{"id":166916,"date":"2022-10-11T15:41:09","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T01:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=166916"},"modified":"2026-08-10T13:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T23:54:15","slug":"bam-accelerated-path-to-graduate-degree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/10\/11\/bam-accelerated-path-to-graduate-degree\/","title":{"rendered":"BAM<\/abbr>! An accelerated path to a graduate degree and much more"},"content":{"rendered":"
Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n
\"Magdalena
Magdalena Petko<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

University of Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> alumna Magdalena Petko<\/strong>, found her path to a master\u2019s degree in second language studies<\/a> (SLS<\/abbr>), a new career and an unexpected \u02bbohana through an accelerated degree program at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n

The Combined Bachelor\u2019s & Master\u2019s Degree Pathway<\/a> or BAM<\/abbr> program encourages high-performing UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa undergraduate students to commit to a master\u2019s program early and take graduate-level classes in their senior year. The program helped Petko go from testing the waters for a return to college to employment as an instructor with the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> English Language Program<\/a> (HELP<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very excited to take graduate-level classes as an undergraduate student,\u201d Petko said. \u201cThose advanced classes encouraged me to engage with topics about teaching and learning additional languages on a deeper level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Petko came to Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> from Germany 11 years ago with her husband and children. While she has a German physical therapy degree, she decided to return to school and start a new career. She enrolled in Kapi\u02bbolani<\/span> Community College\u2019s Second Language Teaching<\/a> (SLT<\/abbr>) program, \u201cto get my feet wet and figure out if being in college while raising four children would work out for me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Not only did it work out for Petko, in her last semester in SLT<\/abbr>, she decided to transfer to UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa to continue her studies and work on a bachelor\u2019s degree with the encouragement of Kapi\u02bbolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> Assistant Professor Shawn Ford<\/strong> and Instructor Carrie Torres<\/strong>. Once at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, she double majored and earned a bachelor’s degree in SLS<\/abbr> and German in 2019. Through taking graduate-level classes alongside her undergraduate classes, Petko earned her master’s degree in SLS<\/abbr> in 2021. She credits SLS<\/abbr> Undergraduate Coordinator Kenton Harsch<\/strong> as the \u201cmain cheerleader in applying for the BAM<\/abbr> program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding a second \u02bbohana<\/h2>\n
\"Five
Petko (center) with fellow SLS MA<\/abbr> graduates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAt times as an undergraduate student in the grad-level classes, I felt like an imposter,\u201d Petko said. \u201cI had self-doubts about my academic performance, which quickly evaporated as I fit right in with the graduate students. The professors provided us with positive feedback…and our worries quickly dissipated.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to taking a greater load of classes, Petko was working as a graduate assistant with HELP<\/abbr>. Although her schedule was very full, Petko found support and camaraderie with other BAM<\/abbr> students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not anticipate encountering such a tight-knit and welcoming community starting from being a BAM<\/abbr> student,\u201d she said. \u201cI met many interesting new faces and felt academically challenged. The other BAM<\/abbr> students and I became our own little \u02bbohana in the larger SLS<\/abbr> \u02bbohana.\u201d<\/p>\n

More on the BAM<\/abbr> program<\/h2>\n

BAM<\/abbr> pathways afford a way for highly motivated students to efficiently complete a bachelor\u2019s degree and master\u2019s degree or post-baccalaureate certificate in a shorter time frame by taking graduate courses alongside undergraduate courses at the undergraduate tuition rate.<\/p>\n

[The BAM<\/abbr> program] allowed for a smooth transition and kept me motivated to strive for the next higher degree.
\n\u2014Magdalena Petko<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In most cases, pathway students graduate with the bachelor\u2019s degree and master\u2019s degree within five years total.<\/p>\n

There are currently more than 20 BAM<\/abbr> pathways<\/a> in a variety of fields including multidisciplinary pathways with plans to expand to more disciplines. There are also three combined bachelors and post-baccalaureate pathways for undergraduates interested in a post-baccalaureate certificate in teacher education.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the BAM<\/abbr> program, I am unsure if I would have continued and finished with a master’s degree,\u201d Petko said. \u201cIt allowed for a smooth transition and kept me motivated to strive for the next higher degree.\u201d She encourages other students thinking of starting on their own BAM<\/abbr> pathway to \u201cgo for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents who are curious beyond the undergrad level of classes will enjoy the additional challenge and atmosphere in graduate-level classes,\u201d she said. \u201cThe program can be a time saver but is also flexible enough to let you slow down again if needed later on at the graduate level. If you have high expectations, and communication and organization are your strong suit, the program is for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out more about BAM<\/abbr> pathways<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bachelor\u2019s & Master\u2019s Degree program helped Magdalena Petko to finish her studies with a packed schedule. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[90,507,63,1466,1170,9,1450],"class_list":["post-166916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-alumni","tag-graduate-education","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-second-language-studies","tag-uh-manoa","tag-undergraduate","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t