Fast Track Master’s Programs

Fast Track offers an accelerated pathway to get a master’s degree. Specifically, it allows an undergraduate student to take up to 15 semester credit hours of approved graduate level courses in their senior year to use toward completion of both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. 

Who should seriously consider Fast Track? 

Undergraduate students with strong academic record who intend to pursue master’s studies to enhance their career prospects. 

What are the minimum eligibility requirements?

A student must have completed:

• 90 or more semester credit hours with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00; and  
• 36 or more semester credit hours of the core curriculum requirements.

Some programs have additional requirements (see below).

What are the available Fast Track options?

If you are pursuing	You can Fast Track into
BS in Actuarial Science	MS in Actuarial Science
BS in Biochemistry	MS in Chemistry MS in Biotechnology MS in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology MS in Data Science and Statistics
BS in Biology	MS in Molecular and Cell Biology MS in Biotechnology MS in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology MS in Data Science and Statistics
BS in Chemistry	MS in Chemistry MS in Biotechnology MS in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology MS in Data Science and Statistics
BS in Data Science	MS in Data Science and Statistics MS in Mathematics
BS in Geosciences	MS in Geosciences
BS in Mathematics	MS in Mathematics MS in Data Science and Statistics
BS in Molecular Biology	MS in Molecular and Cell Biology MS in Biotechnology MS in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology MS in Data Science and Statistics
BA/BS in Physics	MS in Physics MS in Mathematics MS in Data Science and Statistics MS in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology MS in Biotechnology

What are the additional requirements, if any?

If you intend to Fast Track into	You must additionally have
MS in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology	A cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 in all mathematics and statistics courses
MS in Data Science and Statistics	A cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 in all mathematics and statistics courses
MS in Mathematics	A cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 in all mathematics and statistics courses
MS in Molecular and Cell Biology	Completed at least 15 semester credit hours of upper-division Biology core courses
MS in Physics	A cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 in a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of upper-division courses that include PHYS 3411, PHYS 3312, PHYS 3330, PHYS 3416, PHYS 4301, and PHYS 4311

What are the next steps?

• Review the UT Dallas Fast Track policy
• Obtain a Fast Track Program Application form from your NSM Academic Advisor
• Contact your Undergraduate Faculty Advisor and the Graduate Faculty Advisor of the intended MS program, ideally during your junior year, to determine how courses can be used on either the undergraduate or graduate degree plans 
• Submit an approved Fast Track application to the NSM Advising Office

Whom to contact for additional questions?

If the questions are about	Contact your
Beginning the Fast Track process	NSM Academic Advisor
Courses involved in the Fast Track program	Undergraduate Faculty Advisor or the Graduate Faculty Advisor of the intended MS program