PlusOne Details & Policies

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PlusOne Pathways in the College of Engineering allow students to accelerate completion of a COE Master’s degree. In a PlusOne pathway, an undergraduate student completes up to two or four graduate-level courses (depending on the program) that will apply toward both their undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

For a Master’s program, PlusOne pathways for that program consist of:

  1. the allowed undergraduate programs,
  2. the prerequisite undergraduate courses (if any),
  3. the number of courses to be applied to both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and
  4. the allowed graduate courses that can be applied to both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs.


Prior to submitting the application, students are asked to meet with their undergraduate academic advisor to discuss double counting of courses and their program of study. It is also recommended to begin planning early to ensure you have time to complete any required prerequisites.

A student will be admitted to a PlusOne pathway for a Masters program if they:

  1. are enrolled in an allowed undergraduate program,
  2. have successfully completed the required prerequisite course(s) (when applicable), and
  3. have an overall GPA of at least 3.25.

When can I apply to the PlusOne program?

Students can apply for the PlusOne program in their undergraduate academic year that they will begin taking PlusOne graduate courses. Please note students must have successfully completed all prerequisite course(s) for the PlusOne pathway they wish to pursue before applying to the PlusOne program. Please refer to the PlusOne Pathways page to determine if your pathway of interest has any required prerequisites before applying.

Deadlines

  • Students cannot apply for the PlusOne program in the final semester of their undergraduate degree program.

How to apply to the PlusOne program

  1. Complete this PlusOne inquiry form to receive valuable information and the next steps to apply to the PlusOne program. You will enter your name, Northeastern email, NUID, and current Undergraduate program, indicate your interest in PlusOne by ticking a box, and then click “Submit.” Once submitted, you will receive an email notification (please check your spam/junk folder) to set up an account, and you will be directed to your PlusOne application to complete. Please note: the PlusOne inquiry form only indicates that you would like to apply to the PlusOne program.
  2. After submitting the PlusOne inquiry form, you will receive an automated email with instructions on how to apply and submit your PlusOne application. Please make sure to follow the instructions in the automated email to officially apply to the accelerated masters PlusOne program.
  3. Students are required to include their PlusOne Plan of Study Form as an attachment as part of the application process. Please review the instructions for completing this form. A Sample PlusOne Plan of Study Form and additional instructions may be reviewed for further clarification.

Graduate course credits earned at Northeastern by undergraduate students enrolled in a PlusOne program will be double-counted toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees as prescribed by the graduate program in which the student is enrolled, not to exceed 16 semester hours. Transfer credit may not be applied to graduate degrees that are completed as part of a PlusOne program.

PlusOne students who complete additional graduate coursework beyond the maximum 16 semester hours as an undergraduate student may not apply these for transfer credit towards their MS degree, even if the graduate coursework is not applied to the undergraduate degree requirements.

Upon completion of their BS degree, students in a PlusOne pathway will transition to the Master’s program if they:

  1. have a 3.0 graduate GPA,
  2. have a 3.25 undergraduate GPA, and
  3. have taken the required number of approved graduate courses.
  4. To ensure that your courses taken during your undergraduate degree are applied correctly to your MS program, please follow the course share instructions for this process.

A minimum overall Grade Point Average of 3.0 is required to remain in good standing and to be eligible for MS degree conferral.

Following the conferral of the Bachelor of Science degree, a minimum of 16 semester hours of graduate coursework is required in the PlusOne program, regardless of previous graduate-level coursework completed.

It is important for students in the PlusOne program to work closely with the MS faculty advisors and graduate advisors to ensure degree requirements are fulfilled and policies/procedures are followed.

Graduate course enrollment to fulfill the remaining Master of Science requirements must be initiated the semester following Bachelor of Science degree completion.

The 25% COE Tuition Scholarship will be automatically applied when accepted into the program after the add/drop period. As long as progress is being made toward degree completion, PlusOne students can receive a 25% tuition scholarship each semester of their MS Program once they have graduated from their undergraduate degree and enrolled in their master’s degree program. Students in PlusOne programs are not eligible for the Double Husky scholarship or the New Program and Location Launch Scholarship.

All students enrolled in an accelerated degree program are required to follow all Graduate School policies and procedures.

PlusOne Change of Program Policy

Students who have been admitted into a College of Engineering PlusOne program and have graduated from their undergraduate degree program and matriculated into their MS program are not permitted to request a change of MS program while maintaining their PlusOne credit sharing.

PlusOne students who no longer wish to pursue their admitted MS PlusOne program can apply to a new graduate program through the standard admissions process. This is outside of the PlusOne admissions process and would result in the loss of the ability to course share courses that were applied towards the student’s undergraduate degree program.

PlusOne students who have matriculated into their graduate program may be allowed to request a change of concentration if the requirements of the specific concentration and department permit.

Students should connect first with their academic advisor to determine eligibility for credit sharing and subsequently connect with the program contact and ensure that concentration changes are permitted within their department. Once eligibility is confirmed, students may submit a change of concentration form to officially confirm departmental approval. ​

Changes to concentrations will not go into effect until the start of the semester following the approved request, therefore, change of concentration requests cannot be made in the final semester of the program.

International students admitted into a PlusOne program must request and obtain a new I-20 for the graduate degree following the conferral of the Bachelor’s Degree. Students should consult with the Office of Global Services.

Study Abroad

Courses that are taken while studying abroad usually cannot be applied toward completion of the MS requirements. If a student wishes to request a course taken abroad to count towards their Master of Science degree requirements, a petition must be completed with the Graduate School (coe-gradadvising@northeastern.edu) for review by the Graduate Director of the relevant MS program.

Course Waiver and Replacement

Any request to waive a graduate-level course and replace it with another course must be submitted to the Graduate School of Engineering using the Standard Petition Form to be reviewed by the Graduate School and the Graduate Director of the relevant MS program. Please email your Program Contact to ensure your request is sent to the correct person for approval.

Co-op

Students enrolled in the “Plus One” accelerated master’s degree program are permitted to participate in up to three co-ops during their combined undergraduate and graduate degree programs.  Please refer PlusOne Masters Co-op page for additional information.

Certificate

Students in the PlusOne program may be able to pursue a certificate but cannot triple count courses between the bachelors, masters, or certificate program. Students interested in pursuing a certificate while in the program should schedule a meeting with their undergraduate and graduate academic advisors to discuss this option.

Please see the College of Engineering’s current graduate certificate program options and also our policies and procedures for certificate programs.