Several new graduate programs are making their debut this semester. Three brand new Advanced Certificates will be offered in addition to another 4-1 Bachelor’s/Master’s degree program.

Two of the Advanced Certificates were created under the psychology department and the third is available in the Hagan School of Business. An Advanced Certificate in Organizational Behavior and another in Human Resources enhance the psychology department.

The Hagan School of Business has added an Advanced Certificate in Business Fundamentals, which is designed to provide a business background for non-business majors.

An Advanced Certificate is a graduate program consisting of about 15 credits. These certifications offer many benefits to both the students and the school, which explains why the college has been steadily expanding its catalog of certificate offerings for the past decade.

According to the Dean of the Hagan School of Business Vincent Calluzzo, the certificates allow students to gain additional experience in an area they didn’t necessarily concentrate in, particularly when the student isn’t interested in pursuing a full master’s degree.

New programs are added as the marketplace changes and new markets emerge, according to Calluzzo. “The bigger the market, the more students we can bring in,” he says.

“We use advanced certificates to get students into the Hagan School of Business even if they don’t want to get an MBA,” said Calluzzo. “They benefit the students who choose to enroll and those who don’t.”

Graduate programs have a very low overhead cost, as many of the students who participate do not live on campus or use any of the facilities. Generally, they simply attend class. In this way, graduate studies help to subsidize the cost of undergraduate tuition.

Without graduate students, tuition would be much higher for everyone here at Iona. “The Advanced Certificates are a marketing ploy that works extremely well,” says Calluzzo. “That being said, they are a win-win for the students and the school,” he added.

It seems that students are taking advantage of this opportunity more and more. When Advanced Certificates were first offered about eight years ago, the school sold roughly 5,800 Advanced Certificate credits. Last year students earned 10,000 credits in Advanced Certificate classes.

Iona has also added its ninth 4-1 Bachelor’s/Master’s degree program (the fourth in the computer science department). A BS in Mathematics pairs with a Master’s in Computer Science to give students yet another way to save time and money by earning both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s in just five years.

All of these additions are a part of Iona’s Strategic Plan to implement a plan to grow graduate studies. Dan Pedroza, a junior enrolled in the Hagan School of business, is extremely impressed by the college’s efforts.

“It’s really encouraging to see that Iona is constantly working to improve its academic programs, both graduate and undergraduate,” says Pedroza. “I had no intentions of doing any graduate work here, but after seeing the educational and financial value that these Advanced Certificates offer, well, I have some thinking to do.”

According to Calluzzo, who is entering his ninth year as dean and his 34th year at Iona, the school only has plans to continue improving all of its programs, both graduate and undergraduate. “I’m ecstatic, the programs being added really provide skills that are essential in career fields. They give our students an advantage in the real world,” he said.