The 4+1 Option lets eligible California Lutheran University undergraduates take up to three graduate-level courses during their senior year at no additional tuition cost, then complete their master’s degree in a single year after they graduate.<\/p>\n
This means they can complete a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in as little as five years, instead of six or more. It’s a meaningful savings in both time and tuition.<\/p>\n
These are the master’s degree programs that you can connect to your bachelor’s program:<\/p>\n
Important: You do not need to be a current or accepted student in these programs to apply for the 4+1 option. In fact, you won’t need to apply for this option until the second semester of your undergrad junior year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
If you answered yes to all three, you may be eligible for this program. Contact the Graduate Admissions Office at 805-521-9856 or clugrad@callutheran.edu<\/a> to learn how to apply.<\/p>\n Please note: this option is built for undergraduates completing their first bachelor’s degree on a standard four-year timeline. It is not available to students in the Bachelor’s Degree for Professionals program<\/a>.<\/p>\n During Undergrad<\/p>\n During your senior year, you can take up to three graduate-level courses alongside your undergraduate work. Those courses count toward both your bachelor’s degree and your eventual master’s, and as long as you stay between 12 and 18 total credits per semester, they’re included in your regular undergraduate tuition.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n During Grad School<\/p>\n After you graduate, you continue at Cal Lutheran as a full-time graduate student, and the remaining coursework takes about a year. You’ll pay the regular graduate tuition rate for those credits.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n The savings come from two places. You spend a year less in graduate school, which is a year you spend earning instead of paying tuition. And the graduate courses you take during your senior year cost nothing beyond your undergraduate tuition, which represents a real reduction in total program cost.<\/p>\n Get started now<\/p>\n
\nHow Does the 4+1 Option Work?<\/h2>\n
\nHow Does the Option Save Tuition?<\/h2>\n