Special Degree Programs

Departmental Honors

Nearly every major in the College of Arts and Science offers an honors option for their most high-achieving students. Candidates are nominated by their department in their junior year and must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.300 and a minimum major GPA of 3.300 (departments may raise these GPA minimums as their discretion). Beyond the major requirements, students conduct independent honors research and are required to demonstrate some degree of originality and maturity in the methods of independent investigation, analysis, and criticism, and skill in the written presentation of independent work. To earn departmental honors, students write a thesis and present an oral defense to the faculty in second semester of their senior year. Students that successfully complete the program can graduate with the distinction of “Honors” or “Highest Honors” in their major.

Combined BA/MA (4+1) Programs

The College of Arts and Science’s 4+1 programs give students the opportunity to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in just five years. The following programs are available:

• Architecture and the Built Environment
• English Literature
• Creative Writing
• History
• History of Art
• Mathematics
• Medicine, Health, and Society
• Philosophy
• Psychology

Undergraduates with a strong academic record may apply for admission to the program through the relevant department after the first semester of their junior year.

Teacher Licensure

College of Arts and Science students may combine their academic majors with appropriate education programs through Vanderbilt’s Peabody College to satisfy various licensure requirements for teaching.

Accelerated Graduate Program in Computer Science

Students who enter Vanderbilt with a significant number of credits, earned either through Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests or in college courses taken during high school, may be eligible for the Accelerated Graduate Program in Computer Science. Through this program, a student is able to earn a bachelors degree and a master of science in the same time required for the bachelors degree or slightly longer. To be eligible for the program, a student must complete 86 hours (senior standing) by the end of the sophomore year with at least a 3.500 grade point average. Learn more about the program in the Undergraduate Catalog.

Integrated Bachelor and Master of Engineering

On the basis of recommendations containing favorable appraisals of professional promise, undergraduate students in the School of Engineering may be accepted into an integrated Bachelor of Engineering-Master of Engineering program. This program is currently available in chemical, civil, environmental, and mechanical engineering.

Bachelor’s and Master’s in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Construction Management

Undergraduates in civil engineering who want to fast track their professional career may choose to spend a fifth year to earn a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering with a concentration in construction management. Students should meet with the director of graduate studies in the department for more information.

Accelerated Graduate Program in Engineering

Students who enter Vanderbilt with a significant number of credits (20 to 30 hours), earned either through Advanced Placement tests or in college courses taken during high school, may be eligible for the Accelerated Graduate Program in Engineering. Through this program, a student is able to earn both a bachelor’s degree and an M.S. degree in about the same time required for the bachelor’s degree or slightly longer.

Early Start Master’s Programs

Peabody’s Early Start master’s programs allow current Vanderbilt juniors and seniors to begin taking graduate-level courses before receiving their bachelor’s degree. Many programs can be completed in as little as one year after your undergraduate degree, and many include internships in professional settings and/or research experiences that can set you up for success. Four+1 programs can be earned with one additional year of study (if some classes are taken in the summer). Four+1.5 or 4+2 programs may require one or two years of additional study (with summer study potentially needed).

4+1 Programs

• Applied Behavior Analysis (30 hours)
• Community Development and Action (30 hours)
• Elementary Education (33 hours)
• Innovative Design and Technology in Education (33 hours)
• Multilingual Education (30 hours)
• Organizational Development for Social Innovation (30 hours)
• Quantitative Methods and Data Analytics for Human Behavior (30 hours)
• Reading Education (30 hours)
• Secondary Education: Music, Math, Science, Social Studies, and World Languages (30 hours)

4+1.5 and 4+2 Programs

• Child Studies (36 hours)
• Cognitive Psychology and Developmental Psychology in Context (36 hours)
• Education Policy (36 hours)
• Higher Education Administration (36 hours)
• Integrated Early Childhood Education (36 hours)
• International Education Policy and Management (36 hours)
• Secondary Education: English (36 hours)
• Special Education (30-60 hours)

Peabody Scholars Program

Peabody Scholars is the college-wide honors program for Peabody. The program is designed to attract Peabody’s brightest and most intellectually engaged students across all Peabody departments, to provide them with a community of like-minded scholars and numerous opportunities for academic and social enrichment.  Students apply to Peabody Scholars in the fall of their first year and, if accepted, begin the program in the spring semester.

Early Admission to Specialty Master’s Programs

Vanderbilt undergraduates who want to continue their business education right after graduation can apply one year early to Owen’s one-year specialty master’s programs through the early admission option. Students may apply during their junior year to the Master of Management, MS in Finance, MS in Marketing, or Master of Accountancy programs, which guarantee them a spot after they graduate and give them a head start on their graduate plans.

Deferred Admissions for Undergraduates

Vanderbilt offers graduating seniors a clear pathway to earn their MBA at Owen through the, VU2MBA, deferred admission program. Vanderbilt graduating seniors who plan to pursue an MBA after gaining work experience can apply and be admitted to the Vanderbilt MBA program at the end of their senior year. After two to four years working in the private, public, or nonprofit sector, admitted students return to Vanderbilt to begin their MBA studies.