Bachelor’s to Master’s Bridge Programs 

For the Master of Arts in Psychology and the Master of Arts in Professional Counseling programs, DBU offers specialized Bridge Programs. Bridge programs at DBU provide a means for highly motivated individuals with clearly defined career goals to attain knowledge and skills from both undergraduate and master’s degrees in a single accelerated process.  Combining the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees provides a faster track to graduation, proves to be more cost-effective, prepares students for professional licensure, and gives the student the opportunity to enter the workforce sooner with a competitive advantage. 

Permission to Pursue a Bridge Degree Program 

Note:  Please refer to each program for requirements specific to that program only.   

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Students wishing to enter a Bridge Program should file a Statement of Commitment with their academic advisor. Permission to pursue the program will be considered based on the following criteria: 

• Completion of 70-75 semester hours (see individual degree requirements).

• A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and an institutional GPA of 3.0 in coursework comprising the psychology major.

• Submission of a qualified application to the desired master's program.

Note: Advisor approval to pursue a Bridge Program does not guarantee admission to the Master’s program.  All requirements for admission to the Master’s program must be met. Students may not enroll in 5000 or 6000-level courses prior to admission to the Master’s program.   

Retention in and Graduation from the Program 

Upon acceptance into the Master's program, students may take 5000 or 6000-level courses as prescribed by their degree plan. Students must fulfill the following conditions to continue enrollment and graduate from a Bridge Program: 

• Students must maintain an institutional GPA of 3.0 at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including all coursework comprising the major and in any teacher certification coursework at the undergraduate level.

• A minimum 3.0 GPA is required to graduate with a master’s degree.  

• Students must be advised by both their undergraduate advisor and their graduate program director/advisor prior to enrollment each semester until completion of the bachelor's program requirements . 

• Transfer students must meet the residency requirement for the bachelor’s degree of a minimum of 32 hours. Bridge Program courses at the graduate level are considered to be part of the undergraduate residency requirement. 

• Upon completion of undergraduate requirements, all Bridge students are required to graduate with their Bachelor's degree. To allow for the administrative process, students will be eligible for graduation a full semester after their Bachelor's degree requirements are fulfilled.

Note: Once they have begun the Bridge program, if a student later decides not to complete their Master's degree, he/she must work with their undergraduate advisor to ensure all undergraduate requirements are met in order to graduate with their Bachelor's degree. In this case, all completed graduate hours that fulfill undergraduate requirements will be re-leveled as undergraduate hours.

TABLE OF PAIRED COURSES

All paired courses must be taken at the graduate level. Students interested in applying for a Bridge program should avoid taking Bridge-eligible undergraduate courses, as an undergraduate course will not fulfill any graduate degree requirements. Students will begin taking graduate Paired courses after completion of all other undergraduate requirements.