For many current undergraduates, the thought of staying in school after graduation can be a daunting notion.

The time it takes to complete a traditional master’s program, as well as the financial costs of pursuing a higher degree, can deter many from seeking these options, but now, The University of Alabama is offering multiple programs for students to obtain their master’s degree only one year after earning their bachelor’s degree.

Students from all educational backgrounds are able to benefit from these degree offerings, which allow them to open doors in their future career fields that having only an undergraduate degree may have closed. Various colleges at the University are now offering these accelerated master’s tracks, many of which are geared toward a more professional, rather than academic, future.

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) path to the MBA is a program for students in mathematic, science and engineering disciplines to obtain their Master’s of Business Administration over five years at the University.

“For someone who has an undergraduate degree in the sciences, it can be a challenge to find the right job. For those students who do the STEM path to the MBA, it broadens the number of choices they’ll have,” said Robert Morgan, professor of marketing and executive director of the Innovation Initiative for the College of Business. “For engineers, the STEM path helps them to find jobs that give them the career path opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have.”

Students in the STEM program take a 1.5 credit-hour business honors course during their four years as an undergraduate and then complete their MBA through a summer, fall and spring of graduate-level business courses.

Samantha Walker, a junior majoring in civil engineering, said the STEM program was an advantageous option for students looking to earn an MBA before beginning their careers.

“During my summer internships, I have had multiple female engineers in my office tell me that joining the STEM MBA program was a wise decision. Working a full-time job, having a family and attending graduate school simultaneously was very difficult for them and much more time consuming than my one-year degree plan would be,” said Walker. “If I didn’t have STEM, I don’t know if I would even be able to get my MBA.”

Students from all educational backgrounds also have the option to complete a one-year master’s program in community journalism. This program combines two semesters of coursework on campus with a three-month internship at the renowned Anniston Star newspaper.

Wilson Lowrey, graduate coordinator for the department of journalism, said the community journalism master’s program gives students a unique perspective on the journalism industry and how it impacts the community it represents. The program also allows students a valuable hands-on experience in the professional journalism ring.

“The ComJ program gets students thinking about how journalism works in the community in a more sophisticated way than they get in a typical graduate program,” Lowrey said.

The community journalism master’s program emphasizes the use of newer technologies and works to promote community awareness of issues through journalism.

“[Students] learn more about different ways that journalists can help communities,” Lowrey said. “They’re trying to help people be a part of the discussion for the issues going on in the community.”

Alabama also boasts an advertising and public relations graduate degree called Plan II, the One-Year Professional Program. This program is for recent liberal arts, business administration and communication graduates who desire to have the skills associated with leadership positions within these industries. The program is mainly for students looking to further their education in the advertising and public relations industries who aren’t necessarily looking to earn a Ph.D. after graduate school.

“It is mostly a managerial and strategic program,” Lance Kinney, graduate coordinator for the department of advertising and public relations, said. “We’re not teaching students undergraduate skills such as how to write advertising copy. We’re teaching the theory of how communication works in the marketplace, to understand tactics and strategy that are available and how to use those skills to your advantage.”

Katie Hall, an alumna of the APR One-Year Professional Program, switched away from the traditional two-year degree after deciding she wanted to enter the workforce immediately after graduate school. “The one-year program is more professionally focused, whereas the two-year is focused on going on to receive a doctoral degree,” Hall said. “After I completed my undergraduate degree, I still felt unprepared … but after the one-year APR [professional program], I felt totally prepared to enter [the] workforce.”

Students looking for more information on any of these one-year programs can contact the Office of the Graduate School at 205-348-5921 or online at graduate.ua.edu.

Programs:

– STEM path to the MBA Program: STEM path applicants who hold a minimum high school GPA of 3.5 and a minimum ACT score of 28 will be offered early admission to the MBA program. During their junior year, students will apply for admission to the Graduate School for the MBA program.

– Community Journalism Master’s Program: The ComJ program accepts recent BA recipients in journalism or other fields as well as professionals seeking to deepen and expand their knowledge. ComJ Students take two semesters of coursework at the UA campus in Tuscaloosa and then immerse themselves in a three-month professional journalism experience at the Anniston Star.

– APR One-Year Professional Program: The one-year program consists of an intensive, professionally oriented curriculum combining both advertising and public relations. Recognizing the increasingly close links between the advertising and public relations professions, this program provides advanced preparation in both disciplines.