Bachelor's Plus Accelerated Graduate Programs

Designed exclusively for RWU undergraduate students and select partner institutions, Bachelor’s Plus programs provide a convenient, affordable option to pursue your graduate degree. 

View our virtual session about the Bachelor's Plus Programs (presented 5/12/20):

How do these programs work?

Depending on your undergraduate program, you may pursue graduate coursework during your senior year at RWU for many of the Bachelor’s Plus offerings. Some programs allow for courses to count for credit at both the undergraduate and graduate level, saving you considerable money and time to start your graduate degree. Once you complete your bachelor’s degree, you’ll complete your graduate degree in a condensed amount of time, save money on your tuition, and start in the workforce more quickly than pursuing degrees elsewhere.  

  • Save Money
    In addition to offering scholarships in some programs, the Bachelor's Plus programs allow students to start graduate coursework during the senior year or limit the number of credits needed at the graduate level following graduation from certain undergraduate degree programs. Students also save on housing and related costs with a shorter duration of graduate study.
  • Save Time
    While most master's degrees take two years to complete, many Bachelor’s Plus options cut as much as a year from graduate study, allowing students to enter the workforce and begin earning sooner than other programs.
  • Early acceptance and advisement
    Most students participating in a Bachelor’s Plus program will apply during the junior year and start some graduate coursework in the senior year. The early courses provide a no-risk opportunity to take graduate classes without a significant financial commitment.
  • Experiential
    Much like undergraduate study at RWU, nearly all of our graduate programs provide an experiential education with required internships, student research, study abroad, service learning opportunities, and more.                                                                                       
  • Convenience
    Students end up loving Roger for one reason or another. By pursuing a Bachelor’s Plus program, you can choose to continue to have the same great experience with a graduate degree program here.                

Select from one of the available Bachelor's Plus programs below:

Prepare for practice with an in-depth understanding of the discipline, guaranteed scholarships and paid internships, and opportunities to learn from teaching firms in residence. The M.Arch provides the necessary credential for students to pursue licensure in the United States. Students in the undergraduate program take up to two graduate courses during the senior year before starting the graduate program. 

Learn more about the 4+2 in Architecture (M.Arch)

Drawing from the depth of the academic and professional experience of the Gabelli School of Business faculty, the 36-credit M.B.A. program provides a strong foundation across core business disciplines with practical applications through required internship and international experiences. The program is designed to enable students to become strategic thinkers, problem solvers and leaders. RWU students take one MBA course during the undergraduate senior year, allowing the course to count toward undergraduate and graduate course requirements.

Learn more about the 4+1 in Business Administration (M.B.A.)

Structured with two graduate courses taken during the senior year, the 36-credit M.S. in Criminal Justice is designed to help you make substantive connections between the study and practice of criminal justice education. The program provides you with opportunities to immerse yourself in the applied nature of the field while also conducting high quality research.

Learn more about the 4+1 in Criminal Justice

Designed for students with an undergraduate degree in Historic Preservation or Preservation Studies, the M.S. in Preservation Practices can be completed in just 34 credits over one calendar year. The program prepares students for practice in areas of cultural resource management, community planning, and place-based revitalization and redevelopment. The program couples a multi-disciplinary approach with a rigorous core of field-based professional preservation offerings, and provides students a guaranteed paid internship over the duration of their studies.

Learn more about the 4+1 in Preservation Practices

Recognizing the growing demand for all educators to possess specific skills in supporting students with exceptionalities, the M.A. Special Education program provides a perfect complement to the undergraduate initial teaching certification programs offered at RWU. Exceptional RWU undergraduate students with an interest in working in special education can earn six graduate credits in the M.A. Special Education program during their senior year and, if in good standing, continue on in one additional year of full-time study (either elementary or secondary special education).

Learn more about the 4+1 in Special Education

Earn your bachelor’s and juris doctor degrees in six years through RWU’s Three-Plus-Three Law program. You’ll get a jump-start on your J.D. by integrating law courses into your undergraduate studies and completing undergraduate requirements in your first year of law school. Interested students must indicate their intent to pursue a 3+3 pathway early in their undergraduate studies for curriculum planning and advising. 

This program is administered through the School of Law. All students interested in applying to the program must adhere to published admission requirements by the School of Law. 

Learn more about the 3+3 Juris Doctor/Bachelor's Program

Ready to Apply?

Applications to most Bachelor’s Plus programs are due by April 1st of the second semester of the junior year. Please note that students applying to the J.D. 3+3 programs must apply through the RWU School of Law and should work with their academic advisors for appropriate planning. 

For students interested in master's degrees as part of the Bachelor's Plus programs, please submit the following items to the Office of Graduate Admission:

  1. Completed application form online at grad.rwu.edu/apply
  2. Letter of Intent (two double-spaced pages maximum) describing your interest in your intended program, career goals, and how you can positively contribute to the graduate program at Roger Williams University
  3. Two (2) letters of recommendation from professional sources or academic faculty attesting to your potential to succeed in graduate school. (Architecture students are exempt from this requirement)
  4. Official RWU Transcripts (The Office of Graduate Admission will request these on your behalf).

Your letter of intent and letters of recommendation may be emailed directly to us at gradadmit@rwu.edu. Emailed letters of recommendation must come directly from your recommenders.