What to know about NGU’s new combined degree program
Keely Lyons, Staff Writer
North Greenville University’s new combined degree offering allows students to accelerate their learning by letting students work on their graduate while finishing their undergraduate.
Tracy Kramer, professor at NGU’s graduate school of business, said, “First of all, it saves time. You don’t have to go back [to school], it cuts a year off of your accumulative graduation time, it saves you money, so you don’t have to pay – you know there are 12 [credit] hours that you don’t have to pay for ‘twice,’ because 12 hours count for both graduate and undergraduate.” The new offering is unique in that it will allow students to pursue two degrees on a five-year track, as opposed to a four-year degree and a two-year master’s, said Kramer.
As students find themselves out of school at a faster rate, there are other benefits that follow. Kramer said, “When you do graduate, you potentially have a competitive edge in the marketplace because you are coming with a master’s degree. So, [it means] better credentials in your initial job market.”
So what degrees will this apply to? Technically, any degree can get a combined degree, however, students will need to plan ahead in order to stay on track with the 5-year program and proper planning means making sure you don’t save all of your difficult classes for last and you are balancing your workload appropriately, said Kramer.
While many students find themselves intending to come back after their four-year experience, Kramer said, “It’s easier to stay in school than to go back to school.” This 5-year experience will allow students to focus fully on their academics, said Kramer.
Students who qualify for the combined degree offering must hold at least a 3.0 GPA before beginning the program. Kramer said, “Unfortunately, you can’t apply until you have 75 hours. But that doesn’t mean you can’t plan for it, that’s just the formal application process.”
Kramer said, “Anyone who is going to apply, needs to be comfortable with online learning and able to keep pace with the accelerated time frame of the grad degree.” All the grad courses will be offered online in 8-week terms, said Kramer.
The combined degree program could be especially beneficial to Christian studies majors considering a master’s of divinity. Matthew Wireman, associate dean of the school of ministry and professor of theology and church history, said, “A lot of students will take a hermeneutics class or systematic theology class and then they go to seminary and they are gonna take it again. So what we’re trying to do is in some ways give them the benefit of the doubt and allow them to—especially if they’re getting both degrees from North Greenville, we know the quality of education and we know the worldview in which they are going to be getting it in.”
Wireman said, “It’s one thing to study preaching, it’s another thing to actually preach. It’s one thing to study theology, it’s another thing to actually teach others about theology. A grad school program is going to allow students to take the knowledge they got from a bachelor’s degree and be able to apply it in very practical ways for ministry.”
*Featured Image: Infographic by Ryan Bailey
