Yes! Many graduate programs allow you to earn a master’s degree in a field that is different from your undergraduate major.
You may have studied psychology and now want to enter the classroom. You may have a chemistry degree but find yourself moving into management. You may work in healthcare, education, government, or finance and want to become a social worker. In each case, graduate school can help you build upon what you already know without requiring you to earn a second bachelor’s degree.
However, eligibility depends on the program's admission requirements. Some accept students from any undergraduate major, while others require specific coursework, experience, or credentials.
Do You Need a Related Bachelor’s Degree to Earn a Master’s?
Not always. Programs such as an MBA may welcome students from business and non-business backgrounds. Other degrees, particularly those that lead to professional certification or licensure, may require certain undergraduate courses.
Your undergraduate transcripts help the program determine whether you have the necessary foundation. If you are missing a requirement, you may be able to take an additional course instead of completing an entirely new undergraduate degree.
This is why it is important to have your transcripts reviewed. A program webpage can explain the general requirements, but an admissions counselor can tell you specifically how those requirements apply to the courses you have already completed.
Three Ways to Advance Your Career through Siena's Graduate Programs
The path you take will depend on the career you want and the education you already have. Here are three examples of how students from different undergraduate backgrounds can pursue a new direction through a graduate program here at Siena.
1. Move Into Business or Leadership With an MBA
You do not need an undergraduate business degree to earn Siena’s Master of Business Administration.
Siena’s MBA welcomes students from both business and non-business backgrounds. Previous coursework and professional experience are reviewed individually to determine whether foundational courses are needed or if any MBA courses may be waived.
A professional with a bachelor’s degree in communications, science, psychology, education, or another field could use the MBA to develop skills in leadership, strategy, finance, marketing, and data-informed decision-making in order to advance their career, open their own business, or strengthen their knowledge in their current role.
The 36-credit program can be completed in 12 to 24 months on a full-time or part-time schedule. Students can choose online, hybrid, or in-person courses, with fall, spring, and summer start terms.
2. Turn Your Subject Knowledge Into a Teaching Career
You do not need an undergraduate degree in education to become a teacher through Siena’s Master of Arts in Teaching: Adolescent Education program (MAT)
The in-person MAT is designed for people who have earned a bachelor’s degree and want to pursue their initial New York State teaching certification to teach a middle or high school content area. Your undergraduate coursework will be reviewed to determine which content area aligns with your academic background and interests and whether you need additional content area courses.
For example, someone who studied biology may be able to pursue certification in biology, while someone with a background in English, mathematics, chemistry, business, computer science, history, or a world language may prepare to teach in a related area.
Siena’s 38-credit MAT includes graduate coursework, field experience, and a year-long teaching internship. Students may be able to complete the program in as little as a year and will work with their advisor to determine a timeline that works for their needs. (Note: Additional teacher education graduate program options and extensions are available as well!)
3. Enter Social Work Without a BSW
You do not need a Bachelor of Social Work to apply to Siena’s Master of Social Work program.
Students with a bachelor’s degree in another field can enter the traditional MSW pathway and complete the program in two years of full-time study. The traditional pathway includes 400 hours of field experience during the first year and 500 hours during the second.
The one-year advanced standing pathway is reserved for eligible students who already hold a BSW. Applicants to advanced standing must have at least a 3.0 GPA in their required undergraduate social work courses.
Students entering the traditional pathway may come from fields such as psychology, sociology, criminal justice, education, healthcare, or communications. Their previous major does not have to be social work, but their application should demonstrate their interest in the profession and readiness for graduate study.
When Will Your Undergraduate Major Matter?
Your undergraduate experience matters most when the graduate program requires specific subject knowledge.
For Siena’s MAT program, your transcript is reviewed to determine the teaching certification area that matches your previous coursework. If you want to teach chemistry, for example, you will need an appropriate background in chemistry that includes 30 undergraduate credits in chemistry.
For the MSW, any bachelor’s degree can qualify you for the traditional pathway, but only students with an eligible BSW can be considered for advanced standing.
For the MBA, applicants without a business degree from an AACSB-accredited school may need foundational coursework, depending on their undergraduate classes and professional experience, to help them prepare for the rigors of the program.
The question is not simply whether your major matches the name of the graduate degree. The better question is whether your education and experience meet the program’s specific requirements to ensure you have the opportunity to be successful in your chosen program!
How Can You Make a Strong Case for Changing Fields?
If your bachelor’s degree and intended graduate program are different, your application should clearly explain the connection.
Use your statement of purpose to answer three questions:
- Why do you want to enter this field?
- What experience has prepared you for the change?
- How will this graduate program help you reach your goal?
Be specific. Instead of saying you have always wanted to help people, explain how some aspect in your life (work, volunteer, experience) in a school, hospital, nonprofit, community organization, or another setting led you toward social work.
If you want to become a teacher, discuss the subject you hope to teach and any experience you have working with young people. If you are pursuing an MBA, explain why stronger skills in leadership, analytics, finance, or strategy are important to your next role.
Your résumé can support that story by highlighting relevant employment, volunteer work, certifications, leadership positions, projects, and transferable skills.
Your recommenders can reinforce this through your letters of recommendation, too, so be sure to choose to choose references who can speak to your strengths!
Will You Need to Start Over?
Usually, changing fields for graduate school does not mean discarding what you have already accomplished.
Your undergraduate education taught you how to analyze information, solve problems, communicate, and learn. Your professional experience may have added skills in leadership, collaboration, technology, organization, or working with people. Graduate school can help you apply those abilities in a new setting.
You may need to complete some additional prerequisite coursework or choose a longer program pathway, but that is far from starting over! The goal is to build the specific knowledge you are missing while continuing to use the strengths you already have.
Find Out Where Your Degree Can Take You
Do not rule out a graduate program simply because its name does not match your undergraduate experience. Review the requirements, identify the skills and experience you already bring, and ask how your transcript fits the program you are considering.
Ready to take the next step?
