Community Development & Applied Economics AMP (Accelerated Master's Program)

All students must meet the Requirements for the Accelerated Master's Degree Programs

Overview

The Accelerated Master of Science in Community Development & Applied Economics is designed for UVM undergraduate students who are interested in jump starting their graduate degree. In the junior year, students apply to the CDAE MS with the admission requirements for all applicants. The goal is to be accepted by May 15th in their junior year. In certain cases, students can apply in the first semester of their senior year.

In their final undergraduate year, students may earn up to 8 graduate credits, all of which can also be counted as undergraduate credits. Students can graduate in May or August, one year after receiving their undergraduate degree.

If you are interested in details of this program, please contact the CDAE Graduate Student Specialist or CDAE MS Program Director, Dr. David Conner, to go over the requirements so that the student will be able to determine if this program interests them. The best time to set up an appointment is in a student’s sophomore year or first semester junior year. The program closely integrates both programs (undergraduate and graduate) of study, and enhances competitiveness in a marketplace stressing broad undergraduate and focused professional graduate education. 

Specific Requirements

Requirements for Admission to Graduate Studies for the Degree of Master of Public Administration for Accelerated Students

The Accelerated Master’s Program requires that students fulfill the same entrance requirements as for all master’s candidates for the CDAE MS Program and be accepted in order to matriculate and advance to candidacy. The following criteria is used to determine admission:

• A declared major in CDAE or a closely related major
• Cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher  
• Completion of the Graduate College application form and 3 letters of recommendation
• A letter of support from a faculty member who agrees to serve as primary advisor during enrollment in the master’s program. This can be one of the three letters of recommendation. 
• Required academic prerequisites include course work in microeconomics and calculus, equivalent to EC 012 Principles of Microeconomics and MATH 019 Fundamentals of Calculus I. Other courses, including non-UVM courses or a CLEP exam, may be considered.

Admissions and Candidacy

• Students must meet with Dr. David Conner, Director of the CDAE MS Program, and fill out the AMP Permission Form, which can be found at https://www.uvm.edu/graduate/accelerated-entry-masters-degree-programs. Applicants to the AMP-CDAE program must submit the standard Graduate College Application form. Completed applications (including three letters of recommendation and an official copy of their undergraduate transcript) will be reviewed and a formal decision on admission will be rendered by the CDAE MS faculty.
• The standards of procedure and academic expectation for a student to be accepted for candidacy will remain the same as for regular CDAE MS students. In every instance, there will be no distinction in terms of academic requirements, performance standards, or deadlines between AMP-CDAE and regular CDAE MS students.
• Following formal Graduate College admission to the Accelerated Master's Program, up to nine credits of approved graduate course work may be counted toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.