UAlbany and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Partner on Unique Program Exchange

A new agreement will allow students to simultaneously work towards both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Health degree.

ALBANY, N.Y. – An agreement between the University at Albany and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) will allow students to simultaneously work towards both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Health degree, creating a more efficient academic experience — specifically less cost and less time — for students to earn two degrees.

Under the partnership, students studying for a Bachelor’s degree at ACPHS will be able to apply, and if accepted, seamlessly matriculate into UAlbany’s Master of Public Health program after three years, before they have fulfilled all of their undergraduate requirements. As the students begin work towards a Master in Public Health at UAlbany in their fourth year of study, they will accrue credits that can then transfer back to ACPHS for fulfillment of their BS degree requirements. The same credits will count toward their master’s degree.

The agreement will speed up the process for students looking to earn both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s in Public Health, allowing them to earn in five years the two degrees that typically together take six.

This program and the allowance of a student’s graduate credits counting back towards a full year of undergraduate credits at another institution is the first-of-its-kind for UAlbany, says Laura Schweitzer, Vice President for Health Sciences and Interim Dean of Public Health at UAlbany.

“We are particularly enthusiastic about this partnership and program because of the high caliber of students at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences,” said Schweitzer. “These students are exceptionally prepared to come to the University at Albany and their readiness to start graduate school is apparent,” she continued.

Students will be eligible to apply for this competitive program by declaring a participating BS degree either at the time of admission to ACPHS or early enough in their study at ACPHS to permit them to complete all core undergraduate degree requirements in three years. They will be considered enrolled at ACPHS, called their “home institution,” and “visiting students” at UAlbany until their BS degree has been conferred.

“The rise of big data and the increased emphasis on evidence-based care are helping increase demand for public health professionals,” said Tarun Patel, Provost of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. “Graduates of our joint degree program with UAlbany will have the skill sets required to meet these emerging needs and more rapidly advance into leadership positions in the field.”

The new program goes into effect immediately and ACPHS students could start their “visiting year” at UAlbany as early as Fall 2018.

For more news, subscribe to UAlbany's RSS headline feeds