Earth Science Bachelor's Accelerated Master's Program

1. Description and Statement of Purpose

The Department of Earth Science Bachelor’s Accelerated Master’s (BAM) program links our BS in Earth Science degree program with our MS in Earth Science program. This program allows high performing undergraduate students to begin taking graduate-level coursework to allow them to graduate from CU with both a BS and MS degree more quickly than would be possible by pursuing the degrees separately in sequence. For the MS portion of the program, students may elect either the thesis or non-thesis option but students should consult their undergraduate and potential graduate advisors carefully before making this decision. See the Earth Science department webpage for more detailed information about our graduate degree programs and requirements.

2. Who should consider the Earth Science BAM program?

For high-performing students, BAM programs provide students with new challenges in graduate-level classes.  BAM students may seek the MS degree for any of several reasons: (1) intellectual challenge, (2) higher levels of responsibility and salary in the workplace, or (3) as an intermediate step to gain research experience before moving on to a Ph.D. program. The BAM  program is not intended to replace an undergraduate research experience such as an Honors thesis. To the contrary, a successful BAM student is likely to be one who obtains some level of research experience while still an undergraduate student. Pursuing an Honors thesis or Independent Study are example paths to obtain that experience. The Masters thesis project could be related to and build on undergraduate research, but since graduate research standards are higher than those of undergraduate experiences, an undergraduate thesis cannot be directly reused as a graduate thesis.

Class Level from CU Boulder University Catalog (under Academic Records - Course Load)
Junior: 60–89.9 credit hours
Senior: 90–124.9 credit hours
Fifth-Year Senior: 125 and above credit hours

3. Admissions Process

The Department of Earth Science and the university specify both prerequisite courses and general admissions requirements for this BAM program. A student typically begins the BAM application process in their junior (third) year to allow for adequate planning for their senior (fourth)ear coursework and research.

3.1 Prerequisite Coursework
  • GEOL (or ERTH) 2001, 2005, and 2700 completed at the time of application submission.
  • A minimum of 6 credits (2 courses) of GEOL (or ERTH) coursework at the 3000 or 4000 level, completed before the time of application submission.

  • Completion of all ancillary Math, Physics and Chemistry requirements that are common to both Geology and Geophysics tracks for the Geology degree plus the remaining courses required for either track, completed by the end of junior academic year.

    That includes:

    • Calc 1 + 2: (MATH1300 or APPM1350 or [APPM1340 and APPM 1345]) AND (MATH 2300 or APPM1360)
    • Chem 1 + lab: (CHEM1113 or CHEM1400 or CHEN1201 or CHEN1211) and (CHEM1114 or CHEM1401 or CHEM1221)
    • Physics 1: PHYS1110 or PHYS1115
      and either
      • Chem 2 + lab (CHEM1133 or CHEM2100) and (CHEM1134 or CHEM2101)
      • OR Physics 2 + lab (PHYS1120 or PHYS1125)  and PHYS1140
3.2 General Requirements

To become eligible for admission to the Earth Science BAM program, a student must meet the following criteria: 

  • The average GPA across all GEOL (or ERTH)-prefix Tier 2 trunk courses (2001, 2005, 2700) + any two Tier 3 trunk courses completed at CU Boulder must be 3.3 or higher.
  • Complete all ancillary (math, physics, and chemistry) prerequisite courses with a C- or better.
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  • Provide a brief Statement of Purpose describing why the student wants to enter the BAM program and any details available for a plan for study and/or research topic. 
  • Have one letter of reference from an Earth Science Faculty member who is willing to be a graduate advisor. See section 3.3 for guidance on what this letter should address.
  • An additional Letter of Reference is required if the student does not meet the first two requirements (which are the “average GPA…must be 3.3…” and “complete all ancillary prerequisite courses…”). This second letter can be written by a CU faculty member (does not have to be Earth Science) or by a student’s undergraduate academic advisor or another professional in a supervisory role (e.g. employer or mentor for activities outside coursework) justifying why the student should still be considered for admission into the program.
  • Have at least a junior class (60–89.9 credit hours) standing.
  • Complete the Earth Science application during the specific dates it is open. 
  • Complete the BAM intent form available on the Graduate School website. 

Meeting the above criteria does not guarantee admission to the BAM program as the department must balance a number of factors related to enrollment management across our graduate programs when reviewing BAM applications.
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1 University-wide BAM program policy requires a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA for admission consideration.

3.3 Guidelines for the letter of reference

The below items are suggestions for inclusion in the letter of reference from an Earth Science Faculty member who is willing to be a graduate advisor: 

  • Why the letter writer feels that the student should be admitted to the BAM program.
     
  • Whether any additional potential committee members have been approached yet, which could help demonstrate that an efficient guidance plan can be quickly put into place.
     
  • Which Earth Science graduate courses that the student might consider taking while in undergraduate status.
     
  • Any other information that you think will be useful in your letter (e.g. sources of support for analytical costs, travel expenses for field work or conference attendance).

If a second letter is required because the student does not meet the general requirements for eligibility, that letter should address any extenuating circumstances that the writer feels should justify an exception to the general requirements.

4. Apply to Bachelors-Accelerated Masters (BAM) Program

Step 1 - Check your readiness for the program, including the prerequisite courses, and familiarize yourself with the MS degree (webpage) requirements. Begin to consider research area(s) and question(s) of interest, and reach out to potential faculty advisors.

Step 2 - Contact your current undergraduate academic advisor (Jordyn Dwyer Howard or Amairany Casillas-Alcala) to discuss how undergraduate and graduate requirements fit together. 

