<p>vlines - that’s where our confusion comes in. S2 should be entering with a full year of AP credits, so theoretically he could complete a BS/MS degree under University Scholars or the STEM/MBA. He was specifically told by Dr. Morgan that the scholarships would NOT cover the last year of graduate studies under the STEM/MBA program, but other UA thread comments have suggested that his Pres & Engineering scholarships would apply to his 4th year (grad studies year) of the USP. If that’s the case, those two policies seem somewhat contradictory. Or are we missing something that differs between the two programs?</p>
<p>I think if the student does not “graduate” with their Bachelors they can take graduate level classes.</p>
<p>6lambs, I posted a reply to your other post on this topic, but wanted to elaborate in this thread.</p>
<p>First, there may be an issue with your son being a year ahead of his age peers. If he plans to complete the STEM MBA program in 4 years, he would need to be in the previous year’s cohort. I’m not too sure how much UA planned for students in your son’s situation to know how they would handle this.</p>
<p>Can your son fit the required summer courses into his 8 semesters by taking them in the fall or spring semesters?</p>
<p>I’ve taken MBA courses as a UA undergrad in the University Scholars Program, including one, but had the opportunity to take more, that does not apply to my master’s degree program. UA is paying for these courses under the terms of my presidential scholarship. However, even if I had all the required courses for an MBA, I could not graduate with an MBA until I applied to the MBA program. I’m sure that the MBA program is allowed to accept undergrad students who plan to obtain their bachelor’s degree and MBA at the same time without being in an approved dual bachelor’s/MBA program such as STEM MBA. </p>
<p>I think one of the issues is that the people you’re speaking to may not be aware how your son plans to complete all of the STEM MBA requirements in 4 years. The best way to show this is for him to create a schedule which specifically states his 4 year plan and any course waivers he may need. While you can help with this, it’s something that he needs to plan and organize himself as he will be the one registering for the courses and managing his degree requirements. Professors and deans tend to be more open to alternative course progressions when the student is knowledgeable about how their alternative plan will work.</p>
<p>SEA_tide,
Thanks again for your input on the subject. It’s helped clarify the situation for us.
Not sure at this point if S2 could take all of the required summer courses in spring &/or fall semesters. He has 5 AP tests to take next month, and until those scores are in he won’t really know for certain what his true starting point will be heading into his 1st semester at UA.
He was pretty specific in his email to Dr. Morgan regarding his interest in possibly pursuing the STEM MBA in 4 years depending on his AP credits shook out, so I don’t think anything was lost in the translation there. Given how things are structured in this program vs. the USP, it sounds like his primary focus needs to be deciding whether he is truly interested in pursuing the STEM MBA vs. a BS/MS CE degrees through UScholars.
Thanks again for all of your help.</p>
<p>6lambs My D spoke to Dr. Morgan before applying to the STEM MBA program and asked if the program could be done as a 3+1 and he said yes, she did not ask for details. My D will enter UA with over 50 credit hrs.</p>
<p>6lambs - S is a Freshman, majoring in ConE/CE and is finishing up his first year in STEM. What Dr Morgan told you is the same as what S was told in the first few weeks of class, namely to not be concerned about the impact of 5th year Grad School tuition, since there will be options available for those students who have stuck with the program and performed well. We had this concern as well since it would be a year of OOS tuition. Since you mentioned CE, you may want to consider a double major with Construction Engineering since it only adds 6 hours due to overlapping curriculum. One thing you will find about UA is they are very generous on “double counting” course work toward major and General Ed graduation requirements. Since it also sounds like your S will be in the same position as mine was (lots of AP credit), you may also want to look into Co-Op and Internship possibilities since you will still be in line to be done with the entire program (BS and MBA) in 5 years. I think you will find that UA advisors and UA staff will be more than happy to work with you on whatever you decide. You will also have the oppty to work some of these things out during the summer Bama Bound sessions where you get time with an Engineering Advisor as well as some time with students for off the record questions as well. All that being said, I would highly recommend the STEM program. S says its his favorite class. It is not a very time consuming course but S seems to have picked up quite a bit of “business” know how just from 1.5 hours a week… If you have any questions, feel free to PM me… </p>
<p>Roll Tide!</p>
<p>That’s a good idea about looking into the possibility of coops or internships. My S will also have a ton of AP credit and could probably do the program in 3+1, but isn’t part of the idea of the program to stay with the same people all the way through? Not sure how that would work if you cut out a year of undergrad. Maybe the coop/internship idea is a good compromise, especially if they offer an option for having the 5th year qualify for scholarship somehow (i.e. by getting the GMAT score).</p>
<p>S is really looking forward to the program and is excited about the opportunity!</p>
<p>I’m guessing that UA doesn’t currently know how scholarships for the STEM MBA will be funded and thus can’t exactly say how the scholarships will work out. I’m generally a fan of getting commitments in writing so that future plans can be more certain. Many students who would be a great fit for this program cannot afford a year and summer of OOS tuition and fees. The current fees for a year of graduate level business courses total $2,830.</p>
<p>Longsx3 - Dr. Morgan confirmed there is no issue completing the STEM+MBA as a 3+1. The issue at hand is that as of now the Pres Scholarship will not cover the grad studies tuition in the last year.
RugbyDad - sounds like our sons are on very similar paths. He has already looked at the ConE/CE double major along with the BS/MS CE via USP and the STEM+MBA. Ideally maybe he can follow an academic path during his 1st year that would keep him on track for both the BS/MS degree or STEM+MBA until UA possibly develops a more definitive scholarship stance regarding the STEM program 5th year. Ultimately, if the Presidential scholarship remains not applicable to the STEM+MBA 5th year I would imagine that S2 would be inclined to maximize his 4 years at UA and pursue the BS/MS CE degree while incorporating a semester of study abroad &/or coops/internships.
SEA_tide - I like the way you think. We too would definitely be more comfortable having something in writing as it pertains to the question of the grad studies year of the STEM program.
It is pretty amazing the opportunities availabe to our sons & daughters @ UA. Roll Tide!</p>
<p>6lambs D has the presidential scholarship as well. I am fairly certain that UA will work something out for our students when the time comes. I can’t imagine they will want to lose students due to funding their last year in this program.</p>
<p>Does anyone have a student interested in or enrolled in the STEM-MBA Program that intends to go to med. school? My son and I recently visited the school and both of us fell in love with it. The program sounded very interesting to him, but wondered if there are any cons to this program for a student who will be seeking to obtain his premed requirements and ultimately off to Med. School…the MBA would be a great asset to have in his hip pocket, as he could change gears and go into management in a health related field insted of becoming a physician. He’d enter the university w/approximately 50 credits (AP) and pursue Biology or Physics undergrad degree.</p>
<p>Boca</p>
<p>I cannot answer the Med School question, but wanted you to realize the program has only been in effect since Fall 2011. The number of students accepted into the program has doubled since then. Since the program is new enough to have not graduated any students yet, you may not get a response.</p>
<p>Dr. Morgan was very responsive and patient with my son and his slew of questions. Do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Morgan with specific questions or to ask if anyone in the inaugural group has plans for med school.</p>
<p>Longhaul…I PM’d you back…thanks for the info., we will contact Dr. Morgan with our questions. This certainly seems like a great program and it caught the attention of my son on our recent visit…lots of interesting options with the direction he may go…</p>