Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program

Earn your MS degree in as little as 9 months or at your own pace! The School of Engineering is now offering a part-time and full-time Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program (BS/MS).

The School of Engineering offers exceptional Tufts undergraduate students the option of pursuing a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree (BS/MS) as a thesis or non-thesis program. Students may enroll full-time or part-time while participating in the master’s degree portion of the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program, but must enroll immediately after completion of their BS degree. No deferrals are available for this program.

Seniors are eligible to apply to the program. The application deadline is December 15.

Tufts undergraduates:

• Tufts School of Engineering students who matriculate into the MS program after February 1, 2023, may reserve two graduate-level courses towards their MS degree and double-count two courses towards both the BS and MS degrees, for a total of four courses. Students must complete their BS requirements before matriculating into the MS program. The degrees cannot be completed concurrently. Only 100-level courses are eligible. Example of tuition cost.
• Are not required to pay the application fee.
• Are only required to submit 2 letters of recommendation.
• Are not required to submit GRE scores.
• Tufts undergraduate students admitted to the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program are not required to pay the enrollment deposit. Please confirm your intent to enroll by filling out the “Decision Reply Form” in your application portal.

Fifth-Year Master's Degrees are offered by the following programs:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Bioengineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Biophotonics
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Computer Science (BA/MS or BS/MS)
• Cybersecurity and Public Policy (must enroll in fall semester)
• Data Science
• Dual Degree Program: MS in Innovation and Management, Engineering Management, or Technology and Management + MS from a School of Engineering academic department
• Electrical Engineering
• Engineering Management
• Human Factors Engineering
• Human-Robot Interaction
• Innovation and Management
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Offshore Wind Energy Engineering
• Software Systems Development
• Technology Management and Leadership

*Courses may not be counted more than two times across certificates or degree programs. Fifth-Year students pursuing two MS degrees will need to complete a minimum of 16 additional courses beyond their BS program. Please refer to the School of Engineering Graduate Student Handbook for more information.

How to apply

Tufts seniors with a cumulative GPA of 3.20 are strongly encouraged to apply. Please note that applicants not meeting the GPA requirement will still be considered and reviewed by the department.

Seniors must submit an application through the Office of Graduate Admissions.

• In the section titled "Application Information", choose your program of study, which will be listed alphabetically by department.
  • Under "Degree", choose "BS/MS with thesis (Tufts undergraduates only)" or "BS/MS (Tufts undergraduates only)"
  • Under "Registration Status", choose "Full-time" or "Part-time"
  • Under "Additional Information", indicate "Current Tufts Undergraduate Student"​​
• Seniors must submit their graduation packet and Course Distribution Form to Student Services by May 1. Forms will not be accepted after May 1; there will be no exceptions. Seniors who apply to the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program will be required to submit this form as a part of their application materials. If the required forms for course distribution have not been submitted by May 1 to Student Services, you will be considered for the master’s program only, not the bachelor’s/master’s degree program.

Degree requirements

Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program students are expected to fulfill all the requirements of the bachelor's degree program. Two SOE graduate-level credits (100-level) are allowed to double-count toward the master's degree requirements as long as the courses carry the designation of the department in which the master’s portion of the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program is completed.

Seniors must submit their graduation packet and Course Distribution Form to Student Services by May 1. Forms will not be accepted after May 1; there will be no exceptions.

Residency requirements

Completing the BS/MS degree requires 8 semesters of full-time undergraduate residence. In some cases, the undergraduate residence requirement may be reduced (See "Undergraduate Policies" in the Tufts Bulletin). Students enrolled in the Cybersecurity and Public Policy Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program must complete two semesters of graduate residence. In order to begin graduate residence, a BS/MS student must first complete the minimum number of course credits for undergraduate study (A&S and SOE – 120 credits), and also complete the undergraduate residence requirement.

Tuition and financial aid

Tuition amounts for a School of Engineering master’s degree are listed on the Graduate Admissions website once approved by the Board of Trustees. Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program students must pay four years of undergraduate tuition and the per-credit graduate tuition rate during their master’s program.

Please contact the School of Engineering Graduate Programs Office with questions regarding the program. Email: gradadmissions@tufts.edu; phone: 617-627-3395.

Example of tuition cost

A student double counts six credits towards the BS/MS degree and has reserved another three credits towards the MS degree. To complete the MS degree, they will need to take an additional 21 credits. The 2024-25 per credit rate is $1,765. The tuition cost of the MS degree will be $37,065. Please note: All tuition and fees are subject to revisions by Tufts University’s Board of Trustees.