The M.S./Ph.D. Program

The M.S./Ph.D. program is intended for students whose ultimate goal is the Ph.D. degree but who need more time to establish a research area. Such students will follow the same course of study as students in the Ph.D. program and will be changed to Ph.D. status once the Level 1 Qualifying Exam is successfully completed. Students applying for this program should mark that they are applying for the Ph.D. program. Students in this program may receive an M.S. degree on the way to the Ph.D. when the requirements for an M.S. have been met but this will usually occur much later than if you are studying directly for the M.S. as you will be expected to be heavily involved in research which counts toward the Ph.D. degree but not toward an M.S. degree.