a combined bachelor's/master's program saves up to two years of coursework and an average of $3,500 in tuition and fees.

Expand Your Potential

Earning your master's degree through the combined program allows you to enter the workforce sooner and pursue jobs with higher starting salaries.

Build Your Network

Our graduate faculty serve as career-focused mentors, offering a high-touch educational experience and helping you to build your professional network.

A Head Start on Success

"Salve's combined bachelor's/master's program allowed me to get a jump start on the professional and academic knowledge that comes with a master's degree while I was still an undergraduate student," said Megan Ellsworth '23, '24 (M), who completed a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in behavior analysis. "Those skills and the connections I made with graduate faculty and other graduate students were so valuable."

Megan Ellsworth

Program Options

Our five-year pathway allows you to earn your master's degree within one year of completing your undergraduate program, while our accelerated pathway allows you to begin a master's degree program in your final undergraduate year, but complete your graduate coursework at your own pace.

Students in the five-year pathway complete four graduate courses in their final undergraduate year, two of which may count toward credit requirements for the undergraduate program. This pathway offers flat-rate tuition for the fifth year and allows you to retain the services you had as an undergraduate.

You'll matriculate into your master's degree program upon graduation from your undergraduate program and are required to take four courses in each semester of your fifth year. If you choose to discontinue the five-year pathway, you revert to traditional graduate student status for the remainder of your enrollment.

In addition to flat-rate tuition, you enjoy continued access to many of the benefits and services available to undergraduates, including:

  • Access to athletic and recreational facilities
  • Ability to remain active in student clubs and organizations
  • Access to health care and counseling services
  • Specialized career services
  • Access to the Academic Center for Excellence, including academic support services for students with diagnosed learning differences
  • Access to campus employment opportunities

Students in the accelerated pathway complete a minimum of two graduate courses in their final undergraduate year. They matriculate into their master's degree program upon graduation from their undergraduate program and pay standard tuition rates for the specified graduate degree.

Accelerated students in the combined creative writing/Newport MFA program complete their first graduate-level residency during the winter session as a fourth-year senior, followed by their first mentorship in creative writing in the following spring semester. Students pay the commuter fee for their first residency, but do not pay additional tuition in their senior year for credit hours associated with the first residency (ENG600) or the first mentorship course (ENG610). Students in this pathway matriculate into the master's degree program upon graduation from their undergraduate program and pay standard tuition rates for the Newport MFA.

Incoming first-year students may declare the five-year or accelerated pathway for several programs. You should select your desired program on the Common Application for admission to your undergraduate degree and conditional admission for your graduate degree. You are expected to maintain a 3.30 GPA to begin this sequence in your final undergraduate year.

Programs with this direct-entry option include:

Areas of Study

  • Accelerated pathway
  • Direct-entry option

Behavior analysis program

  • Five-year pathway
  • Direct-entry option

Business administration program

  • Accelerated pathway
  • Direct-entry option

Clinical counseling program

  • Accelerated pathway
  • Direct-entry option

Creative writing program

  • Five-year pathway
  • Direct-entry option

Criminal justice and cybersecUrity program

  • Five-year pathway
  • Direct-entry option

Healthcare administration program

  • Accelerated pathway
  • Direct-entry option

International relations program

Creating Opportunities Through Networking

"The opportunities that come through networking help to set you up for success," said Morgan Shuey '23, '24 (M), who completed bachelor's and master's degrees in healthcare administration. "I reached out to Professor Matthew McMahon and told him I was interested in cybersecurity and health care. He networked with some people he knew, and I secured an internship with the Health Sector Coordinating Council, which is an advisory council to the U.S. government."

Morgan Shuey, healthcare administration alumna

Eligibility and Requirements

  • You must maintain a 3.3 or higher GPA to be admitted into either pathway.
  • You must complete the application process by Feb. 15 as a third-year junior.
  • Once you are conditionally accepted, you will be advised on the courses to take in your senior year by your faculty advisor and graduate program director.
  • You must take the number of courses required for the specified program (four courses for the five-year pathway, a minimum of two courses for the accelerated pathway).
  • You must maintain the appropriate GPA and earn a grade of B- or better in your graduate courses to matriculate into the master's degree program after completion of your undergraduate degree.

Timeline

Sophomore year
  • Meet with your faculty advisor to discuss your interest in the combined bachelor's/master's program.
Junior year
  • Connect with a graduate admissions counselor to discuss your interest in the combined bachelor's/master's program.
  • Participate in a virtual information session during winter break.
  • Apply to the combined bachelor's/master's program by Feb. 15.
Senior year
  • Take graduate courses alongside your undergraduate courses (4 courses for the five-year pathway, 2-4 courses for the accelerated pathway).
  • Complete your bachelor's degree in your chosen major.
Fifth year and beyond
  • Complete your remaining graduate courses.