Choosing an Academic Degree and Program
In the CU-Boulder graduate student programs, students participate in the creation of new data, ideas, and techniques with professors who are actively involved in research and creative activity. Students choose from a full array of high quality programs that lead to a wide range of academic and professional opportunities.
The graduate school, in cooperation with the colleges and schools, offers 51 doctoral and 62 master's programs. It awards graduate degrees in a full range of disciplines, including:
Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest academic division of the University, dating from 1892. Offering one of the most extensive liberal arts and sciences programs in the country. Graduate programs offered:
Business
The MS ACCT and MS ACTX programs are designed for students whose primary career interests are in accounting and auditing. The programs provide an excellent foundation and prepare students for careers as professional accountants in financial institutions, government, industry, nonprofit organizations, and public practice.
The PhD program prepares students for academic careers at research-oriented universities. Major areas of study include: Accounting; Finance; Information Systems; Marketing; Operations Management; and Strategic, Organizational, and Entrepreneurial Studies. Students generally complete the program within five years.
See Accounting and Accounting Taxation academic overview >>
See Business Administration overview >>
Education
Graduate master's (MA) and PhD programs are available in four general areas in the School of Education: Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI); Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity (EECD); Educational Foundations, Policy, and Practice (EFPP); and Educational and Psychological Studies (EPSY). A PhD program is available in Research and Evaluation Methodology (REME). Joint PhD programs are available in EFPP and REME, as well as EPSY and the Institute of Cognitive Science. Graduate programs combining the MA and teacher licensure are also available.
See academic overview >>
Engineering
The College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU-Boulder enjoys an outstanding reputation as one of the best graduate level engineering programs in the nation -- and in the world. Graduate degrees offered:
Journalism
Students earn the master of arts (MA) degree at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in two programs: Newsgathering and Mass Communication Research. The school also offers a PhD in communication.
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Music
The nationally renowned College of Music offers a comprehensive array of programs in an environment that provides the feel of an exclusive conservatory nestled within a larger university community. Graduate studies at the College of Music provide students with the flexibility to reach a variety of professional goals in the traditional areas of performance, pedagogy, composition, conducting, music education, musicology, and theory, as well as music technology, jazz studies, and world music. Students are encouraged to develop skills in marketing and in communicating their musical expertise through activities in the College's innovative Center for Music Entrepreneurship.
See academic overview >>
Concurrent Bachelor's/Master's Degree programs
Dual Master's Degree Programs
In an environment of rapidly increasing desire for interdisciplinary and professional skills, receiving two master's degrees in complementary fields can be a real asset.
See listing of Dual Degree Programs >>
Certificate Programs
The University of Colorado at Boulder provides a growing number of interdisciplinary and professional certificate programs at the graduate level. These programs are available through a graduate department in conjunction with a degree program or through the Division of Continuing Education.
See certificate programs >>
Students seeking admission to a CU-Boulder master’s or doctoral program apply directly to the appropriate department rather than the graduate school. Admission applications must be received by the departments according to their deadlines. For additional information on the graduate school requirements, see Graduate School Minimum Admission Requirements and Transfer of Credit.
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The Leeds School of Business offers degrees leading to:
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA)
Master of Business Administration/Master of Science
in Telecommunications (MBA/MS TLEN)
Master of Business Administration/MA or MFA in Fine Arts
(MBA/MA Fine
Arts or MFA Fine Arts)
Dual Degree Programs
MBA/MA in Anthropology
MBA/MS in Computer Science
MBA/MS in Environmental Studies
MBA/MA in Germanic and Slavic Languages
See academic overview >>
The Juris Doctor (JD) degree is the basic law degree and the only one offered by the School of Law.
Toby Lewis, MA candidate in Civil Engineering. 
Kevin Woods, MA candidate in jazz studies. 
A team from JILA, a joint institute of CU-Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has developed a new technique using laser light that can detect faint molecules in human breath samples that may be biomarkers for particular diseases. Listen to JILA researcher Jun Ye and his colleague Michael Thorpe, a doctoral student in the CU-Boulder physics department, describe how the novel technique works and why it may be helpful to the medical community in the coming years.