New Helzberg Program Offers 5-Year Path to Undergraduate, Graduate Degrees

An undergraduate and a graduate degree in five years. Real-life career connections, internships, and an international experience. The Helzberg School of Management’s newest program fits a whole lot of education in a short amount of time.

The Dean’s Scholar Program, scheduled to begin in the fall 2019 semester, is tailored for students who might want to pursue a master’s degree in business, management or analytics. And it’s notable not just because it represents the Helzberg School’s first foray into daytime graduate-level education.

“It’s an uncommon approach to combine robust academic opportunities with co-curricular opportunities and applied learning and coaching,” said Cheryl McConnell, Ph.D., dean of the Helzberg School of Management and the College of Business, Influence and Information Analysis.

Students accepted into the program can enroll in any of the Helzberg School’s undergraduate business degree programs or any of the other degree areas within the College of Business, Influence, and Information Analysis of which the Helzberg School is a part — including political science, communication, and mathematics. They complete that coursework and coursework for one of three Helzberg master’s degrees — the Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics, the Master of Arts in Management, or the Master of Business Administration — in five years total, given that the student continues to meet GPA and other requirements.

Early admission into graduate school and shaving a year off of earning a master’s degree are not the only benefits to the Dean’s Scholar Program, McConnell said. In addition, students have access to some unique opportunities — two internships, mentoring and coaching based on the real-life expertise of the program’s executive-in-residence, and, additionally, a number of optional international educational experiences designed to give as many students access as possible. McConnell said the result is something akin to a cohort model that takes advantage not only of the full scope of programs in the College of Business, Influence, and Information Analysis, but also the University’s extended network of alumni leaders.

 “The program allows customization within a broad menu. We think that will appeal to incoming freshmen who are looking to get the most out of their education from day one,” McConnell said.

Applications for the Dean’s Scholar Program are open now, with the first cohort launching for incoming freshmen in the fall 2019 semester.