Program Overview

GSAS Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program

The Fifth-Year Master's Degree program allows Tufts undergraduates to earn a master's degree with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences after completing their bachelor's degree. This rewarding degree program is an ideal fit for Tufts undergraduates who are interested in rigorous, innovative programming.

Eligible Degree Programs

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

• Art Education, MAT
• Biology, MS
• Chemistry, MS
• Child Study and Human Development, MA
• Classics, MA
• Creative Practice, MA
• Data Analytics, MS
• Digital Tools for Premodern Studies MA
• Economics, MS
• Environmental Policy and Planning, MS
• Mathematics, MS
• Middle and High School Education, MAT
• Museum Education, MA
• Music, MA
• Philosophy, MA
• Sustainability, MS
• Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, MA

Program Benefits

• Earn two degrees in 5 years
• No application fee
• No enrollment deposit
• No GRE scores needed
• Only two letters of recommendation required (we strongly suggest one is from your faculty advisor)

How to Apply

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 December 15 for seniors and March 15 for juniors. The application requirements are as follows:

• Completed application (no application fee)
• Resume/CV
• Personal Statement
• Transcripts
• Two letters of recommendation (one from your Tufts Faculty Advisor)

Some degree programs require additional documents. Please refer to the instructions in the online application to ensure you submit all required documents.

Tuition & Aid Benefits

• 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.

Program Details

In this program, students complete all requirements for the BA, BS, or BFA and for the MA, MS, or MAT. 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, and/or
• Reserving up to two graduate-level courses from their Tufts undergraduate studies (or from external institutions) toward the master's requirements (pending faculty approval).