Combined/accelerated degree programs--to attract motivated students, get an 'edge,' and help families fight soaring costs.

We have been surprised in recent years by the number of college-bound students we counsel who have already set the expectation that they will continue with a graduate degree in order to achieve a secure professional future. In most cases, these 18- and 19-year-old students have little or no idea what their particular field of study will be or what type of career they want to have during their lifetime. They, and their parents, simply assume that some level of professional graduate training and a degree is essential in today's complex and competitive society. This perception cuts across all socio-economic categories: Professional and executive families attribute their economic success and security to their advanced education, while those parents who did not attend college or graduate school want their children to have greater opportunities in their adult lives. The desire to find an undergraduate program that will prepare the student for a strong graduate education drives the college search for many families. What's more, a growing number of students consider combined or accelerated degree programs a very attractive way to earn their bachelor's and advanced degrees in a shorter period of time--or to earn dual bachelor's degrees that will help them better prepare for a variety of academic and professional fields.

COST AND THE SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Yet how do students and parents reconcile this desire with the daunting task of paying for college, let alone graduate school? Every day brings announcements by more colleges and universities of dramatic increases in tuition and fees. As almost all of the states attempt to cope with severe budget crises and anticipated shortfalls, public university systems have raised tuition anywhere from 15 to 40 percent. Private institutions have increased their tuition with less fanfare than the four-year public colleges and universities; nevertheless, the increases at private IHEs average 6 to 10 percent. The cost of a college education is rising at a rate that is far beyond the growth in family income or the consumer price index. Significant numbers of current undergraduates are applying for more aid or taking out larger student loans in order to meet the additional costs this year. And, for many earnest students, the financial bar is too high to negotiate, so they are dropping out of school or avoiding college altogether. It is hard to imagine that any family with a child anticipating enrolling in college could be unaware of the significant increases in the bills they are expected to pay. It has become increasingly more difficult to justify saddling graduates with outsized educational loan obligations for their undergraduate work. How can they consider adding to this debt by enrolling in graduate degree programs?

Higher education Leaders can offer any and all explanations for the need to raise tuition and school fees, including the fact that in most cases, tuition payments do not cover the real costs of educating individual students, but this does not alleviate the concerns of the great majority of families who are called upon to devise every means they can think of to keep the fire of hopes and expectations for their children burning. In addition to recognizing that a college education is associated with greater earning power, career opportunities, and job security, families are noting that a graduate education is even more important in differentiating oneself in the career marketplace, and in gaining entry into such professional fields as taw, medicine, and engineering. Students and parents alike see dual and accelerated degree programs--which enable a student to attain both a bachelor's and graduate degree in a shorter than normal period of study--as an excellent way to leverage their academic strengths and time spent in education. Families perceive these opportunities (frequently referred to as 3/2 degree programs) as ways to save one or more years of study, so they can begin to earn an income sooner and save substantial costs. We have recommended to many college candidates that they look into particular programs that do match their interests and future goals.

STRETCHING THE ACADEMIC WALLS

In a time of financial stress, when so many institutions have been forced to cut programs and faculty or institute hiring freezes in their departments, developing accelerated degree programs can be accomplished with little or no cost and can become an important selling point to prospective students. One can view this approach as a way to stretch the academic watts of the institution without having to build additional academic structures. Those colleges that already have combined degree programs in place would be helped by marketing them more effectively--at present a failing in most instances. This lack of marketing surprises us, given the appeal such programs would have to prospective students and the fact that relatively few of them seem to be aware of such opportunities. In fact, finding special programs within a university's offerings can be an excruciating task. Often, such listings are hidden deep within course catalogs or Web sites, perhaps within individual departmental pages or graduate studies sections. Colleges would do well to tout their special degree programs up front in their literature and on their Internet sites. They should provide detailed information about these programs in the guide book summaries they submit to outside publications. They can make sure to mention the array of opportunities they offer during on-campus information sessions, college fairs, and high school visits. The result? They are likely to attract academically serious, motivated, and well-prepared students with an eye toward doing well in college, staying in school, and participating in college life.

We recommend the development or expansion of such combined degree programs--especially to smaller, primarily undergraduate colleges--as a means to expand their offerings without the necessity to expand or build new curricula. Again, although students will state their desire to obtain a graduate degree, a majority has not had enough exposure and experience to be certain of future interests or aptitudes. For the Larger number of students, there is still great appeal in a broad-based Liberal arts curriculum that allows for exploration and flexibility in the first years of study. The ability to specialize in years three, four, and five, and to earn multiple or advanced degrees can then provide the icing on the cake for students and parents concerned about academic focus or career qualifications resulting from a standard four-year bachelors degree. This approach can distinguish colleges among peer institutions and provide a rationale for the non-specialized undergraduate degree programs. Quite naturally, each college must consider its particular departmental strengths and ability to prepare students for the graduate studies that will follow. Colleges that provide more specialized, career-oriented undergraduate studies can use combined programs to their advantage as well, by cooperating with their own graduate departments or affiliating with other professional degree granting institutions. Such colleges can also attract talented students who were not ready to specialize their studies during their first year, but who are now more mature, more prepared in their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, based on their several years of study in the arts and sciences, and more willing and able to narrowly tailor their education. Following is a sampling of programs that reflect the various models we have in mind.

MODELS TO WATCH

* Bates College: 3/2 B.A. and Master's in Engineering with Columbia, Case Western Reserve, Washington University, RPI, and Dartmouth.

* The College Of William and Mary: 3/2 B.A. or B.S. in Engineering with the University of Virginia, Washington University, Case Western, and RPI. Also a 3/2 B.S. and Master's in Forestry and Environmental Sciences with Duke.

* Trinity University: Five-year B.A. and M.A. in Education and in Accounting in conjunction with its graduate schools.

* Union College: Six-year accelerated B.A. and J.D. with Albany Law School; B.S. and MBA with Albany's graduate business school; B.A. with Albany Medical College.

* Loyola University: 3/3 B.A. and J.D. with its own law school; 3/2 Engineering degree with Tulane; accelerated acceptance to Tulane Medical School.

* Lehigh University: Five-year integrated Business and Engineering program for two B.S. degrees; five-year B.A. and M.A. in Education or Business, or B.A. and B.S. in Engineering; accelerated seven-year B.A./M.D. with Hahnemann School of Medicine; seven-year B.A./D.D.S. with University of Pennsylvania Dental School; seven-year B.A./D.O. with SUNY College of Optometry.

* Muhlenberg College: Cooperative program with Drexel University College of Medicine and Lehigh Valley Hospital; 3/2 degree program in Environmental Sciences or Forestry with Duke.

* Vanderbilt University: Five-year B.A./M.B.A. program with its Owen Graduate School of Business.

* Wheaton College: B.A./M.A. in Communications with Emerson College; B.A./M.F.A. with School of Museum of Fine Arts; B.A./M.A. in Religion with Andover-Newton Theological School.

ENHANCED APPEAL FOR IHES

We can go on and on with a varied list of undergraduate and professional combined programs, but we leave this to the imagination of the individual institution to determine which fields of study it excels in and which could serve as a solid foundation for creating appealing dual or accelerated degree programs with appropriate graduate schools on or off campus. There is no doubt in our minds that the effort involved can enhance the appeal of any college or university to ambitious students who may be worried about the affordability of fulfilling their dream.

Howard Greene and Matthew Greene are independent education consultants, and the authors of the Greenes' Guides to Educational Planning. Contact them at [e-mail], or visit www.greenesguides.com.