Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Programs in the Professional Schools

Well-qualified students may be able to structure their undergraduate programs to become eligible for a master’s degree in Environmental Management or Environmental Science, Global Affairs, Music, or Public Health after one additional year of graduate study at Yale. For more information see the respective program descriptions in Subjects of Instruction or on the respective websites.

Completion of Degree Requirements at the End of a Fall Term

Students who at the end of a fall term complete the requirements for graduation may be of two kinds: (1) those who complete such requirements in eight terms of regular enrollment; and (2) those who have accelerated; see section Q, Acceleration Policies. The following rules apply to such students.

1. Notification by the student Students must, by the fifteenth day of September, complete a Yale College Petition for December Degree Conferral to notify the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing, through their residential college dean's office, that the fall term will be that student’s last term of enrollment. Before submitting this petition, students should confirm that they will have completed all major and distributional requirements by the end of the fall term. Failure to observe the deadline will result in students being charged a fine of $20.
2. Award of degrees and diplomas Students who complete degree requirements at the end of a fall term are awarded their degrees after all grades are reported and degree requirements are met. Any degree requirements that aren’t completed, including resolution of final grades, by January 31 for students who applied to have their degree conferred in December will become if-and-when students and will not have their degree conferred with the December degree conferral date. Degree clearance can take several weeks. Students should check their unofficial transcripts to determine if the degree has been awarded before ordering official transcripts. Diplomas are mailed to students at the diploma address they provide. Students who have their degree conferred at the end of a fall term are considered to be members of the class that graduates during that academic year, the same as the May graduates. Eligibility for General Honors will be based on the criteria of the most recent graduating class. If a student who completes degree requirements at the end of a fall term wishes to participate in the Commencement exercises held in the previous academic year, the student may do so with the permission of the residential college head and dean. Such might be the case, for example, for students who because of a leave of absence did not qualify for graduation with the class in Yale College with which they entered as a first-year. 

Courses in the Yale Graduate and Professional Schools

In addition to undergraduate courses, Yale College students may consider enrolling in graduate and professional school courses, but they should do so carefully, ensuring that they have the appropriate academic preparation and follow the policies and procedures described below.

A student may request to elect a graduate or professional school course, other than those designated independent study, by entering the course on the Course Schedule Selection Form. Students who wish to elect a professional school course (except for the School of Management) must also complete an additional form available on the University Registrar’s Office website. This additional form must be completed by the student, signed by the course instructor, and must also be signed by the appropriate agent of the dean or the registrar of the school in which the course is offered. Students who wish to elect a School of Management course should visit the School of Management website.

Requests should be made as early as possible in the term in which enrollment is sought and not later than the last day of add/drop period. In recognition of the need to have a student’s schedule of courses finalized promptly, forms that are submitted after this date or that are incomplete will normally not be approved. Exceptions require action of the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing in response to a petition from the student, and incur a $5 daily processing fee.

Note that systems for the award of course credit in the professional schools differ and that not all courses in these schools yield a full course credit in Yale College. Once all materials for a request to elect a professional school course are received by the Office of the University Registrar, a review will be made, and the student will be informed as to whether the course will earn Yale College course credit and, if so, how much. Courses that earn no Yale College credit will normally not be entered on the Yale College transcript.

Note also that Yale College students are not permitted to enroll in independent study courses in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or in any of the professional schools of the University, unless already accepted into the program for the simultaneous award of the bachelor’s and master's degrees. Enrollment in graduate or professional school courses does not typically earn credit toward Yale College distributional requirements (see section A, Distributional Requirements, no. 8). While such courses may count toward the undergraduate degree, the director of undergraduate studies of a department may determine whether they also count toward major requirements.

UG Options

Options for Undergraduates	Yale College Courses	Graduate/Professional School Courses
Can I enroll under the Credit/D/Fail option?	Yes, see Section B, Credit/D/Fail Option	No
Can I take an independent study course?	Yes, see Section C, Normal Program of Study	No, unless already accepted into the simultaneous degree program; see Section L, Courses in the Yale Graduate and Professional Schools
Can I earn credit toward distributional requirements?	Yes, see Section A, Distributional Requirements	No, unless instructor has secured approval from Yale College in advance of the start of term; see Section A, Distributional Requirements, no. 8

A student may offer as many as four course credits earned in professional schools of the University toward the 36-course-credit requirement for the bachelor’s degree. Courses taken in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are not included in this four-credit restriction.

