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Bachelor's-Masters Option
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Bachelor's/Master's Status

The Bachelor's/Master's option enables students completing a BA or BS degree and who plan to go on to graduate study at The New School to take courses that will apply to both their undergraduate and graduate degrees. (This option is not available to BFA students.) Students approved for Bachelor's/Master's status can earn up to 12 of the 120 credits required for the Bachelor’s degree by taking courses in a participating New School graduate program. Then, if the student is subsequently admitted to the graduate program, the same 12 credits will also count toward the MA or MS degree, provided the student's performance in the courses met the standards of the graduate department in question. PLEASE NOTE: Acceptance into a BA/MA program does not guarantee admission into the corresponding graduate program. Separate application must be made to the graduate program upon completion of the Bachelor's degree.

Note that the maximum of 12 graduate credits applies only to the number of credits that can be applied to the MA/MS degree. There is no limit to the number of graduate credits a student can earn and apply to the Bachelor’s degree, assuming the student is ready to do work at the graduate level and the courses are approved by the student's advisor.

A PDF version of this information sheet is available here.

Participating Graduate Programs

International Affairs (NSGS)
Media Studies (NSGS)
Anthropology (NSSR)
Economics (NSSR)
Historical Studies (NSSR)
Liberal Studies (NSSR)
Philosophy (NSSR)
Political Science (NSSR)
Psychology (NSSR)
Sociology (NSSR)
Urban Affairs and Policy Analysis (Milano) 
Organizational Change Management (Milano) 
Nonprofit Management (Milano) 

Application Criteria for Bachelor's/Master's Status

  1. The student must be pursuing either a BA or BS degree (there is no combined option for the BFA degree).
  2. At the time of application, the student must have completed at least 60 credits towards the bachelor’s degree, including a significant amount of coursework in the subject area for which the student is applying.
  3. At the time of application, the student must have completed at least 12 credits in residence at The New School.
  4. The student must have at least a 3.33 cumulative grade point average.
  5. The student must have an interest in matriculating in one of the participating graduate programs at The New School listed above. (Other universities are unlikely to accept these credits toward their graduate program requirements.)

Any student who is interested in the Bachelor's/Master's option should:

  1. Consult with his or her advisor about the nature of graduate work, the student’s qualifications and preparation for it, and the area most appropriate to the student’s educational and career plans.
  2. Carefully review the appropriate graduate program catalog.
  3. Compose a thorough and thoughtful essay explaining the importance of the Bachelor's/Master's option for the student’s education; the essay should establish that
  • the student has significant knowledge of the graduate program in question
  • the area of study makes sense given the student's academic or professional interests, preparation, and career plans
  • the student has good reasons for taking graduate courses now rather than waiting until the undergraduate degree is completed
  • the student's prior study and experience provide a sufficient basis for believing that the student would do well in graduate-level courses

Applications for Bachelor's/Master's status must include:

  1. The Application for Bachelor's/Master's Status (available in the Bachelor’s Program office or download here)
  2. The essay as described above (2-3 pages)
  3. A writing sample (an academic paper of 10-20 pages) preferably written for a course relevant to the requested graduate program
  4. Optional: a résumé if you feel it would aid your application

Note: please staple or clip the materials together—do not submit binders or folders.

Mail or deliver all materials to the Bachelor's Program office, 66 West 12th St., 9th floor, New York, NY 10011.

Registration for accepted Bachelor's/Master's Students

  • If a course is cross-listed, Bachelor's/Master's students must use the graduate CRN number to register for the course.
  • Bachelor's/Master's students register for graduate courses with their undergraduate academic advisor. Depending on the program into which the student was accepted, the student may also receive assistance from the Media Studies program advisor, the assistant to the director of the International Affairs program, the assistant dean of Milano, or the student advisor of the NSSR department. However, these other advisors are not allowed to sign the actual registration forms for Bachelor's/Master's students. The official registration must be done with the advisor in the student's undergraduate division.
  • For all graduate courses with limited enrollment, Bachelor’s/Master’s students must consult first with the designated graduate program student advisor for permission (not the departmental chairperson or the instructor). Note: for NSSR courses, PhD students are always given priority when enrollment limited.