Accelerate Into Master’s (AIM) Programs

Walden University offers opportunities for undergraduate students to accelerate time to the completion of a master’s degree. This option, called Accelerate Into Master’s (AIM), allows undergraduate students to complete graduate-level courses, upon approval of their advisor, that will fulfill the requirements for their undergraduate program as well as graduate requirements for a future master’s program.

When undergraduate students attempt a 5000-level course, they may earn a C in the graduate-level course but only a grade of B or better will carry over to the graduate program. Students who receive a C grade will be awarded a grade of C*, which will permit the grade to be used toward the undergraduate-level requirement but not toward the master’s-level requirement. Students who do not pass their AIM class are not permitted to continue taking 5000-level courses. Later admission to the master’s program requires that students must repeat that course as a master’s student.

Accelerate Into Master’s (AIM) Programs

Requirements

Walden University offers several opportunities for undergraduate students in certain programs to accelerate time to completion in certain master’s degree programs.

Undergraduates can complete no more than 50% of the total courses required for master’s degree completion, excluding thesis, practicum, or capstone. (Individual programs determine specific eligible courses and some programs may limit the number of courses available.)
To be eligible to begin AIM courses, students must:
a. Have an overall GPA equal to that required for admission to the associated master’s degree.*BS AIM track students must maintain a 2.5 GPA and have a transfer GPA of at least 2.5 (if transferring credits).

b. Have completed a minimum of 90 credits and any specific core requirements associated with their bachelor’s program listed below. (Individual programs may determine additional prerequisites.) *BS in Psychology AIM track students do not need to meet this requirement.

c. Be in good financial standing.

d. Not have any incompletes.
AIM courses are (5000-level) graduate courses.*
a. Tuition for these courses is charged at the undergraduate rate.

b. Courses taken as an undergraduate count as fulfilling undergraduate degree requirements.

c. Grades for graduate courses taken as an undergraduate are incorporated into the undergraduate GPA.
Students must get a B or better in each course to have that course applied to the master’s program.
- Students who do not earn a grade of C or better will not be allowed to take any more 5000-level courses. Later admission to the master’s program requires that the student must repeat that course as a master’s student. *BS in Psychology AIM track students may retake an AIM course a second time if they failed the first time; they must earn a grade of C or better the second time in order to stay in the AIM track program.
Students are expected to maintain the undergraduate GPA expected for admission to the associated master’s program.
- Falling below this GPA prevents the student from taking any additional graduate courses as an undergraduate student.
Upon completion of the undergraduate program requirements, students should file an Intent to Graduate form.
Students who complete these courses successfully are not required to pursue the master’s degree and/or may defer enrollment to a future date. Transfer of credit policies, including those related to expiration, would apply.

Taking AIM courses does not guarantee admission into a master’s program. Upon admission to the master’s program, all AIM graduate courses completed with a B or better are applied to graduate program. The graduate GPA is calculated based only on those graduate courses taken as a graduate student.

Institutional coursework expires within 10 years unless otherwise notated by the individual academic unit or program.

Undergraduate students may complete AIM courses to fulfill elective credits, as course substitutions approved by the program director, or they may elect a second concentration within their program of study that is designed for AIM completion. Students are encouraged to consult with academic advising on the most appropriate plan for their program and academic goals, such as their future master’s program and time to completion.

*Note: Graduate students cannot register for AIM courses.

