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Contiguous Bachelor's/Masters Pathway

METX offers a fifth-year Plan I (thesis) M.S. degree path when earned contiguous with an appropriate Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree at UCSC. The fifth-year M.S. path provides highly motivated undergraduate majors the opportunity to earn separate B.S. and M.S. degrees in five years. The path provides the additional level of preparation and experience that students need to pursue careers in industry, government, or to increase their competitiveness for top Ph.D. programs. Students apply to be accepted into the fifth-year M.S. path in consultation with their faculty or undergraduate adviser, no later than the end of the spring quarter of the junior year.

To be accepted to the path, students will need to prepare an application and plan for their fifth-year BS/MS, providing evidence of solid academic performance in general and in their undergraduate major. The application should be submitted no later than end spring quarter of the junior year, and should include:

  • A one-page personal statement describing a) the student’s motivation and academic preparation for entering the path; b) the student’s goals for the fifth-year path, including the area of concentration; c) the name of a faculty member willing to serve as their thesis adviser (if appropriate); and d) future professional goals.
  • Copy of unofficial transcripts establishing the GPA requirements in the undergraduate major and overall. Applicants should possess a GPA in courses of their undergraduate major (biology, chemistry, etc.) of 3.2 or above, and an overall GPA of 3.0 or above.
  • A letter of recommendation from the METX faculty member attesting to the student’s promise for a M.S. degree in METX.
  • A coursework plan that will enable them to complete both the requirements for the B.S. in their undergraduate department and M.S. in METX in five years, including demonstrating sufficient coursework capacity to complete at least one to two METX graduate courses in their final undergraduate year.

If accepted into the fifth-year B.S./M.S. path, students will go through the regular METX M.S. application process early in their senior year. The criteria for admission to the METX M.S. program will be the same as for all METX M.S. program applicants.