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Accelerated Master's Option

Accelerated Master's Option in Geography

The Accelerated Master's option allows undergraduate students to take graduate level courses and apply these to both their undergraduate and graduate course requirements. This is not a degree program. It is a path that allows SFU undergraduate students planning to pursue graduate studies at SFU to complete their graduate degree in less time. 

Approval for the Accelerated Master’s option does not guarantee admission to the Master’s program. Students must satisfy admission requirements for graduate studies at SFU and the Department of Geography to be admitted to the Master’s program. 

Note that graduate courses taken as part of the Accelerated Master's option count towards Master’s program requirements at SFU but not necessarily at other institutions (you will need to enquire with the institution of interest).

Who is Eligible?

To be eligible for the Accelerated Master's, you must:
 
  • Be a current SFU undergraduate student
  • Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.67
  • Have normally completed at least 90 credits of undergraduate work
  • Have identified a supervisor for your subsequent Master’s research who is willing to provide research funding during your Master’s research

How to Apply

First, find a faculty member committed to supervising you in your Master's research provided you are accepted into the graduate program.

Second, obtain clearance from the Undergraduate Advisor that you meet eligibility criteria. Email geogadv@sfu.ca with your request.

Third, obtain approval from the Graduate Program Chair to take graduate level courses prior to being considered for admission to the graduate program. Email your request to geog_grad@sfu.ca along with the following documents:

  • Approval from undergraduate advisor
  • A copy of your CV
  • Your unofficial transcript
  • You will need to arrange for three letters of recommendations from academic references to be sent to geog_grad@sfu.ca, including one from your prospective supervisor that comments on their interest in supervising your Master’s research, availability of research funding, and your suitability for pursuing graduate-level work

When to Apply

Students are encouraged to apply for the Accelerated Master’s Option before their final year in the undergraduate program.

The deadline for the formal application to the Master’s program is January 22 of the year you are planning to enter the program. Acceptance to the graduate program is announced during the Spring term, and is conditional on students successfully graduating with their Bachelor’s degree.

Fees

Students will pay the undergraduate per credit rate for all undergraduate courses and the graduate per credit rate for all graduate courses (which is higher than the undergraduate per credit rate) while they are registered in their undergraduate program. Because Accelerated Master’s program students are prepared to complete their Master’s degree more quickly, the total costs for the Master’s will be lower than for the normal Master’s program.

Students are ineligible for graduate funding, scholarships or awards administered from SFU sources until they complete their Bachelor's degree.

Degree Completion

Students in this option must fulfill the degree requirements of the Bachelor’s program to be eligible for admission into the Master's program. 

Students in this option are expected to complete their Master’s degree within twenty months (five terms), as opposed to twenty four months (six terms) in the regular Master’s program.

Course Selection

Students admitted into the Accelerated Master’s option may take up to 10 units of graduate courses that may be counted towards both the Bachelor's degree and the Master's degree. Courses should be selected in consultation with the prospective supervisor of your Master’s research.

Students in this option may only take graduate courses in Geography. They may NOT take GEOG 600 or GEOG 601.

Students in this option are encouraged to take two graduate courses during the undergraduate degree to complete their Master’s program more quickly and realize financial and time to completion savings.

It is important to consider that the workload of graduate courses may be higher than that of undergraduate courses, and that your coursework will be evaluated in the same way as that of entry-level Master’s students. Grades received in graduate courses taken in the Accelerated Master’s option will count towards the CGPA of your Bachelor’s degree, which determines admissibility into the graduate program (Geography’s minimum CGPA requirement for graduate admissions is 3.25). Grades received in those courses will also determine your eligibility for graduate awards (minimum 3.50 CGPA requirement for most awards).

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