Bachelor’s-Accelerated Master’s

Earning your BAM master's in materials science and engineering will deepen your knowledge in a critical field, increase your professional marketability and enable you to command a higher salary in the workforce.

The Materials Science and Engineering Program has created a unique Bachelor’s Accelerated Master’s program in partnership with the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering. This program allows current Boulder undergraduate students to expand their formal education with an MS degree that is highly complementary to and distinct from their bachelor's.

This program allows current Boulder undergraduate students majoring exclusively in chemical engineering, chemical and biological engineering, or mechanical engineering the opportunity to receive a bachelor’s and master’s degree in a shorter period of time and at a lower cost than would be possible separately.

As a student in the program, you will receive your bachelor’s degree through your undergraduate department, and take graduate coursework in MSE, typically beginning in your senior year. You are also able to double count certain courses for both your bachelor's and master's degrees, making in possible to complete your education more quickly.

Requirements and admissions vary slightly based on your undergraduate major. Full information is below and

Admissions and Prerequisites

To be admitted to the BAM program, you must:

  • Fll out the BAM “intent” form, typically in the spring of your junior year.
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better.
    • If your GPA is below 3.25 but above 3.0, you may submit a petition with a letter of recommendation from a professor and a one-page Statement of Purpose. The statement should briefly describe your past work in the field, including any non-course educational experiences or other relevant employment, and your plans for graduate study and a professional career.
  • Have completed all MAPS requirements.
  • Complete the following five CHEN core courses with a minimum grade of B- in each course:
    1. CHEN 2120: Material & Energy Balances
    2. CHEN 3200: Fluid Mechanics
    3. CHEN 3210: Heat & Mass Transfer
    4. CHEN 3320: Thermodynamics
    5. CHEN 3010: Applied Data Analysis.
  • Be enrolled in CHEN 4440 Materials.
  • Provide an unofficial transcript.

Program Requirements

  • Up to 12 credits of graduate courses may be taken as an undergraduate status at the undergraduate tuition rate.
    • These courses may be 3000 or 4000 level undergraduate and/or graduate level courses and include engineering management courses as long as no more than 6 credits are at the upper division undergraduate level and no more than 6 credits are in Engineering Management.
  • Up to 6 credits of courses may be double counted towards both degrees.
    • These may be one or both of the required six credits of CHEN 3000+ Technical Elective and/or the Advanced Chemistry Elective (e.g., BCHM 4611, CHEM 4011, CHEM 4531) that is required for a BS in Chemical Engineering. In addition, the 12 credits of Technical Electives required for the BS degree may be graduate level (5000+) as long as one credit is an Engineering Technical Elective.
  • 3 core required graduate courses must be taken once you have reached graduate student status.

Admissions and Prerequisites

To be admitted to the BAM program, you must:

  • Fill out the BAM “intent” form, typically in the spring of your junior year.
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better.
    • If your GPA is below 3.25 but above a 3.0, you may submit a petition with a letter of recommendation from a professor and a one-page Statement of Purpose. The statement should briefly describe your past work in the field, including any non-course educational experiences or other relevant employment, and your plans for graduate study and a professional career.
  • Have completed all MAPS requirements.
  • Have completed the following five CHEN core courses with a minimum grade of B- in each course:
    1. CHEN 2120: Material & Energy Balances
    2. CHEN 3200: Fluid Mechanics
    3. CHEN 3210: Heat & Mass Transfer
    4. CHEN 3320: Thermodynamics
    5. CHEN 3010: Applied Data Analysis.
  • Be enrolled in CHEN 4805 Biomaterials.
  • Provide an unofficial transcript.

Program Requirements

The BAM Process and Requirements are as follows:

  • Up to 12 credits of graduate courses may be taken as an undergraduate and at the undergraduate tuition rate.
    • These courses may be 3000 or 4000 level undergraduate and/or graduate level courses and include engineering management courses as long as no more than 6 credits are at the upper division undergraduate level and no more than 6 credits are in Engineering Management.
  • Up to 6 credits of courses may be double counted towards both degrees.
    • The double counted courses may be one or both of the required six credits of CHEN 3000+ Technical Elective and/or the Focus Technical Elective (e.g., CHEN 4801, CHEN 4802, CHEN 4803, CHEN 4838) that are required for the BS in Chemical and Biological Engineering. The 12 credits of Technical Electives required for the BS degree may be graduate level (5000+) as long as one credit is an Engineering Technical Elective.
  • The 3 core required graduate courses must be taken once you have graduate student status.

Admissions and Prerequisites

To be admitted to the BAM program, you must:

  • Fill out the BAM "intent" form, typically in the spring of your junior year.
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better.
    • If your GPA is below 3.25 but above 3.0, you may submit a petition with a letter of recommendation from a professor and a one-page Statement of Purpose. The statement should briefly describe your past work in the field, including any non-course educational experiences or other relevant employment, and your plans for graduate study and a professional career.
  • Have completed all MAPS requirements.
  • Have completed four of the following six courses with a minimum grade of C in each:
    1. MCEN 3012: Thermodynamics
    2. MCEN 3021: Fluid Mechanics
    3. MCEN 3022: Heat Transfer
    4. MCEN 3025: Component Design
    5. MCEN 3030: Computational Methods
    6. MCEN 3032: Thermodynamics 2
  • Provide an unofficial transcript.

Program Requirements

  • Up to 12 credits of graduate courses may be taken while you have undergraduate status at the undergraduate tuition rate.
    • These courses may be 3000 or 4000 level undergraduate and/or graduate level courses and include engineering management courses as long as no more than 6 credits are at the upper division undergraduate level and no more than 6 credits are in Engineering Management.
  • Up to 6 credits of courses may be double counted towards both degrees.
    • The double counted courses may be Mechanical Engineering Technical Electives, General Technical Electives, and/or Free Electives, which are required for the BS degree in Mechanical Engineering. You may take technical electives at the 5000+ level as well.
  • 3 core required graduate courses must be taken once you have reached graduate student status.