D’Youville College has developed a
new Liberal Studies for Education major, which was designed to allow students to
graduate with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in just five years.
The program, which is in its first
year, immerses students in elementary teacher education from the start of their
collegiate career.
“Our students are really enjoying
the program,” said Dr. Hilary Lochte, chair of the education department.
“They can take three upper-level classes right
from the start while taking undergraduate education courses as well,” Lochte
said.
Lochte noted that the setup is
especially beneficial for students because it allows them to familiarize
themselves with staff members of the education department while still taking
general undergraduate requirements.
According to Rob Dannecker, the
college’s director of marketing, students enrolled in the program begin
graduate work in their fourth year but pay undergraduate tuition for all five
years.
“You don’t have to make out master’s
applications,” Dannecker said. “It’s a significant cost if you’re looking at
applying to master’s-level programs, and you save cost here.”
While Dannecker said he doesn’t
believe that dual-degree programs will become commonplace in higher education
across the country, Lochte disagrees.
“I think it will become the norm because it’s
a better way to prepare teachers,” Lochte said. “When there is a better way to
start developing teachers, other schools pay attention because they don’t want
their school to fall behind.”
Dannecker said he recognized that
the five-year program might not be best for everyone.
“Students have to look at all of the different
options and then take what they can use personally and fit it into their scheme
of things,” Dannecker said. “We want to help them as much as we possibly can to
get to their goal, but we know it’s not for everybody.” By Tom Gallagher and Mike Straw
