The Dual Degree Program in Computer Engineering (CENG) at University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) is developed for high-performing CENG undergraduate students who would like to continue their graduate study in the CENG master’s program immediately upon completion of the Bachelor’s Degree. Students accepted into this program can take up to six graduate credit hours that are applied to both undergraduate and graduate degrees. One major goal of this new program is to build a pathway for our CENG undergraduate students to enter the graduate CENG degree plan at several points in their undergraduate study and complete it in a more affordable way.
Students may pursue either thesis or extended coursework Master’s Degree completion options. This dual degree program requires 153 credit hours for master’s thesis option and 156 credit hours for extended coursework option. The plan offers 123 hours of coursework at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level, it offers 30 hours of graduate hours for master’s thesis option and 33 credit hours for extended coursework option. Currently, ABET-accredited CENG BS program requires 129 credit hours including 9-hour electives. The students accepted into this program take 6-hour graduate credit as their 6-hour of 9-hour electives.
The graduate courses must be approved prior to enrollment. The graduate courses should provide a good substitution for the undergraduate courses required in the undergraduate program. Students may begin taking graduate courses after completing 100 credit hours including transfer credits that count towards CENGB.S. degree. GRE score is not required for the application.
Eligibility and application: Interested students should submit a CENG Dual Degree Program Application Form to the program chair. Minimum eligibility requirements are as follows: (1) Junior or senior standing and at least 20 credit hours of CENG and CSCI coursework completed, (2) 3.0/4 grade point average overall UHCL coursework, (3) 3.0/4 grade point average over all CENG and CSCI course work.
Admission to the graduate program: Acceptance into the dual degree program does not constitute automatic admission to the graduate program. Completion of the bachelor’s degree and the standard admission requirements for the graduate degree program apply.
Performance requirements while in the program: A committee of CENG faculty members monitors the progress of students participating in this program. After a student is accepted into this program, if the student’s cumulative UHCL GPA falls below 3.0/4, the student will be on probation. The probation will be lifted once the cumulative GPA again rises to 3.0. If the student’s cumulative UHCL GPA falls below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters, the student will automatically be transferred to the regular BS program. The UHCL graduate GPA requirement of 3.0 or higher continues to be operational for all students in this plan.
Granting of degrees: Students in dual-degree programs receive a bachelor’s degree upon completion of the Master’s Degree. Students in dual-degree programs not completing the master’s degree may apply for graduation with a bachelor’s degree. Dual-degree program students must complete the undergraduate residency requirements.
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