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Thrive in Five Program

The Thrive in Five Program (formerly called the Accelerated Program) allows highly qualified undergraduates in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to earn up to 9 hours of graduate-level coursework during the final year of undergraduate studies. Students in the Thrive in Five Program take graduate-level courses and earn both undergraduate credit and graduate credit simultaneously. The courses that can be taken through the program are 4000 level requirements including technical electives with an ECE prefix. Students wishing to get graduate and undergraduate credit, who are admitted to the Thrive in Five program, should register for the matching 6000-level course. Upon completion, they will get credit for the 4000-level course in addition to the 6000-level course.

Admission into the Thrive in Five Program requires at least junior standing (60 or more completed undergraduate semester hours) as well as a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 for all undergraduate work.

To apply for admission in the Thrive in Five Program for ECE, complete the ECE Thrive in Five Application and return to your advisor. Note: your application will be held for processing until you are ready to take coursework that can be taken through Thrive in Five.

Students enrolled in the Thrive in Five Program must follow the policies below:

  • As part of the application for admission to the Thrive in Five Program, the student designates a graduate major professor. The major professor may serve as the student’s eventual major professor for the M.S. degree and will ensure that the coursework taken as part of the Thrive in Five Program is appropriate for a Graduate Program of Study form for the M.S. degree.
  • Once the student is accepted into the Thrive in Five Program, the student and the graduate major professor select up to 9 hours that will satisfy both undergraduate and graduate requirements. These courses may be at either the 6000 level or 8000 level. For each course, the student enrolls in the course for graduate credit (i.e., the 6000-level section, rather than the 4000-level section, of a split-level course).
  • Once a student is accepted into the the Thrive in Five Program, the student can self register in 6000 level ECE coursework through Banner and designated CSE coursework for CPE students. There are 4 credit hour coursework and 8000 level coursework that are also eligible for the program, but a student will be required to fill out a course enrollment form for these special cases. The 4-hour courses will only be allowed if a student is planning fewer than 9 credit hours. The course enrollment form must be approved by the department and college, with the Graduate School issuing a level override that will enable the student to enroll in the graduate courses designated on the form.
  • After these graduate-level courses have been successfully completed, the university registrar will grant credit for the corresponding undergraduate courses using the same grades as received for the graduate courses. For the case of a split-level course, the transcript will show credit for both the 4000- and 6000-level courses. In the case of an 8000-level course, an undergraduate DIS course (ECE 4000) of the same title will be entered on the transcript to allow dual credit.
  • Directed-individual study at the graduate level (ECE 7000) is ineligible for the Thrive in Five Program.
  • A student may opt out of the Thrive in Five Program at any time, at which point the student would complete only the undergraduate portion of the program, and no additional dual-counting of courses would occur. If making this decision within the semester, the student should talk with his or her advisor.
  • Admission to the Thrive in Five program does not imply acceptance to a graduate program. Students who want to continue their graduate studies directly after completion of the B.S. program should apply to the M.S. degree program during the last semester of enrollment in the B.S. program. Application to the M.S. program would be made through the standard application process via the Graduate School.
  • The student is classified as an undergraduate until fulfillment of all the requirements for the B.S. degree. At that time, and upon admission to the M.S. program, the student will be classified as a graduate student and will be subject to all the guidelines pertaining to the M.S. degree.
  • Undergraduate students also enrolled in the Shackouls Honors College may receive honors credit for graduate coursework by completing the following form with the instructor and the Honors College.

Thrive in Five Forms:
ECE Thrive in Five Application (download and save to computer for signature blocks)
ECE Course Enrollment (download and save to computer for signature blocks)
Honors: Graduate Coursework for Honors Credit

Important Graduate Links:
MSU Graduate School Admissions and Application
ECE Prospective Graduate Students
ECE Graduate School FAQs
ECE Graduate Handbook