Master’s programs with options

The college’s new 4+1 Master’s Programs offer far more flexibility than is readily apparent at a quick look. 

Students who are considering enrolling in one of the three accelerated graduate programs are discovering that each one offers myriad options—for students from a broad spectrum of undergraduate majors– in opportunities for experiential learning, and for connections to a range of career objectives. 

The programs are designed to allow students to earn their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years. The fifth year of study is online, allowing students to live and work anywhere while gaining the competitive advantage of a master’s degree.

All of the programs are open to students in numerous majors, said Professor Phoebe Chan, who is serving as the special advisor for the 4+1 Master’s Programs. Each of the offerings has a minimal number of prerequisite courses that students are required to complete before their senior year. 

“The 4+1 M.S. in Business is geared towards people pursuing other majors,” Chan said.  “For example, imagine that you are an English major and want to learn about the business side of publishing. The master of science in business will provide you with that background to complement your literary knowledge and writing skills. It would be an advantage in pursuing a career in publishing.” 

In addition to welcoming students from many majors, the M.A. in Creative Industries and the M.S. in Environmental Science offer the flexibility to connect to a wide variety of careers and fields. 

“The creative industries program spans a lot of industries, including photography, the performing arts, fashion, film and television, art and design, video games, arts management, music production and more,” she said. “The program includes foundational courses that all students in the program take, but then you focus on a specific field through project-based learning.”

The myriad possibilities can raise questions about what counts. “I have had students ask, ‘I’m interested in video game design: does that meet the definition of a creative industry?’ The answer is absolutely and you will be able to focus on video game design through the practicum that is part of the program.”  

For students choosing to pursue the creative industries program, the experiential learning component of the curriculum is intended to support students in creating or expanding their portfolio of creative work, which is an important asset for successfully obtaining jobs in these competitive fields. 

The environmental science program—encompassing studies in geophysical, chemical or biological sciences—also includes an experiential component: a directed research project that would be undertaken in the summer after earning the undergraduate degree and is intended to serve as a foundation for a master’s thesis. 

“You could be an economics major and pursue the M.S. in environmental science, if you were interested in a particular career path. For example, it might be a good background for someone interested in public policy on the environment,” Chan said. “You would want to be intentional in your course selections as an undergraduate to satisfy the prerequisite courses.” The same holds true for the other programs, she added. 

Finally, Chan noted that all three programs are online and asynchronous following commencement of a student’s senior year. That provides a great deal of flexibility about where students live and what they are doing in addition to their classes. 

Students who have questions about the 4+1 programs can set up an appointment with Chan or with the professor coordinating the specific offering in which they are interested. 

The application for admission to the Wheaton 4+1 Master’s Programs will be open to juniors early in the new year, Chan said.