Cut Time, Money and Stress on the Road to Success

College bound students who know what they want to do with their life can often cut years of education, a great deal of stress, and a substantial amount of money from their higher education experience.

Many colleges offer dual degree programs whereby students move right into a Masters or Doctorate degree program upon completing their undergraduate education.  They often do not have to take entrance exams, eliminating the need to repeat the stressful process of preparing for, and taking, standardized tests.  Basically, as long as they meet certain requirements during their undergraduate years, they move right into the advanced degree program in their chosen field.

These programs are particularly popular in the medical field with combined programs offered for those seeking to become doctors, physical therapists, and physician assistants.  While some combined programs, predominantly those preparing students to become doctors, take seven or eight years, others are completed after five or six years.

Drexel University, for example, offers an eight-year BA/BS+MD Early Assurance program that allows students to gain early acceptance into both their undergraduate major and medical school at the same time. The program is open to students majoring in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, or Psychology.  Drexel also has agreements with Lehigh University and Muhlenberg College, allowing their students to move into Drexel’s medical school after completing their bachelors degree.  

Students hoping to complete both college and medical school in seven years should look towards The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) or Penn State.  TCNJ offers a seven year accelerated BS/MD program with Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.  Similarly, Penn State offers a seven year accelerated program with Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Students seeking to become physical therapists often seek combined six-year programs.  Popular universities offering this opportunity include: Boston University, Northeastern, Seton Hall, LaSalle, Duquesne, Quinnipiac, University of the Sciences, and Ithaca College.

Students looking to become Physician Assistants can reach their goal with the five-year, dual degree, program offered at Stockton University in NJ, as well as at several universities in PA: DeSales, Duquesne, Gannon, Jefferson and King’s.

Students with a passion for business might consider a 4 + 1 program, combining their undergraduate degree with a Masters in Business Administration.  This eliminates the need to deal with the GMAT exam and cuts one year off the typically two-year M.B.A. experience.  Popular schools offering this option include: Fordham University, Penn State University, Fairfield University, Seton Hall University, University of Scranton, Drexel University and Quinnipiac University.

Basically, students with a clearly defined career goal, a high G.P.A. and impressive SAT scores, can head off to college knowing they will graduate with the highest degree needed for success in their chosen field.

Susan Alaimo is the founder of SAT Smart. For the past 25 years, SAT Smart’s Ivy League educated tutors have prepared students for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP courses, and all high school subjects. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362.