Chemistry (ABM Option), B.S.

Total number of hours for the program: 120.

The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s (ABM) track, outlined in detail below, allows students to get a thesis-based or a non-thesis M.S. degree in Chemistry within 14 months of getting the B.S. degree in Chemistry.

A. ABM Student Eligibility Requirements

1. Students must have completed a minimum of sixty (60) credit hours in chemistry undergraduate degree program.
2. Transfer students must have completed a minimum of two semesters as a full-time student at North Carolina Central University, and earned a minimum of 24 credit hours at North Carolina Central University.
3. Students must have a minimum cumulative NCCU grade point average (GPA) of 3.000 at the time of admission to the ABM track and must maintain the 3.000 GPA through completion of their bachelor’s degree.

B. Application to the ABM Track

1. A prospective ABM student that meets the eligibility requirements above should schedule a meeting with her/his academic advisor and the graduate program director in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to develop a tentative plan of study for her/his bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, and to discuss the ABM requirements.
2. The prospective ABM-track student should be given a copy of the program-specific ABM guidelines at that meeting.
3. The student must submit, while still an undergraduate, the standard application for admission to the Graduate School including an application, application fee, and all required admission materials.
4. Upon review of the submitted application materials, the graduate program director, in consultation with the department choir will make a recommendation to the Graduate School to accept or deny a student admission to the master’s program, contingent on meeting the ABM eligibility and participation requirements.

C. Requirements for ABM Participation and Graduation

1. Students must complete their bachelor’s degree prior to entering a masters’ degree program and must apply for the M.S. program during their senior years in the B.S. program, with admission contingent on successful completion of B.S. program. ABM students cannot elect to by-pass the bachelor’s degree.
2. Students must receive a grade of B or higher in the double-counted graduate-level courses. Graduate courses with a grade below a B can count toward the bachelor’s degree but cannot be double-counted between the two degrees.
3. No more than 9 credit hours of graduate-level work may be counted towards the requirements of both degrees, and no more than 12 graduate-level credit hours may be taken before conferral of the bachelor’s degree.

D. Continuing ABM Eligibility

1. It is the responsibility of the student to maintain her/his ABM eligibility status.
2. If a student becomes ineligible to participate in the ABM track, the graduate program director must inform the student in writing of her/his ABM ineligibility. A copy of this letter to the students must be sent to the Graduate School.
3. A student who is ineligible to participate in or withdraws from the ABM track may continue as a regular undergraduate student to complete his/her B.S. degree in Chemistry. The graduate courses taken will only counted for the undergraduate degree.

E. Withdrawal from the ABM Track

A student may withdraw at any time from the ABM track by informing the department chair and the graduate program director in writing. A copy of this request must also be sent to the Graduate School.