CEE Bachelors + Masters Pathway

BACHELOR'S + MASTER'S PATHWAY OVERVIEW

The Bachelor's + Master's Pathway allows currently admitted PSU BSCE or BSENVE students to get a head-start on their master's degree. Undergraduate students admitted into the B+M Pathway may take up to 16 credit hours of electives at the 500 level and apply these credits to both their undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. This benefit of shared coursework credit effectively shortens the minimum time required to complete the master’s degree. The CEE Master’s program requires meeting the appropriate core and elective course requirements for an individual specialty area in structural, geotechnical, transportation, or environmental and water resources engineering.

Pathway students must still apply to the Graduate Program and will be admitted to the CEE Master's program as long as the B+M Pathway continuation criteria are satisfied. Students must start their master's program within one academic year of BSCE/BSENVE graduation in order to use their pathway courses towards their master's degree. Students not meeting the continuation criteria can still apply for admission to the master’s degree program without the benefits of shared coursework credits.

As an undergraduate student, the 500-level credits will be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate. Post-bac students will be charged graduate rates per PSU policy. To be eligible for the B+M Pathway program, students must meet the PSU institutional requirement for residency for the undergraduate degree program (45 of the last 60 credits to be taken in residence at PSU).

CREDIT APPLICATION

Once a B+M Pathway student is formally admitted into the CEE Master’s program, the Department will request the 500-level credits taken as an undergraduate to be applied to the master's degree. Note that:
● Only coursework with a grade of B, or higher, will be applied.
● Any coursework taken prior to formal admission into the B+M Pathway is not eligible for
shared credit.

ADMISSION CRITERIA

Students who meet the following admission criteria for the B+M Pathway will receive notification from the CEE Department spring term of their junior year that they are eligible to be enrolled in the program:
● Formally admitted into the PSU BSCE/BSENVE Program.
● Completed 16 credit hours of approved 300 or 400 level upper division BSCE/BSENVE coursework,
excluding university studies upper division cluster courses.
● Institutional PSU GPA of 3.30 at time of eligibility notification.
Eligible students must respond to the CEE Department eligibility notification with intent to join the program by April 15th of the same year to be admitted to the B+M Pathway.

CONTINUATION CRITERIA

Students must maintain an institutional PSU GPA of 3.30 through to completion of the BSCE/BSENVE degree and enroll in the CEE Master’s program within 1 year of graduation from the BSCE/BSENVE.

ACCEPTANCE DEADLINE

Eligible junior-level students will receive an eligibility notification directly from the CEE Department spring term. Students must respond to the CEE Department eligibility notification with the intent to join the pathway program by April 15th of the same year to be admitted to the B+M Pathway.

If you did not receive a notification and are eligible for the program, or you will meet the eligibility criteria after the April 15th deadline, please complete this application form and we will review your request.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: I am currently a senior-level student that is graduating soon and would like to join the B+M program. Who do I talk to about that?

A: We will consider senior-level students that meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in joining the B+M Pathway program, but acceptance is not guaranteed. Please complete this application form and we will review your request.

Q: What 500-level graduate courses apply to the B+M program?

A: The CEE Master's program requires meeting the appropriate core and elective course requirements for an individual specialty area in structural, geotechnical, transportation, or environmental and water resources engineering. Students admitted to the B+M program will meet with an advisor and select CE 500-level graduate core courses in their specialization. Approved core courses are listed in the CEE Graduate Program of Study Guide.

Q: What if the graduate course I want to take is not listed as a core course in the CEE Graduate Program of Study Guide?

A: Registering for a CE course that is not listed as a core course requires prior approval from the CEE Department; requests should be sent to ceedept@pdx.edu prior to the start of the term.

Q. How is graduate coursework different from undergraduate coursework?

A. Graduate coursework will require more time and effort. It is less prescribed and requires self-direction, such as finding your own source material, taking initiative, and spending more time researching. A 4-credit graduate course will feel more like 6 undergraduate credits of coursework. Likewise, "full-time" for graduate students is 9 credits (as opposed to 12 for undergraduates). Keep this in mind when you register for graduate courses in your senior year. We encourage you to meet with the instructor before taking any 500-level course.

Q. How, when, and why do I apply to the Graduate Program?

A. We only know if you plan to join the Graduate Program when you apply. The application is free for B+M students and you can apply on the Graduate Admissions website. Admission is available Fall, Winter, or Spring terms. Application deadlines are listed on our website. If you miss the application deadline and would still like to apply, please contact ceedept@pdx.edu as soon as possible.

Q: How much will I be charged for taking 500-level graduate coursework in the B+M Pathway program?

A: Undergraduate students will be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate. Post-bac students will be charged graduate tuition rates per PSU policy. More information on tuition costs are available on the PSU student finance website.

Q: Do I have to take 16 credit hours of 500-level graduate coursework once I am admitted to the B+M Pathway program?

A: No. You may take less than 16 credits. The benefit of shared coursework is that it shortens the time required to complete the Master's degree.

Q. What is the difference between the Master of Science (MS) S and the Master of Engineering (MEng) programs?

A. The MS and MEng are both master's programs. The MS program is 45 credits and requires a thesis/research component. The MEng is 48 credits and is a coursework-only program. It is sometimes possible for an MEng student to switch to the MS program at a later date if a research opportunity arises, though this is not guaranteed.

Q: How does advising work for the Pathway program?

A: Students in the Pathway program will be advised by the CEE Undergraduate Advisor, Evan Kristof. Once the student has graduated from the BSCE/BSENVE and has enrolled in a CEE Master's program, they will be advised by a graduate advisor. For admission to the MS, a student must have a CEE faculty member agree to be their advisor. MEng students will have an advisor assigned to them.

Q. What happens if I have already applied to the graduate program, but don't meet the B+M continuation criteria?

A. Admission to the Master's program requires meeting the continuation criteria for the B+M program. Students who do not meet the criteria may still apply to the graduate program without the benefits of shared coursework.

For the MS: If there is no faculty adviser available or the criteria are not met, you may be required to move to the MEng coursework-only program.