The deadlines and regulations of Yale College are binding on all students, including candidates for the simultaneous award of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, in regard to courses in which they are enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the professional schools of the University. These include the deadlines and regulations pertaining to withdrawal from courses, late or postponed work, and work incomplete at the end of term. An exception in deadline may be made in a course offered in a professional school of the University in which the academic calendar differs from that of Yale College. A request for such an exception must be grounded in compelling academic reasons, and must be made in writing by the instructor of the course to the student’s residential college dean in advance of the deadline in question. Instructors of courses in the Graduate School and in the professional schools of the University are expected to use the Yale College grading system when they report grades for undergraduates who have completed their courses. While undergraduate students may enroll, with the instructor's permission, in half-term professional or graduate school courses, they may not enroll in full or partial-term courses that conclude in the middle of the following term.

To comply with federal regulations, the University Registrar's Office does not retroactively adjust student records. Accordingly, students who are enrolled in cross-listed courses (e.g., courses with both a Graduate School and Yale College course number and/or courses taught in two or more different departments) must ensure that they are enrolled under the appropriate course number. The deadline to change school levels (Graduate School or Yale College) or departments is the last day of classes in the corresponding term of enrollment.

Curricular Combinations and Course Overlap allowances

Specific combinations of majors, two majors, skills-based and interdisciplinary certificates, and simultaneous degrees enable students to configure combinations that will best serve the purposes of a liberal arts education. By establishing limits comprised of three combinations of curricular options, students are better able to organize their interests into coherent sets of courses.

The following combinations of three are allowed without special permissions: one major and two certificates; two majors and one certificate; a simultaneous Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree (B.A./M.A. or B.S./M.S.) and one certificate and a second major.

Students may, in special circumstances, submit a Petition to Exceed Limits on Curricular Combinations to the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing for permission to earn an additional combination. In the petition, the student must give sound academic reasons for exceeding these limits and explain how this additional combination will enhance the breadth and depth of their overall Yale academic program. 

Additionally, no more than two course credits may overlap in the fulfillment of the requirements of a major, two majors, a certificate, or a simultaneous degree. Students may not apply the same course credit toward the requirements of more than two curricular programs. For example, the same course credit may not be used to fulfill the requirements of two certificates and a major.

Double Credit for a Single-Credit Course

Two course credits for a course in Yale College normally carrying one course credit may be awarded to a student under the following conditions:

1. Deadline Students must consult with their college dean, instructor, and DUS before submitting the Double Credit for a Single Credit Course Petition, which is due no later than midterm, as published in the Yale College Calendar with Pertinent Deadlines. If permission is granted, the course will not be converted back to a single credit course.
2. Petition and approvals The student’s petition must be approved by the instructor of the course, the director of undergraduate studies in the instructor’s department, and the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing. The petition should include a detailed syllabus, highlighting all proposed work, and an explanation of how the student’s proposed work meets at least twice the normal expectations of the course.
3. Distributional requirements When a petition for double credit is approved for a course that fulfills a distributional requirement, the additional credit may not be applied toward the distributional requirement, although it may be applied toward the 36-course-credit requirement for graduation.
4. Multiple courses A student may make use of this arrangement rarely, and no more than once or twice.

Simultaneous Award of the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

Exceptional students may be able to structure their undergraduate programs to become eligible for a simultaneous master’s degree in selected graduate programs. Students must successfully complete the relevant graduate course requirements and earn qualitative grades of Honors, High Pass, or Pass. At least two grades of Honors are required, and all grades must average High Pass in order to fulfill requirements for the master’s degree.

Students should review the GSAS Degree-Granting Departments and Programs page and select the relevant program for specific requirements and application information. Note especially that, in addition to the regulations stated here, Yale College students are also bound by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Programs and Policies governing the simultaneous degree.

The simultaneous degree can be conferred only in a single department or program and only in departments or programs that confer both degrees. For example, a student may not complete a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a master’s degree in Political Science, nor may a student combine a bachelor’s degree in a multi-departmental major (e.g., Ethics, Politics, and Economics) with a master’s degree in one of its constituent departments. A student pursuing a simultaneous degree may, however, complete two separate undergraduate majors as long as one of the undergraduate majors is in the same department as the master’s degree. Currently, the following departments offer the simultaneous degree option: Chemistry; Classics; East Asian Studies; French; History; Linguistics; Mathematics; Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Music; Political Science; and Statistics and Data Science. For more information about this program, contact the relevant director of undergraduate studies.

