Rule 3341-3-66 | Combined Bachelor's to Master's Program.
(A) Policy statement and purporse
Bowling Green state university (BGSU) offers several graduate programs that permit students from select BGSU undergraduate programs to apply to a combined bachelor's to master's program ("combined program"). This combined program provides students with the opportunity to complete both degrees efficiently. Not all master's degree programs participate in this option.
This policy pertains to BGSU students who wish to officially pursue both a bachelor's and master's degree simultaneously. Students who wish to take graduate level courses after earning at least seventy-five undergraduate credit hours without enrolling in a master's degree program should refer to the graduate coursework for advanced undergraduate students policy.
(B) Policy
(1) Admissions requirements
In addition to program-specific requirements, the following requirements apply to all combined programs.
(a) Eligibility criteria at the start of combined status
Students must be enrolled in a BGSU undergraduate degree program requiring a minimum of one hundred twenty credit hours.
Credit hours and GPA required at start of combined status:
(i) Seventy-five credit hours earned and a cumulative BGSU GPA of at least 3.2, or
(ii) Ninety credit hours earned and a cumulative BGSU GPA of at least 3.0.
(iii) BGSU GPA is calculated based on BGSU credits only.
(iv) Credits hours earned may include both BGSU and transfer credit.
(b) Application requirements
(i) Completed combined program application.
(ii) Official transcripts from all institutions (excluding BGSU) where a bachelor's degree or higher was awarded.
(iii) Completion of any additional program-specific graduate application requirements.
(2) Student status
(a) Students accepted into a combined program remain coded as undergraduate students with combined status until the bachelor's degree is conferred.
(b) Upon conferral of the bachelor's degree, students are coded as graduate students.
(c) A student's status as an undergraduate or graduate student determines applicability to other BGSU policies pertaining to degree status.
(3) Credit requirements
The following requirements apply to all combined programs:
(a) Students may take up to nine credit hours of graduate coursework while maintaining undergraduate status.
(b) A maximum of nine graduate credit hours may be counted toward both the bachelor's and the master's degrees.
(c) The master's degree must include at least thirty graduate credit hours.
(d) The combined total of unique credit hours required for both degrees must be at least one hundred forty-one. The state of Ohio typically requires one hundred twenty hours for a bachelor's and thirty for a master's, totaling one hundred fifty hours for non-combined pathways.
(e) Undergraduate combined students may enroll in 5000- and 6000-level graduate classes, but not 7000-level.
(f) All graduate policies pertaining to credit hours, time to degree, and grading apply to combined students.
(4) Degree Conferral
The bachelor's and master's degrees are conferred separately. Students who complete both sets of requirements will receive both degrees. If a student does not complete the master's degree, they will still earn the bachelor's degree, provided all bachelor's requirements are met.
(5) Tuition
(a) Students pay undergraduate tuition and fee rates until the bachelor's degree is conferred.
(b) After bachelor's degree conferral, students are coded as graduate students and pay the graduate tuition and fees.
(6) Financial aid
Financial aid eligibility is based on student status:
(a) Undergraduate combined students may be eligible to receive undergraduate financial aid but are not eligible for graduate assistantships.
(b) Once students are coded as graduate students, they are eligible for but not guaranteed graduate-level financial assistance, including graduate assistantships with stipends and/or graduate tuition scholarships.
(7) Program withdrawl
Undergraduate students may withdraw from the combined program and continue as traditional undergraduate students toward the completion of the bachelor's degree.
(8) Program dismissal
Students who fail to maintain minimum requirements for adequate academic graduate standing will lose combined status but may continue in their bachelor's degree program if they maintain adequate undergraduate academic standing.
Last updated April 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
Supplemental Information
Amplifies: 3341.
Prior Effective Dates: 11/2/2016, 12/19/2019