In addition, the proposed changes also would make students eligible to dual enroll in a graduate program once they reach junior standing. Students are not eligible until they are within 15 credits of completing their undergraduate degree under the current policy.

“There were some restrictions in the (current) policy,” Stanford said. “(The proposal) is really for a student who is academically motivated and sees graduate school as their next step.”

Professor of economics John Goddeeris, chair of the University Committee on Graduate Studies, said dual enrollment has the potential to allow a student to achieve a bachelor’s and master’s degree within five years under the proposed policy, although that is not always the case.

Stanford said the number of students that dual enroll in graduate programs is not huge, but the timing is right for the proposed changes to an outdated policy.

“It’s part of the university’s interest in having a number of paths a student can follow to advance their studies,” she said.

Economics graduate student Jeff Brown bounced around to multiple colleges throughout his undergraduate career before earning an economics degree from California State University, Northridge, he said. Had the proposed changes been in place when he was an undergraduate student, Brown said he would have dual enrolled to get ahead in his graduate program as an undergraduate student.

Although many in the economics field view a master’s degree as a waste of time if a student isn’t planning on pursuing a doctoral degree, getting a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years can be an advantage for some, Brown said.

“You’d have to ignore those people,” Brown said. “I definitely think it would benefit students, but there are people who disagree.”

Goddeeris said the proposal has not been approved yet because certain parts require further clarification. He said the current proposal language doesn’t distinguish how dual enrolled students under the new policy would be any different from students in linked programs.

Linked programs are a relatively new concept MSU has developed to also allow students to work toward a master’s degree as undergraduates, Goddeeris said.

However, in linked programs students earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in similar fields, while dual enrollment can allow students to pursue degrees in different fields at the same time, Stanford said.

“I think there is agreement about it, it’s just a matter of getting some things clarified,” Goddeeris said.