Contacts: Timothy Seidel and Gloria Rhodes
The accelerated program is a collaboration between EMU's undergraduate Peacebuilding and Development program and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. The accelerated program is designed to award exceptional and/or non-traditional students a BA in peacebuilding and development, BA in peacebuilding, or BA in global development, and an MA in conflict transformation or MA in restorative justice through an accelerated curriculum (typically completed in five years). Students should express interest in the program during their first year as an undergraduate or as soon as possible so they can be assigned an advisor, plan their course of study, and determine financial assistance.
Students will formally apply to the graduate program (usually during the third year of undergraduate studies). If admission is granted, they will continue with the accelerated curriculum; if their application is denied, they will continue with the standard undergraduate curriculum without penalty. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 and an EMU faculty recommendation in order to apply to the graduate program.
Curriculum
The curriculum for the accelerated program requires completion of the following:
EMU Core curriculum.
The peacebuilding and development major, the peacebuilding major, or the global development major
Earn a minimum of 111 undergraduate semester hours (SH); an additional 39 SH will complete the graduate degree (can include the 9 SH for Foundations 1 and 2 sequence, done as PXD, as well as Program Evaluation and Global Development courses that are cross-listed).
Admission into the Graduate Program undertaken Junior Year but BA to MA students are still considered an undergraduate in their fourth year for billing and financial aid purposes as long as they are registered for a minimum of 12 undergraduate semester hours each semester.
Students can walk with their BA cohort in commencement the spring they have completed 120 SH (or will by December of that year) and then with their MA cohort the spring they have completed 150 SH and all requirements (or will by December of that year).
Once a candidate is accepted into the graduate program, their fourth year will include classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Attendance at the Summer Peacebuilding Institute is strongly recommended, and the student will typically conclude master's degree requirements in the final (fifth) year. Further details are available from the Peacebuilding & Development program director and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding academic program coordinator.
For information about the BA in Peacebuilding and Development, Peacebuilding, or Global Development to MA in Conflict Transformation or MA in Restorative Justice accelerated program, refer to this page.