Accelerated Joint Program in Linguistics and the School of Information

Accelerated Joint Program in Linguistics and the School of Information

The School of Information offers an accelerated joint program for exceptional Linguistics undergraduate concentrators at the University of Michigan. The program enables students in Linguistics to complete both a bachelor's degree and the two-year Master of Science in Information (MSI) degree in five years of study. The School of Information will select candidates for this program during their junior year. The bachelor's degree is normally awarded at the end of the senior year (the first year of study in the School of Information) and the MSI degree after completion of its requirements (normally after a second year of graduate study).

Students in the accelerated joint program must satisfy the normal requirements for both the Bachelors and the MSI programs; but any course they take that satisfies a requirement for the Bachelors and also satisfies a requirement for the MSI can be used to satisfy both requirements simultaneously. By taking 24 credit hours of courses that are "double-counted" in this fashion, it is possible to eliminate a year from the normal course of study. In particular, several designated courses taught in the School of Information and the Department of Linguistics satisfy requirements for both degrees. See the official list of courses for details.

To qualify for admission to the School of Information under the Accelerated Joint Program, students need to show that, given the double counting provision, they will be able to complete the LS&A and Linguistics requirements for the Bachelors by the end of the fourth year, while also completing the usual first-year coursework for the MSI.

In addition, applicants for the accelerated joint program must show an academic record that is consistent with the demands of completing six years of course work in five years. This means that program applicants must be at or above the norm for the regular entering class at the School of Information, in terms of fit to the School, maturity, GPA, and GRE scores.

Further information can be found by visiting the School of Information, 300 West Hall, or SI's website: http://www.si.umich.edu/. Declared Linguistics Concentrators who are interested in this program should consult with their Linguistics advisor as early as possible. An application to the School of Information is made in the fall academic term of the junior year and is reviewed as part of the regular admission process by the School of Information. Applicants will be notified of the School of Information's decision before the registration deadline in the winter academic term.