AIM Program Chart

Master’s program	*Eligible courses*
The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership
School of Education and Professional Licensure
MS in Early Childhood Studies Students may select any or all of these courses. Individual course prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 8 weeks in length.	EDUC 5005 - Foundations: Early Childhood Studies EDUC 5160 - Early Childhood Development EDUC 5161 - Effective Programs and Practices EDUC 5162 - Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field
School of Higher Education, Leadership, and Policy
MS in Instructional Design and Technology Students may select any or all of these courses. Individual course prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 8 weeks in length.	EDUC 5105 - Organizations, Innovation, and Change EDUC 5115 - Learning Theories and Instruction EIDT 5100 - Instructional Design EIDT 5110 - Advanced Instructional Design
College of Health Sciences
School of Health Sciences
MS in Health Education and Promotion Choose up to 4 courses. *Note:* These courses are 11 weeks in length.	HLTH 5005 - Perspectives on Health and the Developing Professional * HLTH 5110 - Exploring Health Education in the 21st Century♦ HLTH 5205 - Assessing Community Needs for Health Education♦ HLTH 5412 - Health Education and Communication Strategies♦ ** This course MUST be taken first. *HLTH 5005, HLTH 5110, and HLTH 5205 must be taken before HLTH 5412.
Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) Students may select any or all of these courses. Individual course prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 11 weeks in length.	MMHA 5050 - U.S. Healthcare Delivery System MMHA 5200 - Principles of Population Health in Healthcare Administration MMHA 5300 - Law, Ethics, and Policy in Healthcare Administration Students can take no more than two master’s-level courses per term. Students must complete all general education and core requirements before beginning AIM courses.
*School of Nursing*
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Note: These courses are 11 weeks in length.	NURS 5050 - Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health NURS 5051 - Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology NURS 5052 - Essentials of Evidence-Based Practice Students must be admitted to the RN-BSN-MSN track to complete these AIM courses.
College of Management and Technology
School of Information Systems and Technology
MS in Communication Students may select any or all of these courses. Note: These courses are 8 weeks in length.	COMM 5100 - Communication Theory in Practice: Here and Now COMM 5110 - Media Effects: Mass Media in Modern Society COMM 5130 - Communicating Using Social and Digital Media COMM 5150 - Interpersonal Communication
School of Management
Master of Business Administration (MBA) Students may select any or all of these courses. *Note:* These courses are 8 weeks in length.	WMBA 5000 - Dynamic Leadership WMBA 5010 - Managing People and Promoting Collaboration WMBA 5020 - Fostering a Culture of Innovation WMBA 5030 - Managing Business Information Systems
MS in Leadership Students may select any or all of these courses for the listed specializations. *Note:* These courses are 8 weeks in length.	General Program WMBA 5000 - Dynamic Leadership WMBA 5010 - Managing People and Promoting Collaboration Executive Leadership Specialization WMBA 5000 - Dynamic Leadership WMBA 5010 - Managing People and Promoting Collaboration WMBA 5020 - Fostering a Culture of Innovation
MS in Management Students may select any or all of these courses for the listed specializations. *Note:* These courses are 8 weeks in length.	General Program WMBA 5000 - Dynamic Leadership WMBA 5010 - Managing People and Promoting Collaboration Strategy Specialization WMBA 5000 - Dynamic Leadership WMBA 5010 - Managing People and Promoting Collaboration WMBA 5020 - Fostering a Culture of Innovation
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
School of Public Policy and Administration
Master of Public Administration (MPA) Students may select up to five of these courses. Individual course prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 11 weeks in length.	MMPA 5200 - Introduction to Public Administration MMPA 5405 - Ethics and Social Justice MMPA 5420 - Organizational Management and Leadership MMPA 5431 - Finance and Budgeting for the Public Sector MMPA 5435 - Human Resource Management: Building a Capable Workforce MMPA 5451 - Public Policy Analysis MMPA 5480 - Applied Research and Evaluation Methods
Master of Public Policy (MPP) Students may select any or all of these courses. Individual course prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 11 weeks in length.	MMPP 5280 - Policy and Politics in American Political Institutions MMPP 5405 - Ethics and Social Justice MMPP 5111 - Leadership and Organizational Change
