What is a Four-Plus (4+) Program?  

A Four-Plus (4+) program permits qualified (see Four-Plus (4+) Program Standards below) undergraduate students with Senior standing to take graduate coursework that will apply to both undergraduate and graduate degrees, per the programs’ articulations. (An example would be an Accounting undergraduate accelerating into a MBA with a Concentration in Accounting program by taking graduate courses in the Senior year that count as earned credits in both the SRU undergraduate and graduate programs.)  

What are the Provisional Graduate Admission Requirements for a Four-Plus (4+) Program?  

A student must be provisionally accepted into a SRU graduate program related to the SRU graduate coursework for credits to count in both the undergraduate and graduate programs.   

Provisional graduate admission is granted to qualifying students with Senior status; however, students apply the semester prior to taking graduate courses (after completing a minimum of 72 undergraduate credits).  

Provisional admission does not guarantee formal admittance into the SRU graduate program upon completion of the undergraduate degree. To be eligible for formal acceptance into an SRU graduate program, the student will:   

• Successfully meet all requirements of their undergraduate program(s);   
• Meet all SRU graduate program admission requirements.   

A final determination for graduate program admission shall be in accordance with each SRU graduate program’s established policies, standards, and procedures.   

At any given time, undergraduate students may only take graduate courses in one SRU graduate program.  

Transfer students must have earned a minimum of 12 undergraduate credits from Slippery Rock University prior to seeking provisional graduate admission.  

What are Four-Plus (4+) Program Standards?  

• A student must be of Senior standing and have earned a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA before taking SRU graduate courses. If the intended graduate program requires a higher GPA, the student must meet the higher GPA before taking graduate courses.   
• A maximum of 6 credits may count toward both programs. (For example, completing both an SRU undergraduate degree program requiring 120 credits and an SRU graduate degree program requiring 30 credits could be accomplished with a combined total of 144 credits).
• As an undergraduate, a combined total of 6 graduate credits may be earned prior to formal admission as a graduate level student in both the Four-Plus (4+) and Senior Undergraduate Permission to Take Graduate Level Course Policies.
• Students may register for no more than 6 SRU graduate credits in any one term.  
• SRU graduate courses in a Four-Plus (4+) program may fill undergraduate requirements as either dual-listed courses (taught simultaneously to both undergraduates and graduates) in the undergraduate major, and/or undergraduate major electives. 
• All prerequisites for the intended SRU graduate courses must be satisfied prior to taking those graduate courses.  
• Grades earned in SRU graduate courses as part of the Four-Plus (4+) program will be entered into the student’s overall undergraduate and graduate grade point averages.  
• SRU Undergraduate and graduate degree requirements shall adhere to academic standards set forth for both independent degree programs for all students in the respective programs.  
• The total number of credits required for both the SRU undergraduate and graduate degrees can be reduced by the number of graduate credits used to satisfy requirements for the undergraduate degree.
• Undergraduate courses may not satisfy requirements for the SRU graduate degree. 
• At least 48 credits of advanced coursework are required for a baccalaureate degree.  Graduate coursework used to satisfy the requirements of the Four-Plus (4+) program may be used toward the advanced coursework requirement.  
• At least 50 percent of the Master’s Degree coursework (excluding thesis, research, or internship hours) must be completed at Slippery Rock University.
• If a student is not formally admitted or chooses not to enroll in the respective graduate program, any earned graduate coursework through the Four Plus (4+) program will continue to count toward the minimum credit requirement of the undergraduate degree program.  
• Eligible graduate coursework taken by undergraduate students enrolled in the Four-Plus (4+) program will be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate and may be eligible for undergraduate financial aid and scholarships. Once the undergraduate degree is conferred and the student is considered a graduate student, students will be charged the graduate tuition rate and may be eligible for graduate financial aid and scholarships.  
• Students may be eligible for undergraduate or graduate financial aid, in accordance with federal regulations; all students within each program must be charged in the same fashion.