Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate Study

Application Procedures

Before Starting the IUG Application Procedure
When to Apply for the IUG Program
How to Apply for the IUG Program
Procedures Used to Evaluate an IUG Application
Important Things IUG Scholars Must Know and Do

I. Before Starting the IUG Application

Schreyer Scholars interested seeking to apply for graduate studies through the IUG program should:

read these materials;
research the program requirements for the graduate degree;
research the department’s academic requirements for admission to the graduate program; and
discuss the IUG program with their honors adviser.

In all cases, prospective IUG applicants must meet with the Associate Dean of the SHC before submitting the materials described in these guidelines.

The SHC is able to facilitate a Scholar’s early admission to the Graduate School, but only after the Scholar has been academically approved by their department and college. A Scholar must seek out and attain the proper departmental and college approvals before applying to the SHC for IUG status.

The SHC has no control over the graduate-level entrance requirements or the curriculum of any graduate degree program. Students accepted through the IUG process into a graduate degree program are subject to all of that program’s curriculum and examination processes, including but not limited to qualifying examinations.

In general, IUGs are not appropriate for professional graduate degree programs intended for practicing professionals.

II. When to Apply for the IUG Program
Application materials may be filed during the Scholar’s 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th semester of study.
IUG applications submitted in the fall or spring semesters must be completed by 5:00 p.m. on the fifth Friday of the semester. Application materials completed after these dates will be considered at the beginning of the following semester. There is no summer review of IUG applications. Applications from Scholars after their 7th semester of student will only be considered if the student has at least two semesters of undergraduate courses remaining.

III. How to Apply for the IUG Program

The SHC application packet for the IUG program consists of the following materials:

A. Support Letters from Faculty and Administrators (addressed to “IUG Review Committee.”)
All support letters should comment incisively on the suitability of the candidate for the IUG program, as elucidated in the criteria provided on page 2 of this document and in the evaluation elements described at the top of page 5. Wherever appropriate, these letters should also indicate how the student compares with other applicants for graduate study and with other Schreyer Scholars in the department. One or more of these letters must confirm that the student has prepared a plan of study appropriate to achieving suitable credentials for accelerated entrance into and completion of the specified master’s curriculum.

A letter of nomination from the honors adviser. This letter must include an explanation of how the IUG will be balanced with the student’s honors undergraduate coursework.
A letter of nomination from the prospective research mentor for the master’s program. (If a master’s thesis supervisor has not been selected, then this letter may come from a faculty member expert in the proposed area of graduate research concentration) This letter must address the details of the proposed area of research focus and the student’s ability to conduct that work.
Two letters, one from the head of the undergraduate department and one from the head of the graduate program. (Note: only one letter is necessary, if the undergraduate and graduate programs are the same.) The department letter must explicitly state that appropriate departmental graduate admissions processes have been applied and that the student has been granted entry into the departmental graduate program pending approval of admission to the Graduate School.

B. A Personal Statement (written by the student)
The personal statement should complement support letters when addressing the criteria provided on page 2 of this document and the evaluation elements described at the bottom of page 4. The statement should also demonstrate the student’s mature scholarly ability, communication skills, and potential for success in graduate school and in the chosen field.
The personal statement should be divided into five categories and be responsive to the following required elements:

Your personal statement should include your name, your undergraduate major(s), your current cumulative grade point average, and your intended master’s degree program,
Summarize the important aspects of your academic experiences to-date that ultimately lead you to considering the IUG program,
Review your general education progress, explaining how general education course selections and other activities and experiences are balanced with your accelerated specialization,
Describe your long-term goals and how an IUG from PSU complements those goals, and
Identify your research area that will constitute the focus of the graduate degree. The closer an applicant is to their 7th semester, the more detail is expected about the thesis project.

C. A Plan of Study
The IUG Plan of Study shows a list of courses leading to the graduate degree and those needed to complete student’s general education, major and honors requirements. The two-page IUG Plan of Study form is available in the Honors College office or at the end of the PDF version of these guidelines. The plan of study must be officially approved by the honors adviser and signed by both the student and the adviser.

