Merrimack College is making it easier and more affordable for current Merrimack undergraduates and alumni to attend graduate school at the College. Introduced this year, the Double Warrior program offers reduced tuition and a fast-track application process for students who have either earned a bachelor’s degree from Merrimack or are about to, and want to continue their education in graduate school.
The program gives alumni from all graduation years and undergraduate seniors a 25% discount on the cost of many of Merrimack’s graduate degrees.
It also offers two free courses to eligible Merrimack College seniors worth up to eight credits toward graduate school. This allows seniors to try out graduate classes and decide if graduate school is the right choice for them.
Merrimack offers more than 30 graduate degree and certificate programs, spanning all five schools, and provides both on-campus and online learning opportunities.
“We’ve put together this program to benefit current students and alumni and to encourage them to enroll in our graduate programs,” said Senior Director of Graduate Studies Amy Sison.
The Double Warrior program is an evolution of the Grad Advantage program offered in previous years.
“We ask for a résumé and that’s it,” said Sison. “If you are coming from another school we ask for letters of recommendation and a personal statement. But if you’re a Merrimack student we know you and we waive those two requirements.”
Clinical mental health counseling and athletic training programs are not eligible for accelerated application, which both require licensure and accreditation. Fellowship programs and the online master of education in teacher education are also not included in the Double Warrior program because they already have discounted tuition.
On average, people with a master’s degree earn 25% more a year than those with a bachelor’s degree alone. For years, Merrimack’s graduate degrees have been helping alumni advance their careers and earning potential.
Nick Shaw ’17, M’18 graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and immediately applied for graduate school at Merrimack to earn a master’s degree in his field. While in graduate school, he leveraged networking resources available through the O’Brien Center for Career Development to earn a job as a project engineer at Comprehensive Environmental Inc. in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
“I knew that if I started working, I probably wouldn’t go back to school,” Shaw said. “I looked at other schools but Merrimack made it really simple to keep the ball rolling and continue on to my master’s.”
Sarah Bourouphael ’08, M’15 took a different path toward graduate school. She double majored in political science and economics and went to work for Nike and then Converse. As she climbed the corporate ladder, Bourouphael recognized the need for a master’s degree in management at Merrimack and went on to graduate summa cum laude.
“I had such a valuable undergraduate experience at Merrimack,” Bourouphael said. “So when I needed a more concrete business education to help me unlock additional opportunities in my career development, I trusted the College’s graduate programs without hesitation.”
For more information on the Double Warrior program, contact the Office of Graduate Admission at 978-837-3563 or visit www.merrimack.edu/double-warrior.
