Save time and money while working toward your graduate degree (Master's in Communication with a Concentration in Public Relations or Communication Studies) with the Accelerated Graduate Enrollment (AGRADE) Program.

Our AGRADE program provides the opportunity for top students to enroll simultaneously in an undergraduate and graduate program. Students can apply a maximum of 15 credits towards both an undergraduate and a graduate degree in the student's major field. Students electing AGRADE programs may expect to complete the bachelor's and master's degrees in five years of full-time study.

Students must apply for an AGRADE program during the semester that they earn 90 credits toward an undergraduate degree typically during junior year. Applicants must have at least an overall GPA of 3.5 and not less than a 3.6 GPA in the major courses already completed.

Overview

The Department of Communication's Accelerated Graduate Enrollment (AGRADE) program enables qualified seniors in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, Department of Communication to enroll simultaneously in the undergraduate and graduate programs of the department in the concentrations of Public Relations and Communication Studies and apply a maximum of 15 credits towards both an undergraduate and graduate degree in the student's major field.

Students who elect the AGRADE program may expect to complete the bachelor's and master's degrees in five years of full-time study. This allows students to save both time and money as they pursue their undergraduate and graduate degrees, making the most of their experiences at Wayne State.

AGRADE credits

Students may elect a minimum of three and a maximum of 15 AGRADE credits. These will be used to complete the baccalaureate degree as well as to serve as the beginning of graduate study. Upon formal admission to a master's degree program, AGRADE courses are treated as if they were graduate credits transferred from a graduate program at another university. The remaining graduate credits required for the master's degree will be earned in the traditional manner following formal admission to the graduate program.

Who to contact about AGRADE?

For more details about the AGRADE program, students should contact their undergraduate advisor of Public Relations or Communication Studies or the Office of the Department of Communication at communication@wayne.edu/313-577-2943.

The college's AGRADE program is administered by the Graduate Office of the Department of Communication. The college's Graduate Office accepts students to the AGRADE program upon recommendations from department and processes all necessary forms to make sure that students receive credit for the graduate level AGRADE courses that they may take during their undergraduate years. The undergraduate and graduate advisor will also monitor the progress of AGRADE students, and advise them about coursework.

Time of application

The earliest a student may apply for the AGRADE Program is the semester in which he/she completes 90 credits towards the undergraduate degree. Students should consult with their undergraduate advisor in Public Relations or Communications Studies to seek advice about the appropriate time to apply for AGRADE status.

How to apply for AGRADE?

1. Meet with the Department of Communication's undergraduate and graduate advisor in Public Relations and Communication Studies to complete the AGRADE Request and Plan of Work Form.
2. The student should present to the Master's program graduate director all the materials the program requires for traditional admission.
3. The Master's Program will make an AGRADE admission decision regarding the applicant and notify the school/college graduate office as well as the applicant. The college graduate office will notify Records Maintenance of the student's admission into the AGRADE program.
4. Students will be assigned an advisor by the Master's program.
5. The AGRADE Request and Plan of Work Form must be approved and on file no later than the 2nd week of classes for new applicants.
6. Courses already on the student's transcript at the time of application cannot be approved for AGRADE status. Students who have already completed the baccalaureate degree are not eligible for AGRADE status.
7. All acceptable and approved AGRADE courses that were completed with a B or higher will be assigned to the student's graduate record.