Late Entry Accelerated Program (LEAP)

For more than 40 years, the Late Entry Accelerated Program (LEAP) at Boston University has enabled talented individuals and working professionals with bachelor’s degrees in non-engineering fields to earn graduate degrees in engineering. The program is designed for students who have at least a bachelor’s degree in the liberal arts or another non-engineering field that does not qualify them for direct admission to one of the College of Engineering’s graduate programs.

To prepare for success in their chosen master’s program, LEAP students begin their program in the foundational phase. The foundational phase is a streamlined set of undergraduate courses that put LEAP students on par with students who have earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering. After completing their foundational phase courses, LEAP students will move into one of the nine master’s programs offered in the College of Engineering.

LEAP Foundational Phase

Students begin LEAP by taking undergraduate core courses that are customized according to each student’s undergraduate background and intended master’s program. Successful completion of the foundational phase requirements qualifies students to transition to a Master of Engineering or Master of Science program in the College of Engineering.

Students interested in LEAP are welcome to take courses prior to matriculating into LEAP. For more information about which courses students can take prior to LEAP, please visit our LEAP Program Planning page.

To successfully move into their master’s program, students must abide by the following guidelines:

• After matriculating into LEAP, a student must take at least two-thirds of their remaining foundational phase courses at BU. A student’s faculty advisor will determine how many courses the student will take during their foundational phase after discussing the student’s academic and professional background.
• This calculation will not include courses taken prior to starting LEAP. For example, if a student needs 12 courses to complete their foundational phase and has taken 3 of those courses prior to matriculating into LEAP, they will have 9 required courses in their foundational phase after starting LEAP. Of those nine required courses, they will be required to take six at BU.
• A student cannot take courses outside of Boston University during BU’s academic year (i.e., any time between the fall term’s first day of classes and spring term’s final exam day). If a student is interested in taking courses outside of Boston University during a summer term, they will need to first obtain approval from their faculty advisor.

Please note that audited courses will not count toward a student’s foundational phase. To view the full audit policy, please visit the Auditing Courses page of this website.

LEAP Master’s Phase

The Master of Science and Master of Engineering programs can be completed in 1–2 years of full-time study, depending on a student’s precise program of study, degree requirements, additional degree options (e.g., with Engineering Practice, specializations), and part-time/full-time status. LEAP students interested in completing the “with Engineering Practice” degree option should refer to the Bulletin to learn when they will become eligible to apply.

LEAP students in their master’s phase will be held to the same Academic Standing and Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements as all other master’s students. For additional information, please refer to the Academic Standing policy and the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.

Applying to LEAP

Students interested in applying to LEAP can find more information about the application process and deadlines here. LEAP is available for both fall term and spring term entry.

Engineering is a calculus-based curriculum: The Late Entry Accelerated Program (LEAP) curriculum begins with courses building on Calculus I concepts. To ensure students are adequately prepared for the program coursework, LEAP applicants are required to have earned a B or higher in Calculus I at an accredited college or university prior to starting the program. The Graduate Programs office highly encourages applicants to complete this course prior to applying to LEAP. For more information about the Calculus I requirement, please visit our LEAP FAQs.