Qualified William Paterson University undergraduate students may complete an undergraduate bachelor's and a graduate master's degree in five years by taking graduate-level courses during their senior year. The program is open to all BA in Communication major areas (Public Relations, Journalism, Communication Studies, Media Studies, Broadcast Journalism) and leads to the MA in Professional Communication degree. Students qualified for the accelerated program, should work with the graduate program director in their junior year to develop a plan of study for their accelerated graduate degree.
Save Time: Admission into an accelerated degree program allows you to take graduate and undergraduate courses in your senior year. These graduate credits count toward both degrees, allowing you to complete your graduate degree in less time than a traditional graduate program.
Save Money: All graduate courses taken during the fall and spring of your senior year bill at the undergraduate tuition rate - almost half the cost of graduate tuition.
Salary and Hiring Competitiveness: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, master’s degree holders “qualified for better paying jobs and have earned more than their counterparts who had a bachelor’s degree.”
Gain Career Friendly Skills: By combining the BA and MA degrees, students can develop expertise in social media communication, integrated marketing communication, professional writing, corporate social responsibility and strategic communication.
Prospective accelerated BA/MA program students are encouraged to meet with the graduate program director early to begin planning. Students can apply for the accelerated master's program by the second semester of their junior year by submitting the BA/MA Intention Form.
BA in Communication students may take up to 12 graduate credits in their senior year.
ContactProfessor Lorra BrownGraduate Program Director, MA in Professional CommunicationDepartment of CommunicationBrownL50@wpunj.edu
William Paterson University
300 Pompton Road
Wayne, New Jersey 07470
973-720-2000
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