The Fifth Year Program offers academically outstanding Boston College Juniors a unique opportunity to begin graduate study during their undergraduate senior year, allowing them to graduate with a bachelor's and master's degree in five years.
All undergraduate juniors in the Lynch School of Education, College of Arts and Sciences, Connell School of Nursing, and Carroll School of Management are eligible to apply.
In consultation with the Fifth Year Program Advisor, a graduate level course is added each semester to the student's senior-year schedule. In addition to the time advantage, there is a considerable savings involved. The two graduate level courses taken in the senior year are covered by undergraduate tuition, so the amount saved at current graduate tuition rates is more than $6,000.
None of the 38 courses required for the bachelor's degree may be counted toward the Fifth Year Program. As part of the program, students take two graduate courses above and beyond the 38 three-credit courses that must be completed in order to fulfill the bachelor's degree requirements. These courses must be 300 level graduate courses or above.
Fifth Year Programs are available in:
- Early Childhood, Elementary, or Secondary Education
- Moderate Special Needs (including mild/moderate learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, and behavior disorders)
- Severe Special Needs (including visually impaired, deaf/blindness, and multiple disabilities)
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Higher Education
- Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation
- Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology
Application Process
- Students must apply by March 1 of their junior year.
- Applicants must meet all graduate admission requirements. Download the Fifth Year Application Checklist.
- The application fee is waived for applicants to the Fifth Year Program.
- Notification of approval to begin the program is usually made in May by the Office of Graduate Admission.
- If students are in a study-abroad program during their junior year but are still interested in the Fifth Year Program, they should contact the Office of Graduate Admission (gsoe@bc.edu or 617-552-4214).
Full Graduate Student Status
Upon successful graduation from the undergraduate program, the senior year coursework is reviewed and a determination about formal admission into the full graduate program is made. Upon final admission, the student is sent an official letter of acceptance into the full master's program.