Roanoke Pre-Master's Program

Earn Your Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in as Few as Five Years

The Pre-Master’s Program between the Schar School and Roanoke College (RC) allows Roanoke undergraduate students to begin taking graduate coursework at the Schar School in Public Policy and Public Administration while completing their undergraduate degree at RC. This makes it possible to complete the rest of the master’s degree in as little as one year following undergraduate graduation!

Thursday, February 12 at 4 to 4:45 p.m. Eastern

What are the benefits of the RU- Schar School Pre-Master’s program?

  • Faster degree completion in as little as five years
  • Earn a master’s degree from a top-ranked policy school
  • Take graduate credits at a reduced graduate tuition rate while an undergraduate student!
  • Expanded career opportunities and lifelong career support
  • Waived application fee, no GRE or references required!
Three undergraduate students looking at the same laptop

Pre-Master’s Program Options

How Does This Work?

  • With approval from RC, you will apply to the Schar School’s Accelerated Master’s Program
  • You can take up to 12 graduate credits (4 classes) in the Schar School Master’s Program while concurrently enrolled as an undergraduate student at RC.
  • In your final semester at RC, officially apply to the Master’s Program at GMU. Once admitted to GMU as an official master’s student, the classes will transfer in - as long as you have earned a B or better.

Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in the RC-Schar School Pre-Master’s Program, RU students must:

  • Have declared a 4-year RC Political Science or Public Policy Major
  • Have, or will have by the start of the first semester of the Pre-Master’s program, completed all required courses in the RC major.
  • Have completed, or will have completed by the start of the first semester of the Pre-Master’s program, at least 19 RC units—including the following required courses for both Public Policy and Political Science majors: POLI 112 Issues in American Politics, POLI 150 Politics and Public Policy, POLI 245 Ethics and Public Policy, and either INQ 240 Statistical Reasoning or CJUS/IR/POLI 209 Research Methods in Public Affairs
  • Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above at the time of application to the Pre-Master’s program
  • Obtain permission of the RC Coordinator to apply

Note: meeting the requirements above does not guarantee admission to the program

Schar School undergraduate student sits on steps at Fairfax Campus, smiling at the camera.

Deadline

Fall 2026: March 1

To apply

Application Information

  • Submit interest form to the RC Pre-Master’s Program Coordinator and receive approval to apply
  • If approved, follow the instructions here:
  • Create a graduate, non-degree application to the Schar School;
  • Fill out the application, including uploading unofficial transcripts from RC;
  • Submit the application.
  • Once submitted, email schar@gmu.edu with the Subject Line “RU Pre-Master’s Program Application” and let us know your full name, email and G# from your application.
  • If/when admitted, accept your offer of enrollment and follow next steps given to you by the Schar School Student Services team!
  • When you are in your last semester at RC, contact schar@gmu.edu and we will walk you through the process to apply officially to the graduate program.

Take The Next Step

To learn more about the program and discuss your next step, contact Laura de Castro Quaglia, Assistant Professor at Roanoke College, at decastroquaglia@roanoke.edu