Five-year Masters (sometimes called Blended Semester) programs have become increasingly popular at colleges and universities all over the country. Usually, students in these programs begin taking graduate classes in their senior year of college and then return to their college after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree for two more semesters to earn a Master’s degree. If you’re going into a field where having a Master’s is common or expected (I’m in elementary education, and teachers are required to earn a Master’s degree within 5 years of starting their career), or if you’re considering grad school in general, you’ve probably been told to consider enrolling in a five-year Master’s program.
So what’s the deal with them anyway? Well, I just finished my first grad class as a first-semester college senior in my five-year Master’s program, and I’m here to tell you about my experiences.
This semester, I have been taking one graduate class alongside 4 undergraduate classes–one of the requirements for the blended semester program is that you earn 12-15 undergraduate credits. This format has allowed me to get used to taking grad classes because there are some major differences from the undergrad classes you’re familiar with.
The first thing you should know about grad classes is that their semesters are a lot shorter than undergrad semesters. While I was studying for midterms in my undergrad classes, I was working on my final essay for my grad class because that class ran only for 8 weeks. So expect to hit the ground running, but at least you’ll have the second half of the semester to focus on undergrad classes. They’re also largely self-paced. Undergrad classes usually meet anywhere from 1-3 times a week, but grad classes meet anywhere from 1-3 times a semester. Most weeks you’ll just be given work to submit, usually online, so being able to prioritize and budget your time is key.
Overall, though, I’m glad that I decided to start my graduate classes early because it is going to save me a lot of headaches in the long run. I’m not going to have to worry about applying to grad school, or juggling grad school and a full-time job. So, when it comes to the question of whether blended semesters are worth it: if you’re in a field where you’re going to need a Master’s anyway, go for it.