University of Illinois undergraduate students who wish to take their interests in global studies to the next level, may pursue a 5-year program that supplements their bachelor's degree with an accelerated-track master's degree in Global Studies. Please reach out to academic coordinator Andy Guth at andyguth@illinois.edu with questions about this program.

5 Year Bachelor/Master

The Center for Global Studies (CGS) along with numerous departments across the Illinois campus are proud to offer the option of a 5-year program for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree (approx. 120 hours) and a Master of Science degree in Global Studies (32 hours). Students pursue one of three tracks offered within the master’s program: Global Governance, Global Security, or Gender and Public Policy. The program is therefore open to all undergraduate students from all colleges in the University of Illinois system. The program offers students interested in pursuing a MS in Global Studies an accelerated path, with the opportunity to complete both programs of study at the same time while still meeting the same requirements as students who pursue the degrees separately. All requirements from both programs will be met.

In consultation with a student’s department undergraduate advisor and CGS graduate advisor, this accelerated path program can be paired with most degrees within the university system if it is tied to Global Studies at the graduate level.

Majors may include, but are not limited to:

  • Gender and Women's Studies
  • Political Science
  • Engineering/Physics
  • Social Work
  • Global Studies
  • Language/Literature/Linguistics
  • Business
  • Information Sciences
  • Anthropology/Sociology/Criminology
  • And others…

If you are interested, please contact the Academic Program Coordinator Andy Guth at andyguth@illinois.edu. We’re always looking to serve the interests of the undergraduate population at the University of Illinois.

Why 5 Year BA/MA?

This program is intended for undergraduate students with enough credits to allow space for 12 credits graduate-level coursework in their final year of undergraduate study. The 5-Year BA or BS with MS program allows students to continue and complete a full master’s degree (32 credits) in one extra year beyond their bachelor’s program. This broadens opportunities for undergraduate learning and accelerates the timeline for a graduate degree. Students interested in this pathway are encouraged to reach out early in their undergraduate career to the Center for Global Studies and or the Academic Program Coordinator Andy Guth at andyguth@illinois.edu.

Admittance

Students can apply for this program when they have 60 hours of credit. For students, this usually means applying in their sophomore or junior year. Additionally, to be eligible for enrollment, a student must have:

A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater 
A major GPA of 3.0 or greater

Students interested in pursuing the 5-Year program are typically approved for the program by both the MS in Global Studies (MSGS) Program and the student’s undergraduate department before they formally apply. Students should meet with the MSGS Academic Program Coordinator as a step towards pursuing approval, typically in their sophomore or junior year. The program coordinator, working in consultation with the undergraduate adviser of the student’s BA or BS department, will determine if a student is in good academic standing and has made sufficient progress towards their undergraduate degree.

A 600 to 800-word statement of purpose and a resume/CV will also be required before approval. Students will be expected to keep their GPA at or above these minimum levels up until they begin as MS students, after which they will be subject to the expectations of the Graduate College.

Statement of Purpose (600-800 words):

This statement should focus on the following, “How does the MS in Global Studies fit into your educational and career plans? How does the interdisciplinary nature of the MS in Global Studies, and your chosen track, serve you better than a disciplinary degree?”

Resume/CV:

This document should show an overall academic and professional snapshot of the applicant. We encourage applicants to highlight relevant coursework, employment, honors and awards, and service in the resume or CV. This document should not be limited to 1 page—please take as many as needed. Students should also list contact information for the undergraduate advisor and two other faculty who would serve as good references.

Students do not formally apply to the Graduate College until they are in their final year of completing their bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois. The earliest opportunity to be formally admitted into the graduate portion of the degree program is during their first semester of the fourth year. The latest opportunity to be formally admitted into the graduate portion of the degree program would be the Graduate Application due date of January 31 prior to first semester of the fifth year. In the fall semester of the fourth year, students will start core courses for the MS in Global Studies. The maximum guaranteed amount of graduate credits that can be transferred from undergraduate credits is twelve (12), which leaves 20 graduate credits (10 per term) to be completed in the fifth year.

Requirements

Requirements for this degree program are identical to those for the stand-alone BA or BS and for the stand-alone MS in Global Studies. This program does not alter any credit-based requirements for any existing degree. Students must have at least 120 hours of credit for their undergraduate BA program. And students will need at least 32 hours of credit for their MSGS. Students are allowed to transfer less than twelve credit hours, but those who do so cannot be guaranteed that their M.S. degree will be completed in one year. The 5-Year program requirements for the MS in Global Studies are:  

  • 32 total credit hours of required and elective courses.
  • Students must take GLBL 500 and 570
  • Students must take one (1) of the following courses associated with their chosen track:
    • GLBL 520    Institutions of Global Governance
    • GLBL 580* Energy and Global Security
    • WGGP 581 Gender and Public Policy
  • Students must take one (1) of the following Professional Development courses:
    • GLBL 572    Global Studies Practicum
    • GLBL 573    Global Studies Project
  • No more than 8 hours for Professional Development may be credited
  • No more than 12 hours may be credited for MS-equivalent study abroad courses
  • Minimum GPA for MSGS related courses must be: 2.75
  • Students must meet a language requirement by demonstrating proficiency in a language other than English, at the third-year level. These third-year, or advanced, languages are not part of the MS credit hours.

* GLBL 480 will receive credit for the MS if the course is taken for graduate credit. This applies to other course sections that allow for and are taken for graduate credit and the student does not need that credit to fulfill their undergraduate degree requirement.