Step 3  - Check the Application deadlines (below). Applications are only accepted during the BAM Application cycle.

Step 4 - Contact one of the Earth Science Faculty Mentors (Lon Abbott or Jennifer Stempien) to alert them of your interest in the BAM and ensure it is a good fit for you. 

Step 5 - Confirm the support of a faculty advisor and that they can provide you with the required letter of reference by the application deadline. Let them know that they must send the letter of reference with the email subject "BAM - your last name Reference letter" to EarthSciBAM@colorado.edu by the deadline.

Step 6 - Submit the Earth Science departmental BAM application. You will receive an email with a decision on your application from EarthSciBAM@colorado.edu. If the above link does not work, click this: https://forms.gle/ayj1euX1GeCMuSqM6 

Initial Application Cycle: 

May 15 to June 22, 2026

(Students will not have access to make fall enrollment changes from May 22 until July 21 at 10am)

5. Continuation Requirements

While students are in undergraduate status, they are subject to university, college, and financial policies for undergraduates. Similarly, students with graduate status are subject to university, college, and financial policies for graduate students. Students should work closely with their undergraduate and graduate advisor to ensure that they understand all BAM program policies.

In the final semester of a student’s work on their bachelor’s degree, they must complete the following steps to continue with their master’s degree:

The last day to complete all three steps is:

  • October 1st for Fall graduates
  • February 1st for Spring graduates
  • March 1st for Summer graduates

Enrolled students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA while in the master’s program including in the courses being used towards completion of the MS degree.

6. Funding sources while in BAM program

Undergraduate students in their 1st year in the BAM program are eligible for funding to support research activities through the University’s UROP program and/or the department’s Curtis undergraduate mentoring program. BAM students are most likely self-funded during the 5th-year of study (as a graduate student), requiring tuition to be paid to the University and independent sources of funding to cover living expenses. Whereas the Department typically commits stipend and tuition funding at the time of admission for new PhD and 2-yr MS students who are recruited through the normal graduate admissions process, no such funding is committed to BAM students. The financial support for new PhD and 2-yr MS students is typically provided in the form of Teaching or Research assistantships (TA and RA). These TA and RA appointments require up to a 50% work-commitment and are provided semester-by-semester in contracts. However, once BAM students complete all of the above steps to continue with the Masters degree and are officially identified as Masters students (often ~fifth year), they are eligible to be considered for TA and RA funding that might be available. Similarly, BAM graduate students are eligible for all department and university research and travel grant programs normally intended for graduate students. BAM students are encouraged to seek, with guidance from their graduate advisor(s), external sources of research funding. Many such programs exist for supporting undergraduate and graduate student research (for example, Geological Society of America, Rocky Mountain Association for Geologists, Colorado Scientific Society, Four Corners Geological Foundation, Tobacco Root Geological Society, Mineralogical Association of America, and many others).

7. Curriculum

Once admitted to the program, students in undergraduate status may take up to 12 credits of graduate classes at the 5000-level or 6000-level to be used towards the MS degree and 6 of those credits can double count for both the BS and MS degrees. Any 5000-level or 6000-level courses open to GEOL MS students may be double counted toward the BS and MS in this BAM program. The student should work with their undergraduate academic advisor AND their graduate faculty advisor to select the additional courses which meet MS degree requirements. Those courses may also apply toward upper division GEOL electives at the undergraduate level, and may apply to the GEOL undergraduate Tier 3 requirements of quantitative geoscience, surface processes, earth materials and upper division field courses, and any other applicable BS degree requirements if they are approved through the normal GEOL appeals process. Double counted courses may not be used toward a subsequent doctoral program (or additional master’s program) at CU Boulder. All other Master’s degree requirements (aside from the double counting of credits allowed under this BAM program) are the same as those for the GEOL MS.

Note 1: The Department of Earth Science offers some courses to undergraduate and graduate students at the same time via double-listed classes at the 4000/5000 level. If a student in a BAM program takes such a class and enrolls in the 4000-level section, then the course will only count towards meeting the requirements of their Bachelor’s degree. For the course to be eligible for use toward their Master’s degree, and/or eligible to double count toward the BA and MS degrees, the course must be taken at the 5000 level. 

Note 2: To ensure adequate academic progress is made, BAM students are expected to follow all departmental rules and guidelines regarding graduate committee makeup, annual advisory committee meetings and exams, as well as associated documentation. This includes a proto-committee meeting of 3 faculty members in their 1st semester (senior/4th year) as a BAM student. If you have questions on this protocommittee meeting, contact EarthSciBAM@colorado.edu.

8. Administration

The role of faculty director for this Bachelor’s Accelerated Master’s (BAM) degree program is jointly shared by Geological Science’s Associate Chair for Graduate Studies and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies. Admissions decisions will be made by a subcommittee across the undergraduate and graduate curriculum committees and/or the graduate admissions committee, following the process and guidelines presented above, including working with the undergraduate program coordinator, undergraduate advisors and undergraduate faculty mentors to verify eligibility. If needed, the subcommittee may contact a student for more information to complete their evaluation of the student’s application. While students are in undergraduate status, their undergraduate academic advisor will continue to be their primary advisor. However, they will need to additionally identify and confer with a potential graduate faculty advisor for the reference letter for the BAM application and for proto-committee formation after acceptance to the program. Then, when students achieve graduate status, their graduate faculty advisor will become their primary faculty advisor and the graduate program coordinator will manage their degree requirements, as is the case for other graduate students.

9. Questions? 

If you have questions on this Earth Science BAM program, please email EarthSciBAM@colorado.edu.