Can anyone provide some insight into this program at Wes? My daughter recently visited, and liked the school more than she thought she would (likely because I pushed hard fr the visit). One of the things that appears very attractive to her is the BA/MA program, probably in Neuroscience or Psych. Does anyone have any insight into the nuts and bolts of the program? How popular is it, how difficult to get in and complete, those types of things?
Thanks in advance.
My sense is that the free extra year (resulting in an M.A.) is tailored for students who are right in the middle of some faculty-sponsored research project by the time they near the end of senior year, a not uncommon occurrence at a place like Wesleyan with so much to do and so few graduate students (~100 Ph.D candidates and maybe a couple hundred more pursuing masters) to do it. The extra year allows an undergraduate to finish their work in a professional manner and be rewarded for it with a masters degree. My best guess is that enrollment just requires the lead researcher’s recommendation.
@circuitrider, thanks. The program appears to be fairly unique. I think my daughter is trying to figure out if the program is a big plus for someone who is likely headed to grad school, or whether she can get the same or similar type of benefit if she gets a BA and then an MA at different schools. Basically it is a question of whether this program is a distinguishing factor in where to apply.
I think the only distinguishing factor is that it’s free and only requires an additional year of commitment.The program is unique because Wesleyan is unique; it’s an LAC that grants doctoral degrees with sufficient regularity to attract interesting, and often tax-supported, research. The reason you don’t see this at bigger research universities is because there’s no incentive for them to grant you a free fifth year since they are awash with grad students and post-grads who can easily take your place upon graduation.
Thanks again
From what I can surmise from the college website, this is only for science majors, right?
Appears to be. My daughter’s interests at this point seem to be somewhere in neuroscience/behavioral psychology. Both the psych department and the neuroscience and behavior department offer the program, which is why it appears attractive to her.