Concurrent Degrees

BS/MS & BS/ME Degree Programs

The concurrent BS/MS & BS/ME classification offers an opportunity for well-qualified Iowa State juniors and seniors to begin working on a master’s degree before completing a bachelor’s degree.

Note: Concurrent BS/MS & BS/ME classification does not change any of the rules for either the BS or MS/ME degree. Specifically, it does not reduce the number of credits that are required for either the BS or MS/ME degree. It allows the student to get a head start in completing his or her master’s degree.

Program Requirements

• Up to 2 semesters of concurrent enrollment are allowed
• Students must take at least 3 credits of graduate course work each semester during concurrent enrollment
  • 500-level and above AerE courses
  • Qualified 400-level and above in other majors labeled nonmajor graduate credit
• Students can count up to 6 credits of 500-level courses in aerospace engineering for both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees

Admission requirements for BS/MS

• You must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5
• Minimum 90 credits accrued to begin BS/Graduate Student Program
• An AerE professor must agree to serve as your major professor
• GRE exam required
• Eligible for graduate assistance

Admission requirements for BS/ME

• You must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Minimum 90 credits accrued to begin BS/Graduate Student Program
• GRE exam required
• NOT eligible for graduate assistance

Application Procedure

The details for all of these concurrent programs are located in Chapter 4 of the Graduate College Handbook. There is one form located at the Graduate College website on the forms page that will be used for the admissions and concurrent enrollment process.

To obtain the new form, undergraduate/graduate concurrent applicants need to choose the link for “Concurrent Enrollment for Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees” under “Concurrent Student Request Forms” at https://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/student/forms/.

The process works as follows:

A student will contact the graduate department of choice and provide that program with the items needed for an admissions decision, along with the partially completed concurrent form. The program will make an admissions recommendation and the DOGE will sign the form, indicating the admissions status and term/year of admission.

The form must then be approved by the undergraduate department and the undergraduate college. The form must be delivered to the Graduate College, which will review the admissions recommendation and make an admissions decision.

That decision will be relayed to the Office of Admissions, which will officially admit the student and notify the Office of the Registrar of the new graduate concurrent status. Programs and the student will also be notified of the final decision at this point. All other requirements for the concurrent degree (double-counting courses, transfer of credits, etc.) remain the same.

Note: Your application material will be reviewed by the AerE director of graduate education (DOGE). No decision will be made until you have identified a major professor and that professor has notified the Graduate Programs Office in writing that he or she will be serving as your major professor. Official action taken on your application will be communicated to you by the Office of Admissions.

Upon acceptance, you will be classified as a graduate student. To check on the status of your application, e-mail the AerE graduate programs assistant Maddi England, madisone@iastate.edu.

Assistantships and tuition scholarships for BS/MS students

Students admitted to the BS/MS program will be eligible for at least a 1⁄4-time research assistantship. In some cases, students may qualify for up to a 1⁄2-time graduate assistantship. The graduate assistantship will be determined by your major professor in consultation with the DOGE.

Eligible graduate assistants receive tuition scholarship funds to help defray the cost of a graduate program of study. Master’s students on a half-time graduate assistantship generally pay 50% of the in-state tuition.

BS/MBA Degree Program

The concurrent BS/MS classification offers an opportunity for well-qualified Iowa State juniors and seniors to begin working on a master’s degree before completing a bachelor’s degree. This is a rigorous 5-year program hence admission is selective. Superior intellectual ability, strong leadership attributes and high motivation and career-focus required.

• Minimum of 5 academic years or 10 semesters required
• First three years as a typical Aerospace curriculum
• Summer study possible, but students encouraged to complete two summer internships
• BS Aerospace requires 129 credit hours
• MBA requires 48 credit hours
• Twelve credits can be shared between the two programs
• Total minimum requirement 165 credit hours

Admission Procedure

• Application for an ISU Undergraduate Student Wishing to Pursue a Concurrent Graduate Degree
• Application should be completed by March 15 of the junior year
• Official transcripts
• Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)
• Letters of recommendation (3)
• Essay responses
• Resume
• Interview (by invitation only)

• Twelve approved graduate credits may be applied to the BS/Aer E and the MBA. The twelve “shared” credits are Econ 532 (Gen Ed), Aer E technical, and two career electives.
• The business quantitative methods course in the MBA (BusAd 502) is waived if Stat 305 or STAT 341 is satisfactorily completed (grade B or better). (Technical elective)
• Aer E students should plan to take Econ 101 as a Gen Ed as prerequisite to Econ 532 in the MBA.
• Twelve credits of MBA electives in Semester 9 and Semester 10 must be 500 level courses from the College of Business.

Admission into the Engineering/MBA concurrent degree will only be considered for the fall semester of the student’s senior year. If admitted to the MBA program, students then complete a concurrent enrollment request form. Admitted students are classified as graduate students when concurrent enrollment begins and are subsequently assessed graduate tuition and fees.