Folk Studies JUMP Program

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The Folk Studies Joint Undergraduate-Masters Program (JUMP) offers highly qualified and motivated students the opportunity to complete a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in an accelerated time frame. Qualified students who have been admitted to the JUMP program may begin taking graduate courses as early as their junior year and can then apply for admission to the MA Program in Folk Studies. JUMP students are NOT required to be Folklore minors.

 

Eligibility. To be eligible to apply, students:

• Must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.2.
• Must have completed at least 65 hours towards the undergraduate degree. To maximize the credit hour benefits of a JUMP program, students must be admitted prior to earning 96 undergraduate degree hours.

Coursework after admission to the JUMP program.

• Students must maintain a 3.2 GPA in Folk Studies and overall coursework to remain in good standing.
• Students may take up to 18 hours of graduate courses (400G or 500-level) courses and apply up to 12 credits toward both their undergraduate and their graduate degrees.
• Students remain undergraduates until they are admitted into the MA program and are eligible for all rights and privileges granted undergraduate status including financial aid.
• The BA must be awarded prior to (or concurrently with) the MA.

Completion of Undergraduate degree.

• Students who have completed a minimum of 120 hours including joint graduate/undergraduate hours along with other university requirements for the BA as listed in the university catalogue are eligible to apply for their undergraduate degree.
• Special circumstances involving personal hardships may arise on students so that completion of the JUMP is difficult or impossible. An undergraduate JUMP student who has reached 120 credit hours and total credit hour requirements for the BA (including joint credit) may appeal to the Folk Studies program who may recommend that coursework taken for graduate credit be substituted for specific elements of the degree thereby permitting the degree to be awarded. Students must document those hardships in their appeal.

Admission to the Graduate School for JUMP students.

• Students must be admitted to the Graduate School at WKU to complete their MA in Folk Studies on or before they complete 18 graduate credits.
• The GRE admission requirement for the Folk Studies MA program is waived for JUMP students.
• On admission to the Graduate School, the student is classified as a graduate student and granted all rights and privileges of WKU graduate students, including eligibility for consideration for a Graduate Assistantship position.
• Students may count a maximum of 12 hours of graduate coursework toward the MA prior to admission to the Graduate School.

Applying to the Folk Studies JUMP program. The application includes:

• A letter of reference from a Folk Studies faculty member.
• A writing sample.
• A statement of intent.
• A Program of Study developed in collaboration with the Folk Studies Program Director.

Interested students should contact the Folk Studies Director for assistance prior to beginning the application process.