Adam Forrer '05 stands in front of his junior physics class at Wyomissing Area High School.        photo: David Johnson

4+1 = Master’s Degree in Education

You don’t have to be a math major to figure out that Albright’s 4+1 education program is the way to go for Albright undergraduates seeking a master’s degree in education.

Physics/digital media major Adam Forrer ’05, who is currently enrolled in the program, says because he decided to go into education the summer before his senior year at Albright “the 4+1 program fit wonderfully for me.” The program allows students to complete both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years.

While Forrer says the program is intensive, “it’s definitely an effective way to get through your master’s and become certified in a short amount of time.”

During the first four years of undergraduate study at Albright, students complete the general studies program, concentration/major requirements, a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree in a liberal arts concentration or a liberal arts/education co-concentration, and up to two graduate courses which are tuition free. During the fifth year, which includes summer, fall, Interim, spring and summer semesters, students complete their remaining graduate credits, student teaching internship and seminar, and teacher certification requirements.

“For someone like me,” says Forrer, “this program is perfect. I had no previous educational background, so the core courses are offered to me as certification credit as well as master’s credit. I get a crash course in education while preparing and legalizing myself for the field in the real world, all at once. It might not be for everyone because of the pace, but for me it works.”

Warren Heil ’05, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in special education, mathematics and religious studies, is currently student teaching at Schuylkill Valley Elementary School in Leesport, Pa. Teaching a third grade class, he says, “I love the atmosphere of the school and the camaraderie of the staff and students.” Heil hopes that obtaining his master’s degree early will make him more marketable as he seeks employment.

“Some people said this program would be a detriment. That it would be more expensive to hire graduates,” Fuchs says. “But employers see it differently. They don’t have to pay for the individual to get a master’s degree.”

Graduates of the 4+1 program are very attractive to school districts, adds Fuchs. “This says to employers, I have the discipline, maturity, perseverance, and dedication to do this immediately after my undergrad. It tells employers that this person is going to be a life-long learner.”