1. Eligibility Applicants cannot be considered for admission unless by the end of their fifth term of enrollment they have achieved at least two-thirds A or A– grades in all of their course credits, as well as in all of the course credits directly relating to their major. These are the minimal requirements; participating departments often have additional eligibility requirements, and students should consult the relevant director of undergraduate studies for this information. Because the Eli Whitney Students program is for enrollment for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) only, students in that program are ineligible for the simultaneous award of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Please note that these are the minimum criteria for admission, and that the relevant department faculty may have additional criteria, or may need to place limits on the number of students they can recommend for candidacy.
   Prior to admission to the program, students enrolling in a course that carries both an undergraduate and a graduate number must enroll under the graduate number if they wish to apply that course toward the graduate school requirements. The University Registrar's Office cannot change the course number on student records after the last day of classes in the corresponding term of enrollment.
   Students who apply to this program should note that their work toward the master's degree will likely limit the opportunities for a wider distribution of studies over different subjects. For this reason, students who are accepted into candidacy and have a second major should strongly consider dropping their second major.
2. Application Students should consult with both the DUS and DGS well in advance of submitting the online application, which is due no later than the last day of classes in their fifth term of enrollment in Yale College. While there is no advantage to applying earlier in the term, this is an application for admissions to a Graduate School program, and this deadline is strictly enforced. In the application, students should provide evidence of eligibility, reasons for pursuing the simultaneous degree, and plans for completing the program requirements. If the department acts favorably on the student's application, it is forwarded with the formal approval of the director of undergraduate studies and of the director of graduate studies to the joint committee of Yale College and the Graduate School for review. If the joint committee admits the student to candidacy, the associate dean of academic affairs for Yale College will notify the student. Because the joint committee must review all fifth-term grades of all applicants across the participating departments, this notification may not be sent until after the add/drop period of the sixth term. Students should therefore select their sixth-term courses with the understanding that they may not be admitted to candidacy. 
3. Program requirements Specific requirements for the award of degrees will be determined by each department. Normally, a student is expected to complete the requirements of the undergraduate major in addition to eight or more course credits in the Graduate School. For all students in the program, graduate work should not be entirely concentrated in the final two terms.
   Students may not enroll in Yale College for more than eight terms in order to qualify for the simultaneous award of both degrees. It is possible to earn both degrees in fewer than eight terms, but not by the use of acceleration credits. Upon acceptance into the program, a student who has accelerated by the use of acceleration credits will automatically be decelerated, and may not, so long as the student remains in the simultaneous degree program, subsequently employ the credits to accelerate. While some participating departments may allow up to two overlapping term courses to apply to the requirements of both the major and the master’s degree, and while students are not prohibited from additionally completing a second major, students may not apply two overlapping term courses toward the completion of both the simultaneous degree and toward completion of the two majors; only one such overlap is permitted (see Curricular Combinations and Course Overlap Allowances). 
4. Requirements for the master’s degree For information on requirements for the master's degree, see the GSAS Degree-Granting Departments and Programs page and select the relevant program for specific requirements and application information. Students in those departments with a language requirement for the Ph.D. degree will be required to demonstrate proficiency in one of the specified languages.
5. Approval of course schedules Following notification that they have been accepted into the Program for the Simultaneous Award of the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees, students should consult each term with the director of undergraduate studies and the director of graduate studies.
6. Independent Study Students who have been admitted into the program may enroll in independent study courses in the graduate or professional school only if the director of graduate studies verifies that such courses are applicable to the degree requirements for the master's degree.

Two Majors

A student must petition the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing for permission to complete the requirements of two major programs. The Petition to Complete the Requirements of Two Majors is available on the University Registrar's Forms & Petitions site. A student contemplating the completion of two majors should bear in mind that doing so will almost invariably limit the opportunities for a wider distribution of studies over different subjects. 

Each major must be completed independently of the other, with no more than two term courses overlapping. Prerequisites in either major are not considered to be overlapping courses. Other than such prerequisites, all courses taken in a major—including those taken in excess of the minimum requirements of the major—are counted in the consideration of overlapping courses unless such courses are in excess of the minimum requirements for both majors. Overlapping courses may not include the senior essay or senior project, unless the essay or project is unusually substantial and represents at least the equivalent of the minimum essay or project requirement of the one major in addition to the minimum essay or project requirement of the other major. If a single senior essay or project is approved for the two majors, no additional overlap in course credits is permitted (see Curricular Combinations and Course Overlap Allowances). A joint senior project may earn no more than 3 course credits.

It is not possible to petition to complete two majors when one of the majors is combined with one of its component majors. For example, a major in Economics and Mathematics cannot be joined with a second major in either Economics or Mathematics. Similarly, a student completing a major that permits the inclusion of a concentration of courses from another major or program cannot also major in that second major or program. For example, a major in Psychology cannot have a second major in Neuroscience. A Special Divisional Major may not be offered as one of two majors.

A petition for two majors should show clearly how the requirements for each of the two programs will be met, and petitioners should consult the appropriate directors of undergraduate studies. The completion of two majors does not result in the award of two degrees; a student who completes a major that leads to the award of the B.A. degree and another major that leads to the award of the B.S. degree may choose the degree to be conferred. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their residential college dean and with the director of undergraduate studies in both majors. A petition to complete the requirements of two majors should be made only after the student’s plans are definite, but no later than the due date for course schedules in the student’s final term of enrollment. Petitions submitted after this deadline will be accepted only by exceptional action of the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing and will be fined $50.

A student may not petition for permission to complete the requirements of more than two major programs.