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Graduate Program Pathways Overview

If you are enrolled in a Purdue Global bachelor's degree program and are considering earning a graduate degree in the future, you may be interested in a graduate program pathway. With graduate program pathways, you may take graduate-level courses to fulfill elective requirements in your bachelor’s degree program. If you then matriculate into a Purdue Global graduate degree that requires those courses, those master’s degree requirements would be considered fulfilled, thus shortening the time to earn your master’s degree.

Choosing a Pathway

You may choose any graduate program pathway that meets your career goals; it does not need to be in the same area of study as your bachelor’s degree. It is your choice how many graduate courses to take from the available options, provided you have enough unfulfilled electives available in your degree plan that could be fulfilled by graduate courses and you have met the School/College’s eligibility requirements, which may include minimum GPA, minimum credits earned, and/or an application. Courses available for each graduate program pathway and eligibility requirements are found in the sections organized by graduate School/College. 

If you take graduate courses as an undergraduate student, you will be held to the same expectations and standards as the graduate students in those courses, so make sure you are confident that you can succeed in this new academic environment before choosing to pursue a graduate program pathway.

Getting Started

To start a graduate program pathway, you should consult with your Student Advisor to confirm that you are eligible and that the pathway aligns with your career goals, and discuss impacts to your plan of study. Some graduate courses are only available on a particular calendar, so you may need to pause your studies to switch to that calendar if you wish to take those courses.

Continuing in Your Pathway

Once starting a graduate program pathway, you may be required to meet certain academic standards to be permitted to continue to take graduate courses in your bachelor’s degree. These standards are noted in the individual pathway policy sections, if applicable. 

You may switch pathways at any time, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements of the newly selected pathway, however, only courses applicable to your chosen master’s program will shorten the time to graduate from that program. 

Upon successful completion of the bachelor's degree program, you may apply for entry to a Purdue Global graduate program. If accepted, the applicable courses completed in your pathway will count toward the graduate program requirements, making you that much closer to earning your master’s degree.¹

¹

If you completed a historical version of an accelerated master's degree option while enrolled in a bachelor’s program in the School of Business and Information Technology, contact your advisor to request application of qualifying graduate course waivers to your graduate program.

Available Graduate Program Pathways

Business and Information Technology Pathways

Business Pathways

You must meet all of the following eligibility criteria to pursue a business pathway: 

• Have a minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA in your bachelor's degree program
• Have earned 120 credits in your bachelor's degree program, including any credits received for prior learning
• Submit an application to the Office of the Dean of the School of Business and Information Technology providing detailed career goals and associated reasons for intending to enroll in the chosen graduate program

The Dean or designee will review your records and application and determine if you are approved.

You must maintain a 3.2 CGPA minimum and earn a grade of “B” or above in each graduate course to remain eligible to take additional graduate courses in your chosen pathway.

The following pathways are available for business master’s degree programs. 

Master of Business Administration

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
GB500	Business Perspectives	4
GB512	🌐 Business Communications	4
GB520	🌐 Strategic Human Resource Management	4

Information Technology Pathways

You must meet all of the following eligibility criteria to pursue any of the information technology pathways: 

• Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in your bachelor's degree program
• Have earned 90 credits in your bachelor's degree program, including any credits received for prior learning
• Submit an application to the Office of the Dean of the School of Business and Information Technology providing detailed career goals and associated reasons for intending to enroll in the chosen graduate program

The Dean or designee will review your records and application and determine if you are approved.

You must maintain a 3.0 CGPA minimum and earn a grade of “B” or above in each graduate course to remain eligible to take additional graduate courses in your chosen pathway.

The following pathways are available for information technology master’s degree programs.

Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
IT513	🌐 Research and Writing for the IT Professional	4
IT527	🌐 Foundations in Data Analytics	4
IT540	🌐 Management of Information Security	4
IN555	Statistics for the IT Professional	4

Master of Science in Data Analytics

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
IT527	🌐 Foundations in Data Analytics	4
IN555	Statistics for the IT Professional	4

Master of Science in Information Technology

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
IT513	🌐 Research and Writing for the IT Professional	4
IT527	🌐 Foundations in Data Analytics	4
IT540	🌐 Management of Information Security	4
IN555	Statistics for the IT Professional	4

Health Sciences Pathways

You must meet all the following eligibility criteria to pursue any of the health sciences pathways: 

• Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in your bachelor's degree program
• Have earned 90 credits in your bachelor's degree program, including any credits received for prior learning

You must maintain a 3.0 CGPA minimum and earn a grade of “B” or above in each graduate course to remain eligible to take additional graduate courses in your chosen pathway.

The following pathways are available for health sciences master’s degree programs.

Master of Health Care Administration

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
HA515	Leadership and Management in Health Care	4
HA520	Health Care Financial Management	4
HA540	Health Care Operations and Quality Assessment	4
HA550	Health Care Law and Ethics	4

Master of Health Informatics

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
HI501	Health Informatics	4
HI510	Health Information Applications and Systems	4
HI540	Project Management of Health Information Systems	4
HI560	Health Care Data Analytics	4
HI580	Information Systems Design and Implementation	4

Master of Public Health

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PU520	Principles of Epidemiology	4
PU535	Public Health Biology - A Global Perspective	4

Master of Science in Health Education and Promotion

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
HD520	Health Education Program Assessment	4
HD550	Health Education Communication and Advocacy	4
HD570	Health Education Leadership and Management	4

Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies Pathways

You must meet all the following eligibility criteria to pursue the Master of Professional Studies pathway: 

• Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in your bachelor's degree program
• Have earned 90 credits in your bachelor's degree program, including any credits received for prior learning

You must maintain a 3.0 CGPA minimum and earn a grade of “B” or above in each graduate course to remain eligible to take additional graduate courses in your chosen pathway.

Master of Professional Studies

In addition to the courses below, you may choose up to two more courses from any other graduate program pathways, provided you meet the eligibility requirements set by that pathway’s School/College. 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PR500	Professional Global Communication	5
PR503	Visionary Leadership, Conflict, and Collaboration	5

Nursing Pathways

You must be enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to pursue a nursing pathway. 

Master of Science in Nursing or Master of Science in Nursing–DNP Path

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
NU501	🌐 Advanced Nursing Roles	5
NU502	🌐 Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Practice Nursing	5
NU504	🌐 Scientific and Analytic Approaches to Advanced Evidence-Based Practice	5

Social and Behavioral Sciences Pathways

You must meet all the following eligibility criteria to pursue any of the social and behavioral sciences pathways: 

• Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in your bachelor’s program
• Have earned between 30 and 100 credits in your bachelor's degree program, including any credits received for prior learning
• Meet any additional program-specific requirements outlined below
• Submit an essay to the Office of the Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences providing detailed career goals and associated reasons for intending to enroll in the chosen graduate program

The Dean or designee will review your records and essay and determine if you are approved. 

You must maintain a 3.0 CGPA minimum and earn a grade of “B” or above in each graduate course to remain eligible to take additional graduate courses in your chosen pathway.

The following pathways are available for social and behavioral sciences master’s degree programs. Additional program-specific eligibility requirements are listed, if applicable. 

Master of Public Administration 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PP500	Public Administration and Management	5
PP510	Leadership in the Public Sector	5
PP520	Finance and the Administration of Public Funds	5
PP530	Human Resource Management in the Public Sector	5

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis

You may take one of the following graduate-level courses. If you reside in a state which requires completion of a fieldwork course as part of your graduate program in order to apply for a state behavior analyst license, you should not pursue a graduate program pathway. See the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis Certification, State Board, and National Board Exams policies for more information.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Select one of the following:
PS506	Life Span Development
PS515	Learning and Behavior
PS520	Neuropsychology

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
CJ501	Criminological Theory	5
CJ503	Organizational Behavior	5
CJ505	Critical Issues in Criminal Justice	5
CJ527	Socially Responsible Leadership in Public Safety	5

Master of Science in Education 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
ED502	Transforming Teaching Practice	4
ED522	Classroom Management	5
IX540	Research Methods	5

Master of Science in Educational Psychology

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PS505	Testing, Measurement, and Assessment	5
PS506	Life Span Development	5
PS515	Learning and Behavior	5
PS520	Neuropsychology	5

Master of Science in Higher Education 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
HE510	Foundations of Higher Education	5
HE520	Higher Education Laws and Regulations	5
IX540	Research Methods	5

Master of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
CJ509	Comparative Criminal Justice Systems	5
HM500	Crisis and Emergency Management Fundamentals	5
HM501	Homeland Security Policies, Principles, Procedures, and Plans	5
HM503	Planning and Operations in Crisis and Emergency Management	5

Master of Science in Human Services 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
HN501	Foundations of Human Services	5
HN502	History, Multiculturalism, and Diversity in Human Services	5
HN510	Professional Ethics and Personal Values	5

Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
HE521	Teaching Adult Learners	5
IX510	Instructional Design	5
IX540	Research Methods	5

Master of Science in Legal Studies

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
LS500	Legal Methods and Process	5
LS501	Ethics and the Professional	5
LS502	Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing	5
LS503	Jurisprudence and Legal History	5

Master of Science in Psychology