To Gain Admission to High-Paying, Selective Public University Programs, Early Action is Needed
To Gain Admission to High-Paying, Selective Public University Programs, Early Action is Needed
Posted on 4/3/2023
When students apply to any of the state’s public universities, they are asked to choose a major. For students interested in the humanities or social/natural sciences, this is a low-stakes decision, since it is relatively easy to switch majors within these broad disciplines in the course of their studies. But for students interested in pursuing professional preparation, this choice is anything but low-stakes. Several career-focused majors – including nursing, engineering, and accounting – have limited space. Students who do not gain admission directly from high school could find it hard, if not impossible, to gain a seat in these programs after arriving on campus. These selective majors are also among the highest-paying programs as measured by the average earnings of graduates. So while high school may seem early for students to pick a career path, early action is needed to secure a seat in many professional preparation programs for high-paying occupations. In this post, we look at majors offered by nine Massachusetts public four-year universities* for which students need to apply directly from high school to be guaranteed a seat.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a standard list of selective majors across public universities. Even within the UMass system, selective programs vary by campus. As a general rule, non-UMass state universities (e.g., Worcester State, Bridgewater State) are selective only for nursing and other health-related programs, because of limited clinical placement spaces. What follows is a description of the majors that have selective admissions criteria at one or more of the nine state universities in NextGen Talent’s Navigator platform. (This post does not cover majors requiring a portfolio, such as the visual or performing arts.)
Nursing
Nursing programs are the most selective of all programs offered by Massachusetts public universities, with acceptance rates ranging from 15% to 50%. More importantly, some programs (i.e., UMass Amherst and Fitchburg State University) do not allow currently enrolled students to transfer into their nursing programs. The programs that do not formally forbid internal transfers, typically have few, if any, slots available for students wishing to switch their major to nursing – and competition for those slots is fierce. Students who wish to pursue a nursing career should also plan to apply for Early Action, as nursing programs are often full by the Regular Decision deadline.
Engineering
Engineering programs are selective at all of the universities and require students to have stronger math and science grades than the average applicant. Most schools prefer that students indicate a specific engineering major (e.g., mechanical engineering, civil engineering) when they apply to the university. UMass Amherst is the exception. Students apply to the College of Engineering at UMass Amherst and then select their specific major after completing core first-year requirements. Unlike nursing, it is possible for students who are not initially accepted into an engineering program to gain admission as an in-college transfer. Students wishing to change their major to engineering will need to earn good grades in required math and science courses during their first year at the college and submit an application to the engineering department. Spaces within specific engineering majors may be very limited and students are not guaranteed a seat if they are not admitted directly from high school. Given the heavy requirements for most engineering degrees, it can be difficult for students who do not start as engineering majors to complete these requirements within four years.
Business Programs
At two of the universities, UMass Amherst and UMass Boston, business is a selective major with limited options for transfer. In the case of UMass Amherst, students who want to pursue a major in management, finance, accounting, or marketing need to gain admission when they first apply. These four business majors do not allow internal transfers. Two other majors offered by the UMass Amherst College of Business – sports management and hospitality management – allow internal transfers, but students interested in these majors are encouraged to apply directly from high school. The school of management at UMass Boston is also a selective program with limited seats. Students applying to the management program should indicate their desired concentration (e.g., accounting, marketing) at the time they apply. Students who are not initially accepted into the UMass Boston management program can apply for admission as an internal transfer. Students need to earn a minimum GPA of 2.75 in their UMass Boston courses to be eligible for admission to the management major.
Computer Science
At UMass Amherst, the computer science program is highly selective, with a 33% acceptance rate. High school students with a strong academic record in college prep math courses are given priority for admission. In Fall 2022, the average SAT score of admitted students for Computer Science was 1462 and the average high school GPA was 4.36. While the program allows internal transfers from other majors, space is limited with no guarantee of admission. Students wishing to transfer need to earn strong grades on prerequisite college math (e.g., Calculus) and introductory computer science courses to be considered. The other eight state universities we surveyed for this post do not have additional requirements beyond the standard admissions requirements for students wishing to major in computer science. However, students need to earn good grades in prerequisite math and introductory computer science courses to pursue a computer science major.
Other Selective Health Profession Majors
While nursing is the most popular selective health program offered by the state’s public universities, two additional selective health professions programs that lead to high-paying Occupational and Physical Therapy careers are worth highlighting. Worcester State offers a combined BS/Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. Entry into the bachelor’s portion of the program is competitive, with students needing at least a 3.0-grade point average in their high school college-prep courses. As long as students maintain a GPA of 3.2 in their undergraduate occupational therapy courses, they can advance into the master’s portion of the program at the end of their junior year. UMass Lowell offers a combined BS/DPT pathway program in Physical Therapy for a select number of first-year students applying to the college’s Exercise Science major. Students should indicate their interest in this pathway option in their application. Students invited to join the combined pathway program are guaranteed admission into the doctoral portion of the program as long as they maintain a GPA of 3.4 in their undergraduate exercise science courses. Exercise science majors who do not gain admission to the combined program can still apply to enter the doctoral program in their senior year. The Exercise Science program at UMass Boston is another health program with limited space. Students interested in this major should indicate their interest in their application to be guaranteed a seat.
Aviation Science/Flight Training
The Aviation Science program at Bridgewater State University is the only public college program offering flight training to become a commercial airline pilot. Students need a minimum overall high school GPA of 3.0 and good grades in high school math and science courses including physics. The program admits students who meet these criteria on a first-come, first-served basis, so it’s important to apply by the early action deadline of Nov. 15 to secure a seat.
More specific information about the programs highlighted in this post can be found in our Navigator directory.
*9 public Massachusetts universities were interviewed for this article: Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, Salem State University, UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, UMass Lowell, Worcester State University