HomepageNewsNew Master’s Degree Opportunities Abound for Ursinus Students

New Master’s Degree Opportunities Abound for Ursinus Students

Ursinus College has expanded a longstanding affiliation agreement with St. Joseph’s University and entered a new agreement with Clarkson University to provide students with more opportunities to earn advanced degrees.

Ursinus College students who hope to pursue master’s degrees following their undergraduate careers have new opportunities to do so thanks to “4+1” affiliation agreements with St. Joseph’s University and Clarkson University.

Under a longstanding agreement, Ursinus students could apply for direct admission to St. Joseph’s Erivan K. Haub School of Business to pursue an MBA or other master’s degree in a variety of business disciplines. The two institutions have now expanded their direct-admission partnership to also include second-degree and certificate program opportunities at St. Joseph’s College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education and Human Development.

The pact also includes a 10 percent tuition discount for all Ursinus graduates who are accepted into St. Joe’s graduate programs. Additional savings in time and money are also available for those who are accepted into the 4+1 programs (applying as a junior is recommended). Ursinus/SJU 4+1 students can take two SJU graduate classes as part of their Ursinus undergraduate degree and have the credits apply to both programs. There is no additional cost to the student, which gives students a jumpstart toward their graduate degree.

Students accepted to the Haub School can pursue master’s degrees in professional accountancy, business administration, business intelligence & analytics, finance, food marketing, marketing, and pharmaceutical marketing.

“Our relationship with the Haub School program allows our students to augment their education with more specialized study at an AACSB-accredited institution that has similar values to Ursinus,” Associate Professor of Business and Economics Scott Deacle said. “For example, we offer courses in areas such as finance, accounting, data analytics, and marketing. But St. Joseph’s provides the resources of a larger business school, giving our graduates an opportunity to take a wider range of courses and study in greater depth in those areas.”

The agreement expansion also allows students to pursue master’s degrees in writing studies and criminal justice, as well as in the following graduate education programs: art education, elementary education, foreign language education, reading specialist, secondary education, special education, and curriculum and instruction.

“More and more, our students are seeking pathways into careers in writing, whether their passions lie in creative writing, journalism, or other fields,” Associate Professor and Chair of English Kara McShane said. “The Writing Studies program at St. Joe’s is particularly exciting because it connects students to communities of professional writers in Philadelphia. Especially for our most ambitious students, this agreement helps them see a clear pathway to pursue work they care deeply about.”

“This partnership a great opportunity for our students to get an early start on a master’s degree in an education field, by taking two of the St. Joseph’s graduate courses as part of their senior year at UC,” Associate Professor and Chair of Education John Spencer said. “This will save them money, and it opens up exciting new opportunities in fields such as elementary education, special education, and art education.”

Meanwhile, a new agreement with Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., allows students to enroll in Clarkson’s one-year accelerated MBA program following the successful completion of their undergraduate degree; completing foundation course requirements as an undergraduate; and meeting admission requirements at Clarkson.

“This 4+1 program will build onto the strong foundation that Ursinus College provides to students opening the door to higher-level opportunities and positions,” said Associate Professor and Chair of Business and Economics Jennifer VanGilder. “Clarkson is also generously providing monetary incentives to qualified students for tuition reduction and travel scholarships in support of the experiential global trip requirement. This convenient, affordable, and flexible relationship will provide another advantage for our students, complementing our liberal arts mission, as they enter the business world.”

Qualified admitted Ursinus graduates are eligible for Clarkson’s merit-based $2,500 Academic Scholar award; a $3,000 travel scholarship to support an experiential global trip; and a graduate assistant position.

The travel piece is especially unique for this kind of agreement, allowing Ursinus students who may not have had a chance to study abroad while undergraduates to do so before they continue their education at Clarkson.

In addition to the agreements with St. Joseph’s and Clarkson, Ursinus renewed its agreement with the Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, which allows Ursinus graduates to earn an accelerated BSN degree. The 14-month second degree program incorporates all the standard components of Villanova’s nursing program in a concentrated timeframe.

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