Synopsis of Co-Terminal Studies
Co-terminal degrees allow outstanding Illinois Institute of Technology undergraduate students to simultaneously complete both an undergraduate and graduate degree (bachelor’s degree and master’s degree).
Co-terminal degrees provide an opportunity for students to gain greater knowledge in specialized areas while completing a smaller number of credit hours with increased scheduling flexibility than the completion of two degrees separately. Because most co-terminal degrees allow students to share course credit (a maximum of nine credit hours), students may complete both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in as few as five years. Up to a combined total of nine applicable credit hours earned prior to matriculation into an Illinois Institute of Technology graduate degree program, subject to the graduate studies rules and restrictions, may be considered for 1) external transfer credit for graduate transfer credit use; 2) internal transfer credit from an Illinois Institute of Technology undergraduate program; and/or 3) shared co-terminal program credit. More information regarding this policy is available in the Transfer Credit section of the Graduate Catalog.
All co-terminal degree requirements must be completed within six years of undergraduate matriculation, or the student will be dismissed from the co-terminal degree program. A student who is placed on undergraduate academic probation may be dismissed from the co-terminal program pending review.
Admission
Students applying to co-terminal studies must have completed at least 60 credit hours of applicable undergraduate study and at least one full-semester (12 credit hours) at the university. Students must be at least one full-time semester (12 credit hours) away from undergraduate degree completion in order to apply. Applicants are required to have a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0; however, please consult individual departments for specific minimum GPA requirements. The deadlines for application to co-terminal admission are:
- August 1 for fall semester
- December 1 for spring semester
- May 1 for summer semester (all sessions)
Questions regarding co-terminal admission should be addressed to the Office of Graduate Admission at grad.admission@iit.edu.
Co-Terminal Shared and Non-Shared Credit Form
Before completion of nine credit hours of graduate coursework applicable to the co-terminal degree program, and in the first semester of co-terminal enrollment, a Co-Terminal Shared and Non-Shared Credit Form must be filed with and approved by the co-terminal academic adviser, the academic unit head, and the Office of Graduate Academic Affairs. The Co-Terminal Shared and Non-Shared Credit Form is created and filed in eForms for Degree Works, which is accessed through a tab in Graduate Degree Works. Graduate Degree Works is located the MyIIT portal (my.iit.edu) under the Academics tab in the Graduate Academic Affairs channel. The Co-Terminal Shared and Non-Shared Credit Form is used to monitor the successful completion of the master’s degree requirements.
Academic Standing
Co-terminal students must maintain satisfactory grade point averages and a satisfactory rate of progress towards the completion of their co-terminal degrees. The university considers co-terminal students to have an undergraduate student status throughout the course of their studies; however, students are subject to both undergraduate and graduate academic policies.
Co-terminal students who do not earn at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA, a 1.85 term GPA, a 2.0 major GPA, or who do not maintain satisfactory academic progress are placed on undergraduate academic probation. Co-terminal students who are placed on undergraduate academic probation will be dismissed from the co-terminal program.
In order to remain in good academic standing on the graduate level, co-terminal students must maintain a GPA of 3.0/4.0. A student who earns a GPA of less than 3.0/4.0 will be placed on graduate academic probation. If in subsequent semesters the co-terminal student fails to make the requisite academic progress in accordance with graduate academic standing rules, they will be dismissed from co-terminal study.
Dismissal
A student dismissed from co-terminal degree status may still complete the undergraduate degree following the academic rules of undergraduate study. A student who is dismissed from co-terminal degree status may apply for Accelerated Master's Program admission consideration in the future.
