Story by Hope Heffley
Photos by Carlee Hite and Megan Geisler
Illustration by Jordan Hale
In 2014, WKU first introduced the Joint Undergraduate-Master’s Program (JUMP). According to the JUMP webpage, this program allows students across different departments to complete their bachelor’s and masters degree in a five-year accelerated time frame.
According to WKU’s website about the program, the spring 2014 semester had 25 JUMP students enrolled in the program in areas such as chemistry, accounting, applied economics, organizational communication, engineering technology management and religious studies.
Now, WKU’s JUMP program is an option for 48 different majors. One of those majors is healthcare administration, where graduate JUMP student Sydney Alley from Monticello, Kentucky, said she finds herself where she said she never thought she’d be.
“I had no idea how college worked,” Alley said. “The extent of my knowledge was ‘Pitch Perfect’ and ‘Monsters University’”
Alley, a first-generation college student, said her advisor Nadia Khan was adamant that she join the JUMP program.
“It took me a minute to get on board with it because coming into college, I didn’t even want to get a four-year degree,” Alley said.
Andrew Mienaltowski, a professor in the department of psychological sciences, said he worked as a JUMP advisor from 2014 until 2023.
Mienaltowski said the JUMP program requirements and processes are different across every department that offers it. Mienaltowski said that in psychological sciences, the program is a great option for students who are interested in going on to research careers.
“They can pursue research very early on,” Mienaltowski said. “For multiple years, they can get involved in presentations, publications and most likely managing many projects, not just the one for their thesis, before they graduate.”
Mienaltowski said not only is the experience of getting to research early so unique, but it also makes their students more competitive when applying to doctoral programs and industry jobs.
For students like Alley, she said it’s not just the experience and connections that pushed her to join the program, but also the financial benefits.
“I’m so grateful to be in a position to afford it,” Alley said. “Realistically, without the JUMP program, this degree would have taken me double, if not triple, the time to complete just so I could pay for it.”
Alley said that the benefit of being able to apply for undergraduate financial aid and scholarships gives students a huge leg up on getting higher-level degrees.
“As an undergrad student, you get a lot of financial aid,” Alley said. “There’s lots of scholarship opportunities, but as a grad student, it’s very limited. This program has saved me a ton of money.”
WKU’s JUMP program pathway is for “academically outstanding students,” according to the JUMP website.
Alley said that students such as herself, who fall into that category, the workload worried her at first, but as she’s gone through the program, the weight isn’t as heavy as she once thought.
Alley said that with the support provided by her advisors and mentors, the program has allowed her to get over the intimidating hump of adulthood.
“It helped me put into perspective that this was a huge part of my future and I really needed to lock in,” Alley said.
Alley said that graduate courses have forced her to hold herself to a higher standard. She said these courses grade harder and expect more, but that the work she spends so much time on is meaningful, and everyone in her program knows that.
Jenni Teeters, an associate professor in psychological sciences, said she took over as a JUMP program advisor three semesters ago.
Teeters said that the JUMP program is a rare and unique program. She said this is a commitment that is not for every student, so she works closely with her undergrad advisors to ensure this is a path they want.
Teeters said she advises her students to get involved in a research lab before applying to the JUMP program.
“You’re committing to this five-year program,” Teeters said. “So you need to make sure this is one thing you’re going to enjoy and actually want to move forward with.”
Teeters said the mentorship and one-on-one support are unlike most other programs.
“With the JUMP program, you basically get PhD-level mentorship as an undergrad,” Teeters said.
Alley said the same mentors who pushed and guided her academic work also walked her through the nuts and bolts of professional communication and leadership.
“The JUMP program, it got me exposed to these people who helped me navigate professional lingo, how to answer an email, things like that,” Alley said. “Overall, it really helped my leadership skills.”
Despite all the extra effort and hard work, Alley said she doesn’t feel like she missed out on anything just because she moved through college so quickly. She said the JUMP program has provided her with many opportunities, including the room for balance.