Undergraduate students can save money and get a jumpstart on their master's degree with the Senior Rule admissions status.

What is Senior Rule?

Senior Rule is an admissions status that allows students in their final semester of the bachelor's degree to simultaneously begin their master's degree and take a limited number of graduate courses during that semester.

Benefits

Save time and money!

Students participating in Senior Rule have the option to enter the job market even faster by taking courses from the master program during the last semester of their bachelor's degree program, and thus, complete the master's degree in less time.

Students will pay undergraduate tuition fees for graduate courses taken that last semester, for a savings of approximately one-third less than the graduate tuition rate for Michigan residents.

Senior Rule provides the opportunity for students to apply graduate credits to a master's degree.

Graduate courses have a 6-year expiration date, so students can always come back to WSU and utilize the graduate courses toward their degree within that timeframe.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Senior Rule, students must approach their last undergraduate semester at Wayne State, with a minimum 3.0 overall GPA. Students must register for at least one credit that is required for completion of the bachelor's degree, and approved graduate courses taken in excess of the bachelor's degree requirements will be applied to the graduate transcript.

Undergraduate and graduate courses combined may not exceed sixteen credits for the final semester of the bachelor's degree.  Senior Rule status is available for one semester only. Students who have completed all requirements for their bachelor's degree are not eligible for Senior Rule.

Admission Process

Eligible students are encouraged to discuss Senior Rule with their advisor. Once a decision has been made to pursue this option, students must complete the Senior Rule application. To be formally admitted for Senior Rule admission, a degree application for the semester in which the student will be completing all requirements for the bachelor's degree must be submitted through Academica. A Graduate School application must be submitted for the semester in which the student will begin taking graduate courses in Senior Rule status. Senior Rule admissions status must be approved before registering for graduate courses. The Senior Rule Coordinator will assist with securing overrides for the graduate courses and ensuring that the graduate courses are appropriately reflected on your graduate transcript with the Records Office.

Any questions regarding Senior Rule should be addressed to your academic advisor, or the Senior Rule Coordinator:

Fawne Allossery,
Academic services officer IV
ac9010@wayne.edu
313-577-1601