As many as twelve of the academic credits earned by the IUG Scholar may be applied to both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. 50% or more of the courses proposed to count for both degrees must be at the 500 level. Thesis credits may not be double counted. Undergraduate honors requirements must be met by courses listed on your undergraduate transcript; 500-level courses used to meet honors requirements and graduate program requirements must be among those double counted. An application of more than twelve credits to both degrees requires approval of the student’s major department(s) and of the Graduate School.

When an IUG Scholar completes both the undergraduate and graduate degrees simultaneously, where both degrees are in the same program, and where the program head approves, the master’s thesis may be submitted in lieu of the undergraduate honors thesis. Otherwise, two separate theses are required.

D. A transcript and a degree audit printed from eLion

E. A current resume or curriculum vitae

F. A copy of the completed on-line Graduate School Application (http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/enroll/program.cfm). GRE scores need not be submitted, unless required by the student’s graduate program.

G. Scholars submitting applications in their sixth or seventh semesters are also required to complete and submit a copy of their Thesis Proposal Report.
IUG Application check list:
Department Support letters (undergraduate and graduate)
Honors Advisor Nomination letter
Research Mentor Nomination letter
Personal Statement
Transcript and Degree Audit
Plan of Study (approved by Honors Advisor)
Current Resume or Curriculum Vita
Copy of on-line Graduate School Application
Thesis Proposal Report (6th and 7th semester students, only)

All application materials must be submitted to the administrative assistant in the Associate Dean’s Office in the Schreyer Honors College in Atherton Hall by the fifth Friday of the semester. (Hand deliver materials to C-4 Atherton Hall or send by campus mail to 10 Schreyer Honors College.)

IV. Procedure Used to Evaluate an IUG Application

A. The Faculty Advisory Committee of the SHC evaluates each application. The committee evaluates the application looking for

an undergraduate record which is superior, even among Schreyer Scholars;
evidence of accelerated progress in the major toward graduate study;
evidence of courses and activities and experiences that have helped to balance an accelerated specialization and an enriched general education;
an indication of how the student compares with other applicants for graduate study and with other Schreyer Scholars in the department;
a plan of study consistent with the requirements and spirit of the program; and
strong recommendations that comment incisively on the aforementioned criteria and research aptitude of the applicant.

B. Applicants are notified of the action of the Faculty Advisory Committee approximately two months after submitting the IUG application.

C. If the application is approved by the SHC, it is then sent to the Graduate School for approval.

D. When an applicant has been approved for IUG status at all three levels (1) the program department/college, (2) the SHC, and (3) the Graduate School, that Scholar will receive a letter of notification from the Director of Graduate Enrollment Services.

E. An appropriate notation of participation in the Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate Program will be made on the IUG Scholar’s transcript.

V. Important Things IUG Scholars Must Know and Do

A. In their graduate program year—typically the fifth year—IUG Scholars in some programs may be eligible for National Science Foundation awards and other research grants through the University Fellowships Office. Every IUG Scholar should make an appointment with the Director of the Undergraduate Fellowships Office as soon as the IUG is approved to discuss possible awards and fellowships.

B. At the end of each semester, an IUG Scholar must complete the “Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate Study Semester Report” form. It must be signed by the honors adviser and turned in to the Schreyer Honors College main office. This form is required by the graduate school in order to properly process courses taken by an undergraduate student so they can be counted toward the graduate degree or toward both the graduate and undergraduate degrees.

C. A student may retain IUG status for as long as he or she remains in the Schreyer Honors College. If Schreyer Honors College status or IUG status is terminated, the provision allowing courses to count for both graduate and undergraduate programs ceases to apply, even for courses already completed.

D. Undergraduate tuition rates will apply as long as the IUG Scholar is an undergraduate (i.e. the baccalaureate degree has not been conferred), unless the student receives financial support, for example an assistantship, requiring the payment of graduate tuition.