Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Program

Overview

The Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) Program in the Department of Mathematical Sciences makes it possible for ambitious and high-performing undergraduate students at the University of Memphis to earn both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree within a period of five years instead of the usual six or more. The program is offered for the master’s degree concentrations in Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, and Statistics.

Upon program completion, a student will have exceptionally strong credentials

• to pursue a professional career in industry, or
• to enter a doctoral program in mathematics, statistics, or a related discipline, at the University of Memphis or elsewhere.

A carefully designed individual degree plan can be tailored to align with the eligibility requirements and professional expectations of the student’s intended career path. 

Description

Upon admission in the ABM program, typically at the beginning of their senior year, students will have completed at least 18 hours of mathematics/statistics courses for their bachelor’s degree.

Enrollment in the ABM program will allow undergraduate students to take up to 12 hours of graduate courses (6000 level or above) during their senior year. Under the provisions of the ABM program, students may use these credit hours for the completion of their undergraduate and master's degrees (“double dipping”), subject to the following regulations:

• Students may not receive credit for the graduate version of a course at the 6000 level if they have credit for the undergraduate version of the course at the 4000 level.
• Not more than 9 credit hours of 6000 level coursework can be applied to the master’s degree.
• In order to earn the master’s degree, students will have to follow the same 33-credit hour curriculum as any other student admitted into the MS program.

Students need to satisfy all course requirements and academic regulations necessary for the completion of their bachelor’s and master’s degrees, according to the University of Memphis Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs.

Upon registration to the graduate-level course, the undergraduate-level course equivalent will be added to the student record and appear as “in progress” until the end of the term. After course completion, standard grades and credit hours will be applied to the graduate-level course, and a grade of “S” (Satisfactory) or “U” (Unsatisfactory) will be applied to the undergraduate-level equivalent course.  

Eligibility 

The ABM program is open for high-ability undergraduate students who

• have completed 18 hours of undergraduate coursework in mathematics or statistics,
• have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a minimum GPA of 3.30 in their mathematics/statistics courses,
• are within their last year before graduating with their bachelor’s degree,
• have been invited by a faculty sponsor and the departmental undergraduate advisor to join.

First Steps

After a student receives an invitation or sponsorship from a program faculty member and the departmental undergraduate advisor, the student meets with the advisor to discuss program requirements and to ascertain if minimum qualifications have been met for entry into the program.

Currently, Mrs. Ilham Tayahi serves as the departmental advisor coordinating the ABM program at the undergraduate level. 

Further details about ABM procedures can be found here.

Degree Planning

The key to a successful ABM program is thorough planning ahead of time. Hence, early on, the student must meet with the undergraduate advisor and the faculty sponsor to carefully design a program of study for the remainder of the student’s undergraduate degree program and early stages of the student’s master’s degree program. In coordination with the student and faculty sponsor, the advisor completes and submits the ABM Request Form, including only the student’s planned classes with open registration. Additional ABM Request Forms must be filled out for courses in future terms once registration opens for that term.

Transition to Graduate School

By the end of their undergraduate studies, students enrolled in the ABM program are required to apply for admission in the master’s program using the Graduate School web portal. For students enrolled in the ABM program, the GRE score requirement is regularly waived. 

For specific questions about master’s program contents, please contact

• Prof. Thomas Hagen for the concentrations in Applied Mathematics and Mathematics, or
• Prof. Dale Bowman for the concentration in Statistics.

Initial admission to the ABM program or completion is no guarantee of admission into or progression in a graduate program of study.

The Dr. Karen E. Chancellor Memorial Scholarship 

The Dr. Karen E. Chancellor Memorial Scholarship endowment has been created for the ABM program.

The Scholarship will provide partial support for ABM students in their final year of the program. Students will be able to apply for the Karen Chancellor Memorial Scholarship from November 2023 through February 2024 in the Tiger Scholarship Manager system. The Department wishes to express heartfelt thanks of gratitude to Ms. Carol Chancellor for her generous gift in memory of her sister Karen, which will truly enhance the ABM program in DMS.

The Dr. Karen E. Chancellor Memorial Scholarship was established by her sister, Carol Chancellor. Dr. Chancellor (BA “80; MS ’80) served as Shelby County’s medical examiner for nearly 14 years before her tragic death on Sept. 10, 2021, following a car crash. At an early age, Dr. Chancellor demonstrated a penchant for the scholarship. After graduating from Overton High School in Memphis, she became of the first students to graduate from the University of Memphis with an undergraduate and a master’s degrees at the same time. She later earned a medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine. In 2012, Dr. Chancellor was awarded the University of Memphis Outstanding Alumna Award. This scholarship will be awarded to full-time students enrolled in their second year of the Accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Program in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. 

Previous Awardees

• Congratulations to Noah Molder, recipient of the 2024 Dr. Karen E. Chancellor Memorial Scholarship.
• Congratulations to Alexander Williams, recipient of the 2023 Dr. Karen E. Chancellor Memorial Scholarship.