![\"Ariana](\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/10\/072114_2640_Students-Campus--scaled.jpeg.0.1x.generic.jpg\")
Ariana Leyton \u201917, \u201918 MS, who completed a combined sustainability science program, now works for Montclair State as the project coordinator for University Communications and Marketing. She says the program was the best choice for her. <\/p>\n
\u201cI liked that I was able to take graduate courses my senior year of my bachelor\u2019s degree,\u201d says the 26-year-old Bloomfield resident. \u201cI was able to understand how demanding graduate courses are. It was nice to see how much I had to put aside mentally before I got there.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a bonus, Leyton says, \u201cI made friends, and when I went into the program, I saw friendly faces and knew some of the professors there, so I didn\u2019t feel like I was going to a whole new school.\u201d <\/p>\n
She says while some friends chose to pursue master\u2019s degrees at different universities or take some time off between degrees, she chose the combo route. <\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I was in it, it was such an easy transition,\u201d Leyton says. \u201cI\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t wait. I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t put it off. And before I knew it, it was over. I knew that I\u2019d made the right decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nikki-James Soto, a senior from Parsippany, combined a K-6 bachelor\u2019s with a master\u2019s in teaching program and is getting an early start to professional success as a teacher. She has a double major and expects to graduate with a bachelor\u2019s degree in Psychology in spring 2022 and with master\u2019s in Elementary Education with a Certification in Teaching Students with Disabilities in spring 2023.<\/p>\n
Soto has taken advantage of the combined K-6 Bachelor\u2019s\/Master of Arts in Teaching program as she prepares to join Montclair State alumni in New Jersey schools, teachers who are addressing social inequalities that continue to impact educational experiences and outcomes for many students. She aspires to make real differences in the classroom and in the lives of her students. <\/p>\n
\u201cI could have also gone into the teaching workforce with only my Elementary Education certification but then I would not be able to teach students with disabilities,\u201d Soto says. \u201cAlso, I would be less marketable and make less money. Doing both at the same time also is costing me less money overall. It is nice to not have to worry about going back to school and possibly not having the opportunity to once I start working full time in the education world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The best part of her combined experience? <\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to collaborate, learn from and grow with your peers,\u201d Soto says. \u201cYou take the same classes with your cohort and mine is about 50 students. It is nice having a support system [made up of other students] facing the same challenges as you. I also enjoy being exposed to the diversity and social issues within the school system and outside of it that affects students I will teach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marco Finocchiaro \u201914 of Montclair says the combined program not only helped him save time and money, it jump-started his career. He graduated with both bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in Aquatic and Coastal Science. The 32-year-old now serves as chief of the Wetlands Protection Section for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had to do a separate program or two-year program after a four-year undergraduate, there is a chance I would have put it off or not gone back at all due to lack of motivation.\u201d <\/p>\n
Additionally, it facilitated his graduate work, he says: \u201cI was able to identify potential projects for my graduate thesis while still in undergrad which led to a better research project with a well thought out goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
He urges other students to take advantage of the combined programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives you an opportunity to continue building upon the educational foundation you built in your undergraduate studies while capitalizing on the relationships built with university faculty who you already know,\u201d Finocchiaro says. \u201cIt helps take some of the inherent stress out of graduate school since you\u2019re able to line up your postgraduate research vision while your undergraduate coursework and overall research interests are fresh in your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith says being a part of his combined program cohort and participating in the Accelerated MBA Mentorship Program have also contributed to his academic experience.<\/p>\n
Without his cohort \u201cthis program would be a lot harder,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s how we keep up to date with what\u2019s going on in the classes, and we learn to work with different people. That’s what we\u2019re going to do once we get our jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also credits one class in particular for his success thus far, that of Professor Tara Chiari, a career coach for the accelerated program, who teaches a class on business leadership development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat class is pretty much how I got my internship at Movado,\u201d Smith says. \u201cThat class really builds you up in terms of making sure your resume is right, following your values, and understanding yourself in terms of what type of leader you want to become. That was one of the best classes I\u2019ve taken in the program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Talk with your advisor to see if you are on track to be considered for a combined program (minimum GPA varies by program). Visit the Combined Programs website<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n Story by staff writer Sylvia A. Martinez<\/strong>, Photos by University photographer Mike Peters<\/a><\/p>\n