For students looking to get a jump on furthering their education, Simmons offers two different accelerated pathways, both traditional and exploratory, allowing students to be strategic and take advantage of graduate opportunities.
“There’s so much external pressure on folks to get as much training as you possibly can to get out there and get a job,” said Leanne Doherty, Vice Provost and member of the Political Science Department. “I’ve always found [Simmons students] very strategic and taking advantage of everything they possibly can, and so I think [these programs] just add to that list of things that folks find…helpful in their future endeavors.”
For the past 10 to 15 years, depending on the program, the traditional accelerated pathway has dominated the realm of graduate opportunities at Simmons. According to the traditional track website, 16 programs exist in this format and span a variety of majors from engineering to sociology. These programs allow undergraduates to complete both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in a shorter period of time while being cost-effective.
As a first-year graduate student in the 3+3 Health and Exercise Science and Physical Therapy program, Leah Ruddy highly recommends that all incoming first years give thoughtful consideration to the traditional accelerated track.
“I came to Simmons because of the program,” Ruddy said. “It’s a really good opportunity…I would say do it, you can always opt out.”
The decision isn’t always an easy one. Students looking into the traditional track have to make up their minds during the application process.
For students looking for more flexibility when making big decisions about their future, Doherty explained that the new exploratory path is a great option.
According to the Simmons Edge page, the pathway currently consists of 11 programs for students across multiple disciplines. Though the program was launched last November, Doherty mentioned that around 20 students have been accepted.
Literature major Sammie Malfy was one of those students.
“I applied in the spring of my Junior year, and I got accepted two weeks after,” Malfy said. “It was a really easy process honestly.”
Malfy mentioned that she was going to pursue a Master’s degree anyway, but enrolled in the Children’s Literature program at Simmons because of its national renown, the connections she could make through professors, and the discounted tuition.
Through the Edge program, students can take up to two graduate classes during their senior year for the price of their undergraduate tuition. These classes count toward both undergraduate and graduate course credits. Those who decide to continue into the graduate program after graduation will “automatically receive the Double Shark Scholarship,” which is 20% off of tuition, the website states.
“The money was a huge thing, how easy it was to apply, and then probably because I already know the school,” Malfy said.
