<p>Hi, I am most likely going to enter Berkeley next year as a freshmen. I will receive advanced standing because of many AP's and IB's I have taken in high school. I am interested in pursuing a BA/MA in 4 years at Berkeley.</p>
<p>Under what conditions is this possible? Is it allowed for any field of study or major? Do I have to demonstrate academic excellence to be accepted into the program? Basically I am pretty clueless on this so tell me anything you know.</p>
<p>The field of study I would pursue a BA/MA in 4 years would be political science or international affairs or some related field.</p>
<p>Does Berkeley offer a 4-year BA/MA option at all?</p>
<p>These programs usually require double-counting some coursework towards both the BA and MA degree (in addition to some transfer credit) and thus many colleges do not allow it. </p>
<p>Besides, Berkeley's political science department (which includes international relations) does not even offer a Master's program in the first place.</p>
<p>If you want to attend Berkeley and earn a Master's degree in a relatively short time, try to use your transfer credit to graduate with a BA in three years and then go to grad school.</p>
<p>Enjoy being an undergrad, worry about the MA after you have experienced college life. All the AP/IB courses can't compare to taking college courses at a school like Berkeley. Allow yourself some "personal growth" time, college isn't a race to be finished as fast as one can, it is a time for experiences, academic AND otherwise. My guess is that a certain number of credits taken at any institution will be required for the BA, followed by more credits to get a master's. There are many upper level courses that both grad students and undergrads can take for credit, but not to satisfy both at once. Don't be surprised if you end up taking some courses at Berkeley because you want the material as taught at the Berkeley level even though you got a 5 on an AP test in the subject. You may also find it advantageous to get your MA at a different school, especially once you know the particular aspects of your major you want to pursue further- there are benefits to getting different institutions perspectives. Finally, no matter how strong your HS credentials are I'm willing to bet you can find enough challenges/interesting courses as an undergrad to justify taking even the traditional 4 years as an undergrad.</p>