MS in Emergency Management Students may select any or all of these courses. Individual course prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 11 weeks in length.	MSEM 5364 - Managing Public Safety Organizations♦ MSEM 5100 - Critical Issues in Emergency Management MSEM 5480 - Applied Research and Evaluation Methods♦ MSEM 5363 - Public Safety Issues♦
MS in Nonprofit Management and Leadership Students may select up to five of these courses. Individual course prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 11 weeks in length.	NPMG 5200 - Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector NPMG 5405 - Ethics and Social Justice NPMG 5420 - Organizational Management and Leadership NPMG 5431 - Finance and Budgeting for the Nonprofit Sector NPMG 5435 - Human Resource Management: Building a Capable Workforce NPMG 5480 - Applied Research and Evaluation Methods
MS in Criminal Justice Students may select any or all of these courses. Individual course prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 11 weeks in length.	CRJS 5137 - The Nature of Crime and Criminology CRJS 5215 - Controversies in Criminal Justice CRJS 5511 - Special Populations CRJS 5217 - Technological Solutions and 21st-Century Crime CRJS 5203 - Victimology
MS in Criminal Justice Leadership and Executive Management Students may select any or all of these courses. Individual course prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 11 weeks in length.	CRJS 5137 - The Nature of Crime and Criminology CRJS 5215 - Controversies in Criminal Justice
School of Psychology
MS in Forensic Psychology	FPSY 5102 - Intersection of Crime, Psychology, and the Law♦ FPSY 5115 - Understanding Forensic Psychology Research FPSY 5126 - Understanding Violence, Risk, and Threat Assessment FPSY 5135 - Criminal Behavior FPSY 5720 - Abnormal Behavior
MS in Psychology Students may select any or all of these courses for the listed specializations. Individual course prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 11 weeks in length.	Applied Psychology PSYC 5215 - Lifespan Development PSYC 5245 - Social Psychology PSYC 5781 - Psychopathology From a Clinical Perspective Crisis Management and Response PSYC 5701 - Culture and Psychology PSYC 5740 - Disaster, Crisis, and Trauma Educational Psychology PSYC 5215 - Lifespan Development PSYC 5765 - Educational Psychology PSYC 5701 - Culture and Psychology General Psychology PSYC 5215 - Lifespan Development PSYC 5245 - Social Psychology PSYC 5701 - Culture and Psychology PSYC 5220 - Psychology of Personality Health Psychology PSYC 5215 - Lifespan Development PSYC 5745 - Health Psychology Psychology of Culture PSYC 5245 - Social Psychology PSYC 5701 - Culture and Psychology Psychology, Public Administration, and Social Change PSYC 5245 - Social Psychology PSYC 5701 - Culture and Psychology Social Psychology PSYC 5245 - Social Psychology PSYC 5701 - Culture and Psychology Terrorism and Security PSYC 5245 - Social Psychology PSYC 5741 - Psychology of Terrorism
MS in Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology	General Practice PSYC 5480 - Psychology of Organizational Behavior PSYC 5214 - Consulting for Organizational Change♦ PSYC 5755 - Leadership and the Process of Change♦ PSYC 5750 - Leadership Development♦ Consulting Psychology PSYC 5480 - Psychology of Organizational Behavior PSYC 5214 - Consulting for Organizational Change♦ PSYC 5755 - Leadership and the Process of Change♦ Leadership Development and Coaching PSYC 5480 - Psychology of Organizational Behavior PSYC 5214 - Consulting for Organizational Change♦ PSYC 5755 - Leadership and the Process of Change♦ PSYC 5751 - Leadership Coaching: Process and Practice♦
School of Counseling
MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling These courses are open only to students in the BS in Human Services and BS in Psychology programs.Students may select any or all of these courses. Individual course prerequisites apply Note: These courses are 11 weeks in length.	HUMN 5100 - Introduction to Mental Health Counseling♦ HUMN 5722 - Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories♦ HUMN 5316 - Techniques of Counseling♦ HUMN 5723 - Multicultural Counseling♦ PSYC 5102 - Introduction to Mental Health Counseling♦ PSYC 5306 - Ethics and Legal Issues in Counseling PSYC 5722 - Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories♦ PSYC 5723 - Multicultural Counseling♦
Barbara Solomon School of Social Work and Human Services
MS in Human and Social Services Students may select up to four of these courses. Individual prerequisites apply. *Note:* These courses are 11 weeks in length.	HUMN 5150 - Helping Individuals, Organizations, and Communities HUMN 5200 - Cross-Cultural Ethics in Human Social Services HUMN 5152 - Human Services Administration HUMN 5011 - Interviewing and Case Management in Human and Social Services HUMN 5205 - Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector