The Erivan K. Haub School of Business has begun to formalize a 4+1 option for all business programs, giving students the option to stay an extra year beyond completion of their undergraduate degree to also obtain a master’s degree.
At St. Joe’s, 4+1 programs are accelerated bachelor’s and master’s programs that allow students to start earning their graduate degree during their senior year. There are currently various 4+1 program options in all three schools: Haub, the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), and the School of Health Studies and Education.
While there are a number of Haub 4+1 programs officially on the books, Christine Anderson, MBA, associate director of graduate admissions for Haub, said any student can now choose a 4+1 option in any Haub program.
“We’ve kind of been doing this for a long time, unofficially encouraging students to stay and earn their graduate degrees,” Anderson said. “Now it’s just a formalized thing. If students have the opportunity to work and do their MBA at the same time and spread it out over time, we’ll work with students to make it fit for them.”
Haub has been steadily enrolling students in 4+1 programs since the summer of 2021, though Anderson asked that the exact numbers not be published.
One of the largest 4+1 programs Haub offers is a master of science in business intelligence and analytics.
“What you may or may not realize about undergraduate education, is that it tells most employers that you’re capable of learning the type of things that they do as a business,” said Virginia Miori, Ph.D., professor and chair of decision and system sciences. “It doesn’t necessarily tell them that you came in with a full toolbox to do the work in your company in your field. The master’s degree tells employers that you have the toolbox.”
The business intelligence and analytics program, similar to Haub’s other 4+1 programs, is customizable, Miori said, depending on a student’s interests and career goals.
“The program is created to allow students to focus in the area that they are most interested in as much or as little as they want to,” Miori said.
Two of Haub’s newest 4+1 options are master’s of health administration and a master’s of science in organization development and leadership, both of which recently moved from CAS to Haub. Haub also recently launched a master’s of professional accountancy program.
“The professional accountancy program is great for students that are accounting undergraduates who need to sit for the CPA, so they need those 30 extra credits,” Anderson said. “Instead of just doing additional undergraduate courses, they’re actually getting a master’s degree.”
Non-business students can also enroll in a Haub 4+1 program, but they are required to complete several online foundational modules, Anderson said. These non-credit modules cost $50 or less.
“Let’s say a student comes in with a psychology major or communications major and hasn’t taken any business courses. We provide these foundations to help students get the foundation courses in management, accounting and finance so they don’t have a disadvantage,” Anderson said.
A major draw of Haub’s 4+1 programs is that they can save students money, Anderson said.
“You’re able to take courses that will count for your undergraduate and your graduate degree,” Anderson said. “You’re basically double counting up to two courses.”
The 4+1 programs are offered only to St. Joe’s undergraduate students at a 10% alumni discount. For example, the master’s of business administration 4+1 program requires 12 courses, or 36 credits, at $1,140 per credit. After double-counting two undergraduate courses and factoring in the alumni discount, a 4+1 student would pay about $30,780, compared to $41,040 for the master’s degree. The master’s of science programs require 10 courses or 30 credits. Tuition would total roughly $24,624, compared to $34,200.
Anderson said the programs can also benefit athletes eligible to play for an additional year, which includes many athletes who lost a season of play during the pandemic. The 4+1 program is a chance for them to complete a graduate degree during their fifth year.
Ana Dzunova ’22 is currently enrolled in the 4+1 MBA with certifications in data analytics and marketing. As a senior, Dzunova said she is currently taking graduate-level courses alongside undergraduate-level courses.
“While it’s a little bit of an extra course load . . . managing things together, I would say, it’s very doable,” Dzunova said. “You just have to push yourself a little bit more”
Dzunova said she loves marketing and statistics, and the program thus far has been giving her more experience and learning in her field.
“I love the opportunity to actually complete your MBA in one year,” Dzunova said. “It’s financially better, but it’s also just academically better. You can finish your MBA before you head into the business world and that can increase your salary and can give you more job opportunities.”