Wheaton 4+1 graduate programs accessible to more students
Wheaton’s 4+1 graduate programs are expanding to respond to student interest.
Seniors are eligible to apply now (fall 2025) to the Master of Science in Environmental Science and the Master of Science in Business programs. Originally, eligibility for both programs was limited to juniors. The application for both programs is now open.
The faculty also revised the curriculum for the business program to allow entry to students who studied Business and Management as undergraduates. The change was made possible by revising the graduate courses students are required to take during their senior year.
The application deadline and curricular changes respond to student interest in the programs, said Phoebe Chan, professor economics and coordinator of the 4+1 programs. “The goal of both changes—opening applications to seniors and revising the business program—is to make the 4+1 programs accessible to more interested students,” Professor Chan said.
For now, the Creative Industries program remains open only to juniors, since required courses start in the fall of the senior year only.
In the spring, Wheaton students who are in their junior year—members of the Class of 2027—will be eligible to apply for all three programs—business, creative industries, and environmental science. Once admitted, undergraduate students begin taking graduate-level courses during their senior year. Then, after earning their bachelor’s degree, they take two master’s courses the summer after their senior year, followed by two courses in the fall and spring semesters, respectively. The 4+1 Master’s Programs consist of eight courses equivalent to 32 credit hours.
Following the first post-graduation summer, all master’s courses are online and asynchronous, which gives students the flexibility to work around their schedules and complete their advanced degree, whether living on campus or anywhere in the world. By fast-tracking their undergraduate and graduate degrees in five years, students will save valuable time and financial resources. Plus, they’ll enter the workforce with the potential for higher earnings and faster career advancement.