Double Dawgs program opening broad opportunities for students

The year-old dual degree program that pairs bachelor's and master's degree programs helps students incorporate an expansive vision for career success:

For Ammishaddai Grand-Jean, the Double Dawgs program provides an opportunity to deepen his understanding of economic policy so that after graduation he can make a positive impact on communities. Ellen Everitt sees the linked bachelor’s/master’s degree program as a pathway to effective leadership in the arts, while Jessica Ho said the opportunities the program provides bring her closer to her goal of becoming a physician epidemiologist.

Launched last fall, the Double Dawgs program was created to help University of Georgia students such as Grand-Jean, Everitt and Ho save time and money by enabling them to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in five years or less. The program offered just over 100 dual degree pathways at its inception, but that number has since grown to exceed 150, with faculty members and department heads continuing to propose new linked-degree programs.

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Ho, an Honors student and a recipient of UGA’s prestigious Foundation Fellowship, says that complementing her undergraduate degree in cellular biology from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences with a Master of Public Health degree from the College of Public Health will provide her “a more holistic conceptualization of health care, from discoveries at the bench to population-level interventions.”

Everitt is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in theatre from the Franklin College along with a master’s degree in nonprofit management and leadership from the School of Social Work. “My goal is to explore the ways nonprofits can benefit the artistic communities they serve to create innovative and exciting theatre that sustains a community,” she said.

Double Dawgs is a great combination of innovative thinking in higher education administration and departmental collaboration that exemplifies the rich, cross-disciplinary UGA experience. With more than 40 Franklin degrees now included, Double Dawgs is an important enhancement of our focus on student success. Congratulations to the many Franklin students now enrolled and making the most of their time on campus. 

Image: Cellular biology major Jessica Ho, shown here during a study abroad in Morocco, is pursuing a Master of Public Health degree through the Double Dawgs program.