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The MA requires six or more credits in addition to the 32 required for the Wesleyan BA.

MA degree requirements for coursework, thesis and its defense are specific to each department and can be found in the University Catalog: .

One credit in each semester will be awarded for Advanced Research (549/550) which must culminate in an MA thesis.

MA credit is awarded only for courses with a minimum grade of B minus.  

Students who earn more than 32 credits at the time the BA degree is completed may apply excess credits toward the MA degree provided that the credits are for courses relevant to the area of study, the courses have not been used to fulfill any requirement for undergraduate major(s), minor(s), and certificate(s), and the grade of B minus or better was earned.

Students are required to submit a Program of Study form following completion of the BA, signed by their faculty MA research advisor, indicating the courses that will be used to satisfy the MA degree requirements. If there are changes to the Program of Study in the second semester of MA, students should submit a Revised Program of Study by the end of the Add/Drop period of your second semester. 

Students in the BA/MA program are required to submit an MA thesis describing the research that they have carried out in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements. Many students in the program choose not to write a BA Honors thesis because they will be writing a more substantial MA thesis based on the same project the following year. However, there is no prohibition against writing a BA thesis should the student wish to do so. This does not relieve the student of the obligation to submit a MA thesis.

Additional Guidelines

BA/MA students are full-time, on-campus, graduate students during the two semesters that immediately follow the completion of the BA degree requirements.  

The Office of Graduate Student Services will review the academic records of BA/MA students at the end of the first semester of the graduate program. Academic review warnings will be sent to students and the research advisor who are in danger of not fulfilling course requirements for the MA degree by virtue of having received a failing grade (B- or below) in a course. A student with no chance of fulfilling the requirements for the MA degree by the end of the second semester may be required to withdraw from the university. 

BA/MA students who have completed all the course requirements for the MA degree but have not completed the thesis will be classified as ABD-NOT Enrolled and may continue as ABD-NOT Enrolled for a maximum of two years. Students classified as ABD-NOT Enrolled may submit and defend their thesis to complete the degree requirements. In exceptional circumstances, students may petition their academic department for a one-year extension beyond the two-year limit for ABD-Not Enrolled status. 

Students classified as ABD-NOT Enrolled do not enroll in courses, do not conduct research in campus labs, are not eligible for tuition remission, are not eligible for the meal plan stipend, are not eligible for federal student loan deferment, are not eligible for graduate housing, and pay a continuation fee of $250 per semester.

Tuition for the BA/MA Program
Tuition for two semesters of post-BA work toward the MA degree is waived, including courses offered during summer and winter sessions. The tuition waiver is not applicable to study abroad courses or to coursework beyond the two semesters after the BA. In the exceptional case that a student needs an additional semester to complete the MA thesis, the student will be charged a continuation fee of $250 per semester. 

Fees and Other Expenses
BA/MA students are financially responsible for their housing, food, health insurance, and graduate student activity fee. 

BA/MA students are required to have health insurance and must provide proof of health insurance coverage. Students may opt to participate in the graduate student health plan offered by the university. BA/MA students who select student insurance are responsible for the full premium. Please see Health Insurance Options.

Financial Aid
Financial aid is to assist with expenses such as housing, food, and health insurance. The goal of financial aid is to ensure that participation in the program is not limited to financial reasons.

Applicants admitted to the MA that received Wesleyan grant aid during their final year of the BA program may qualify for financial aid for the two semesters of the MA. Applicants who do not meet this criterion and feel that financial aid would be required to participate in the program may contact Matthew Akre, Associate Director of Financial Aid, makre@wesleyan.edu no later than December 15.  

There is a place in the online application for applicants to request financial aid. The request for financial aid is not factored into the evaluation of applications. In terms of admission, there is no clear advantage to requesting aid or not. The decision to request aid or not should be based on what the applicant would need to participate in the program.

BA/MA students are not eligible to receive a graduate stipend from the University. Some BA/MA students may elect to work as TAs and are paid by their department on an hourly basis. 

The student's Student Account must be in good financial standing after completing the BA to continue on with the MA. 

BA/MA students are eligible to apply for Wesleyan graduate student housing. Graduate student housing generally becomes available in late August. University housing for BA/MA students is not guaranteed. 

BA/MA students who are required by their academic department to be on campus conducting research in the summer between the completion of the BA and the start of the MA who wish to live in Wesleyan graduate student housing in the fall, may apply to live in graduate student housing during the summer. Residential Life will make every effort to accommodate these requests.

Priority will be given to housing applications submitted by May 1. Residential Life makes every effort to match a graduate student’s preference for housing with the available housing stock and considers requests in the order in which applications are received. 

BA/MA students who are required by their academic department to be on campus conducting research in the summer between the completion of the BA and the start of the MA who do not plan to live in Wesleyan graduate student housing in the fall, should make arrangements to move into an off-campus location for the summer. 

GRADUATE Housing Options

The experience of each BA/MA student varies greatly, but a common factor for a student’s success is how well and how consistently they are in communication with their advisors. Students should begin by making a comprehensive plan with their advisor. Setting clear expectations, communicating any concerns or challenges, asking for help and advice when needed, and discussing feedback are the key to making smooth progress through the BA/MA program.

Students are also encouraged to make use of other resources such as the Writing Center, Graduate Student Services, and Career Services.  

Advisors and Committees

The student’s advisor is their mentor and essential to their success. Some departments, though not all, form committees made up of faculty who will monitor progress, provide feedback, help with research problems and arbitrate disagreements between the student and their advisor. In some departments, other faculty serve as “readers” of the final thesis.

It is recommended that students discuss these topics with their faculty advisor:

• Expectations (in the lab, in research, in writing).
• How often they will meet.
• When to select their committee members or readers and how to select them.
• What to do when they run into trouble with research.
• How they will know when they have enough data.
• How they will know when it is time to start writing.
• Share data and written work with the advisor.
• Reasonable expectations for feedback.