GSAS Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program

In this program, students complete all requirements for the BA or BS and for the MA or MS. The last two years of undergraduate study are integrated with the first year of graduate work, eliminating duplication of courses and reducing the time required to earn the two degrees. 

Tufts undergraduate students have the options of:

• double-counting up to two graduate-level courses (100-level or higher) toward both their Bachelor's and Master's degree requirements
• reserving graduate-level courses from Tufts undergraduate studies toward the master's requirements (pending faculty approval). Please contact the Registrar's Office for more information.

This rewarding degree program is an ideal fit for Tufts undergraduates who are interested in rigorous, innovative programming.

Students must apply for this program before they complete their undergraduate studies, typically in their junior or early in their senior year. The deadline to apply is March 15 for juniors. The deadline has been extended to April 1 for seniors.

All admission decisions for graduate programs are made at the program level by faculty. Rising juniors and seniors who are interested in pursuing a Fifth-Year Master’s should contact the Director of Graduate Study of their intended programs. Students must be enrolled as an active undergraduate student at the time of application, but may defer their admission for up to two years with approval of the program.

Seniors must submit their graduation packet and Course Distribution Form to Student Services by May 1. Forms will not be accepted after May 1; there will be no exceptions. Seniors who apply to the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program will be required to submit this form as a part of their application materials. If the required forms for course distribution have not been submitted by May 1 to Student Services, you will be considered for the master’s program only, not the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program.

• No application fee
• No enrollment deposit
• No GRE scores needed

Only two letters of recommendation required (we strongly suggest one is from an academic advisor)

• Lower Tuition Cost: if admitted to your program, you will reduce the cost of your master's by applying credits already earned as an undergraduate. Students accepted into a Fifth-year Master's Program will be charged graduate tuition per-credit once they receive their bachelor’s degree and only for the courses that are left to complete.
• Financial Aid Match: The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences provides a graduate tuition scholarship proportional to the undergraduate tuition award at the time of application.
• Scholarships and Aid: Many programs offer assistantships to their master’s students. Please visit GSAS Funding Opportunities for Incoming Students to learn more.

Fifth-Year Master’s programs are currently offered for the below graduate programs:

• Art Education, BFA/MAT – learn more about the MAT in Art Education
• Biology, BS/MS – learn more about the MS in Biology 
• Chemistry, BS/MS – learn more about the MS in Chemistry
• Child Study and Human Development, BA/MA – learn more about the MA in Child Study and Human Development
• Classics, BA/MA – learn more about the MA in Classics
• Data Analytics, BA/MS or BS/MS – learn more about the MS in Data Analytics
• Economics, BS/MS – learn more about the MS in Economics
• Middle and High School Education, BA/MAT or BS/MAT – learn more about the MAT in Middle and High School Education
• Environmental Policy and Planning, BA/MS or BS/MS – learn more about the MS in Environmental Policy and Planning
• Mathematics, BS/MS – learn more about the MS in Mathematics
• Museum Education BA/MA – learn more about the MA in Museum Education
• Music, BA/MA – learn more about the MA in Music
• Philosophy, BA/MA – learn more about the MA in Philosophy
• Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, BS/MA or BA/MA – learn more about the MA in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning