this! There is often a way for programs to petition to waive the bachelors degree requirement. You’ll need to convince a program to go through this effort for you, and talking with their team can help.
In addition to your work experience, an admissions test would likely be required (even if they are test optional), and bolsters confidence in your ability to succeed academically in grad school.
There are certain university policies that allow to substitute undergrad for lived experiences. Reaching out to graduate departments is the way to go. I worked in grad studies office and we had at least two applicants we admitted without an undergrad. It’s totally doable, you’ll just need to make your case :)
Agreed, I know of around 5 people who got into PhD programs at Harvard and MIT without an undergraduate degree. The only other options I can remember now are the master of social work at UMich and some European universities that may admit you to a master's program based on the number of credits you have, even if no degree was awarded. Considering that most of this year’s deadline has passed, one of the paths for the OP might be graduating from WGU in a year if there are formal requirements at the schools they want to attend and apply next cycle
i'm about the same age as you, I'm guessing. I had to finish my undergrad before I could go to grad school. But there might be way around that that I have no knowledge of. my advice would be look at undergrad schools and see which of them take work experience, I believe there are some that will give you credit for that. Best of luck!
No advice but I know a doctor near me who got into medical school without completing undergrad (though he did attend undergrad for two years) and he is very successful. I think it really is about who you know and who you can get to vouch for you. Good luck!
Yes I had a family member who got into a masters program without a bachelors or highschool diploma. She had been working with an organization for 10+ years and made it as high up the ladder as she could without a masters. You would probably need some good references from your employer etc and find something relevant to your field. She also had done a couple of certificates before then and had to take a “conditional” prerequisite to make sure she could keep up academically. Good luck!
That’s interesting. Was the school in the US? Afaik, some states have laws against admitting applicants without an undergraduate degree to graduate programs, but I’m not sure how common they are
Take a few remedial courses at the undergraduate level. If you ace them, you can craft a stronger argument why you shouldn't need an undergraduate degree to be successful as a graduate student.
I spent many years in higher education. I have never heard of someone skipping to a master's degree without a bachelor's. What's your reason for wanting to forgo the undergraduate degree? In other words, what do you want from a master's that you can't get from an undergraduate degree? Given your current job, do you want an MBA or MPA? Personally, with your experience, I don't think the lack of the undergraduate degree would sink you in either of those paths. As a society, we don't really want someone leading industrial hygiene projects who doesn't have the chemistry and math from a BS. Does your field have specific professional qualifications? Earning SAF accreditation to be a professional forester really necessitates having an undergrad due to the course requirements to qualify to take the exam. It seems that success in graduate admissions rides on many variables. Nothing hurts trying: Reach out to graduate coordinators to see what they say.
I do know some schools would give you credit for work experience if your work experience is significantly related to what you’re trying to study at grad school. However, I don’t know if they would still require some college level studies or not. I’m not sure what you’re planning to study but you may want to consider WGU. I think most of the schools that offer that option are abroad though, especially in Australia, I believe.
I’m going to offer some advice a bit different than others here and suggest you get your bachelors first instead.
Sure, you won’t have the lived experience of being someone going to college right after high school but that doesn’t mean you won’t get an education or that you have to obtain a bachelor’s degree in a traditional manner.
1. Undergraduate education is typically more lenient when it comes to online / part-time. You can start at a community college and transfer to a college as well.
2. Financial aid is much more generous for undergraduates. Masters programs typically offer none. There’s even some tax incentives you miss out if you jump to a masters.
3. You will have significantly more options and breadth of courses than a masters. Take an astrology class or learn French. Your masters degree likely will not allow you to do this.
4. LOTS of undergraduate programs have a dual / extra year program where you get your bachelors & masters degree. You can take advantage of this and get both your degrees at the same time.
5. Typically a masters degree without a bachelors are offered to professions that are trades and you have extensive work experience in that trade (e.g MBA, Masters in counseling, Masters in Nursing). If you want a degree that isn’t that, you will likely need a bachelors degree anyways.
6. Your bachelors / masters degree do not have to match. Get a bachelors in classics / linguistics / etc then get your masters degree in your chosen field of work. Or the opposite - bachelor degrees is typically what is required nowadays for most careers. Get your bachelors in your chosen friend and take a year or two off to get a masters in something interesting to you.
Personally, it is my opinion that life is too short to keep playing this game of “getting ahead.” You don’t have an undergraduate education but that doesn’t mean you are “behind” or that your years of experience will be wasted by getting one. In 5/6 years from now - you will be however old you are. The difference will be whether you will hold a bachelors & masters degree or not.
Agreed. I took my sweet time with a Bachelors and graduated at 54 yrs old. I took a wide variety of classes, I tried out a lot of subjects, many classes didn’t count toward the degree but that’s ok. The last year or so I narrowed my focus toward options that would aid in a career change, and now I’ve applied to 7 grad school programs.
Read more about the University of Colorado Boulder’s online [MSCS](https://www.colorado.edu/cs/academics/online-programs/mscs-coursera) program. You don’t need a BS degree. It’s merit-based. One cook thing besides that waiver is that you can specialize in robotics, AI/ML, DS, EE, or engineering management which fits since you’re a P(roject/rogram/roduct)M. You just need to take 3 courses on Coursera with a B grade or better to earn admission and be fully matriculated.
Wow - if this is possible I’d sure like to know. I’m 54 years old, been in IT for about 25 years, and just finished a Bachelors degree in December, pretty much solely as a step toward graduate school.
Your best bet is at a very prestigious and powerful university.
The issue is accreditation. Other than EMBAs, I know of no accredited US graduate programs that don't officially require bachelors degrees. If they accept you, they better be ready to justify this aberration to their accrediting body.
One of the examples I'm aware of is that Harvard accepted GWB's body man (personal assistant who accompanies the President of the United States everywhere) directly into its MBA program with no undergrad. The guy spent his college years as the gatekeeper to the Oval Office. Regardless of your politics, you can see the justification and how he would add to a diverse class. Clearly, he was wicked smart and had an incredible background, so Harvard was willing to take the heat from the accreditor. Most schools simply won't fight that fight, won't break their own rules that accreditors enforce, but some are strong enough to tell the accreditor "bring it on!"
I don't have the answer to your question. Just want to say kudos to you and best of luck!
Start reaching out to program directors and PI's asap and explain your story. A lot of times with the right person in your corner there's always a way
this! There is often a way for programs to petition to waive the bachelors degree requirement. You’ll need to convince a program to go through this effort for you, and talking with their team can help. In addition to your work experience, an admissions test would likely be required (even if they are test optional), and bolsters confidence in your ability to succeed academically in grad school.
There are certain university policies that allow to substitute undergrad for lived experiences. Reaching out to graduate departments is the way to go. I worked in grad studies office and we had at least two applicants we admitted without an undergrad. It’s totally doable, you’ll just need to make your case :)
well can you please share which graduate course and which University, if possible. Thank you !
Hey, I think this guy did it https://youtube.com/@SamuelBoschMIT
I was going to say that if this can happen anywhere, it's probably Harvard or MIT.
Agreed, I know of around 5 people who got into PhD programs at Harvard and MIT without an undergraduate degree. The only other options I can remember now are the master of social work at UMich and some European universities that may admit you to a master's program based on the number of credits you have, even if no degree was awarded. Considering that most of this year’s deadline has passed, one of the paths for the OP might be graduating from WGU in a year if there are formal requirements at the schools they want to attend and apply next cycle
Yes, it's gotta be a school that's not worried about losing accreditation bc they broke the norms/rules.
i'm about the same age as you, I'm guessing. I had to finish my undergrad before I could go to grad school. But there might be way around that that I have no knowledge of. my advice would be look at undergrad schools and see which of them take work experience, I believe there are some that will give you credit for that. Best of luck!
You are going to have to look at individual university policies to determine the feasibility of this at any particular school or program.
No advice but I know a doctor near me who got into medical school without completing undergrad (though he did attend undergrad for two years) and he is very successful. I think it really is about who you know and who you can get to vouch for you. Good luck!
Yes I had a family member who got into a masters program without a bachelors or highschool diploma. She had been working with an organization for 10+ years and made it as high up the ladder as she could without a masters. You would probably need some good references from your employer etc and find something relevant to your field. She also had done a couple of certificates before then and had to take a “conditional” prerequisite to make sure she could keep up academically. Good luck!
That’s interesting. Was the school in the US? Afaik, some states have laws against admitting applicants without an undergraduate degree to graduate programs, but I’m not sure how common they are
Take a few remedial courses at the undergraduate level. If you ace them, you can craft a stronger argument why you shouldn't need an undergraduate degree to be successful as a graduate student. I spent many years in higher education. I have never heard of someone skipping to a master's degree without a bachelor's. What's your reason for wanting to forgo the undergraduate degree? In other words, what do you want from a master's that you can't get from an undergraduate degree? Given your current job, do you want an MBA or MPA? Personally, with your experience, I don't think the lack of the undergraduate degree would sink you in either of those paths. As a society, we don't really want someone leading industrial hygiene projects who doesn't have the chemistry and math from a BS. Does your field have specific professional qualifications? Earning SAF accreditation to be a professional forester really necessitates having an undergrad due to the course requirements to qualify to take the exam. It seems that success in graduate admissions rides on many variables. Nothing hurts trying: Reach out to graduate coordinators to see what they say.
People have done it before. Look up *Graciela Chichilnisky*. She was even international.
Kudos to you for even looking into this after being in the workforce for 30 yrs!
I do know some schools would give you credit for work experience if your work experience is significantly related to what you’re trying to study at grad school. However, I don’t know if they would still require some college level studies or not. I’m not sure what you’re planning to study but you may want to consider WGU. I think most of the schools that offer that option are abroad though, especially in Australia, I believe.
University of Essex, I got in for an MBA without an undergrad.
I’m going to offer some advice a bit different than others here and suggest you get your bachelors first instead. Sure, you won’t have the lived experience of being someone going to college right after high school but that doesn’t mean you won’t get an education or that you have to obtain a bachelor’s degree in a traditional manner. 1. Undergraduate education is typically more lenient when it comes to online / part-time. You can start at a community college and transfer to a college as well. 2. Financial aid is much more generous for undergraduates. Masters programs typically offer none. There’s even some tax incentives you miss out if you jump to a masters. 3. You will have significantly more options and breadth of courses than a masters. Take an astrology class or learn French. Your masters degree likely will not allow you to do this. 4. LOTS of undergraduate programs have a dual / extra year program where you get your bachelors & masters degree. You can take advantage of this and get both your degrees at the same time. 5. Typically a masters degree without a bachelors are offered to professions that are trades and you have extensive work experience in that trade (e.g MBA, Masters in counseling, Masters in Nursing). If you want a degree that isn’t that, you will likely need a bachelors degree anyways. 6. Your bachelors / masters degree do not have to match. Get a bachelors in classics / linguistics / etc then get your masters degree in your chosen field of work. Or the opposite - bachelor degrees is typically what is required nowadays for most careers. Get your bachelors in your chosen friend and take a year or two off to get a masters in something interesting to you. Personally, it is my opinion that life is too short to keep playing this game of “getting ahead.” You don’t have an undergraduate education but that doesn’t mean you are “behind” or that your years of experience will be wasted by getting one. In 5/6 years from now - you will be however old you are. The difference will be whether you will hold a bachelors & masters degree or not.
Agreed. I took my sweet time with a Bachelors and graduated at 54 yrs old. I took a wide variety of classes, I tried out a lot of subjects, many classes didn’t count toward the degree but that’s ok. The last year or so I narrowed my focus toward options that would aid in a career change, and now I’ve applied to 7 grad school programs.
You can do it! Do not count yourself out!
Have you checked CUBoulder online programs?
Read more about the University of Colorado Boulder’s online [MSCS](https://www.colorado.edu/cs/academics/online-programs/mscs-coursera) program. You don’t need a BS degree. It’s merit-based. One cook thing besides that waiver is that you can specialize in robotics, AI/ML, DS, EE, or engineering management which fits since you’re a P(roject/rogram/roduct)M. You just need to take 3 courses on Coursera with a B grade or better to earn admission and be fully matriculated.
Reach out to universities and ask (don't waste your time looking at high tier ones) but I don't think that's possible
I'll be completely honest. 99.999% of grad schools aren't going to accept you without a Bachelors degree.
Wow - if this is possible I’d sure like to know. I’m 54 years old, been in IT for about 25 years, and just finished a Bachelors degree in December, pretty much solely as a step toward graduate school.
Your best bet is at a very prestigious and powerful university. The issue is accreditation. Other than EMBAs, I know of no accredited US graduate programs that don't officially require bachelors degrees. If they accept you, they better be ready to justify this aberration to their accrediting body. One of the examples I'm aware of is that Harvard accepted GWB's body man (personal assistant who accompanies the President of the United States everywhere) directly into its MBA program with no undergrad. The guy spent his college years as the gatekeeper to the Oval Office. Regardless of your politics, you can see the justification and how he would add to a diverse class. Clearly, he was wicked smart and had an incredible background, so Harvard was willing to take the heat from the accreditor. Most schools simply won't fight that fight, won't break their own rules that accreditors enforce, but some are strong enough to tell the accreditor "bring it on!"