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 undergraduate students majoring in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, or Biomedical Engineering.  

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 New Jersey Medical School.  Similarly, Penn State offers a seven year accelerated program with the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Students seeking to become physical therapists often seek combined six-year programs.  Popular colleges and universities offering this opportunity include Seton Hall in NJ, Ithaca and Utica in NY, Quinnipiac in CT, and Drexel, Duquesne and the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. Applicants are often expected to have 30 to 40 hours of shadowing experience, confirming their knowledge of, and commitment to, the field.  

Students looking to become Physician Assistants can apply for accelerated BS/MS programs that allow them to begin their Physician Assistant coursework after just three years of undergraduate coursework, shaving off a full year of study. Universities that offer direct entry, dual-degree programs with an accelerated pathway toward this profession include Stockton in NJ, Hofstra in NY, and De Sales, Jefferson and Seton Hill in PA.

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

Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of Collegebound Review that, for the past 25 years, has offered PSAT/SAT® preparation and private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362