As the spring semester wraps up, the time to register for fall classes is just around the corner and for some, has already happened. During this time of planning, many students reevaluate their college career and make their four-year plan more specific to their interests, especially first-year students. Personally, I took the time to completely change my degree, college and plan to better fit my academic goals.
As I was meticulously scanning the NC State college and program pages, I stumbled upon the accelerated bachelor’s/master’s page and was immediately intrigued. In a world where a master’s degree has become the new ‘norm,’ this opportunity to earn one’s undergraduate degree and graduate degree in a shorter time period by double counting up to 12 credit hours seemed incredibly beneficial. However, this program and its benefits are not advertised to the undergraduate community, and more emphasis from the NC State Graduate School should be placed on sharing this opportunity with bachelor’s students.
To begin, the page was incredibly hidden within the NC State web pages under subpages of subpages. The only reason I stumbled upon it was because I was looking at master’s degrees for fun (yes, not the most thrilling way to pass the time) and found it in a small font on the side. Additionally, when I reached out to the College of Veterinary Medicine to ask about it, they said that they didn’t know anything about the program either and I was the first person interested in it.
Moreover, other graduate programs flat out reject this accelerated track. I also reached out to the Master of Biology and Master of Physiology programs to inquire about it and was promptly told that they do not allow students to double-count credits for both undergraduate and graduate school, but they’re more than happy to let qualified students take graduate classes during their undergraduate experience.
After the UNC System announced that students will gain AP credit if they score a three or higher, many students earned additional credits that can act as GEP credits and free space in one’s schedule for more advanced classes. For students that are extremely curious about one discipline and want to go deeper into their major or concentration, the extra class slots can be used for both classes that count in the advanced bachelor’s/master’s program.
Now that some students have extra time in their course loads, then they could choose to participate in this program. Yet, most students won’t know about this possibility due to the lack of advertising.
On the other hand, I understand that the Graduate School would not want to widely publicize the program to ensure the students that aren’t qualified to complete their master’s don’t apply, and to maintain a competitive, academically-achieving graduate student body. Although this is true, the graduate school is neglecting the high-achieving scholars that would excel in the program. Without proper advertising of the program, the graduate school is keeping out students that might not be able to handle the pressure, but they are also neglecting students that could shine given the opportunity.
This hidden shortcut on the road to a master’s degree has the potential to help students greatly, if they knew about it. NC State’s Graduate School should work harder to promote the option for the accelerated track so that if students want to challenge themselves and increase their depth of knowledge, then they can.
