B.A./M.A. Program for Columbia Undergraduates

The B.A./M.A. option is a program available to Columbia undergraduate English and Comparative Literature majors who would like to pursue an M.A. in a condensed time frame and at a reduced cost. The Graduate School's full description of the program can be found here.

If admitted to the program, students take graduate-level coursework while still enrolled as undergraduates, and take classes in excess of the credit requirements for the B.A. Students then apply those extra credits toward the M.A. at a later date, after they have graduated. Students exercising the B.A./M.A. option enter our M.A. program with advanced standing: they can be credited with up to three courses at the 4000 level or above (for between 9 and 12 credits), and up to 0.5 Residence Units. Once they are enrolled, these students work to complete the remaining requirements for the M.A. 

Undergraduate students may apply to the B.A./M.A. program in their junior year, or in the first semester of their senior year. If admitted, students plan their subsequent academic schedules with our Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) and Associate Director of Graduate Studies (ADGS), to ensure that they are on track to exceed our B.A. requirements and earn transfer credit. Students who apply later than the fall semester of their senior year should submit the standard M.A. application, and transfer eligible credits upon enrolling in the M.A. program.

Applications can be submitted at the GSAS portal, and will be reviewed expeditiously. When applying, please be sure to consult with the English and Comparative Literature Department's DUS and ADGS.