By Harris Eisenberg

High Point University is all about their students getting an extraordinary education. With a new master’s program off and rolling, education at HPU has gone above and beyond.

In the fall of 2020, HPU started a new program where students can receive a Master’s in Communication and Business Leadership. The program takes aspects of the Phillips School of Business and the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication and combines it into a one-year, accelerated master’s program.

The idea was revealed to students when classes were canceled due to COVID-19 in the March of 2020. The idea was for seniors and other students to get a year of school back that they missed out on due to the pandemic, but the program is more about succeeding and learning at a graduate level.

“What we saw was that there was an opportunity between our Master’s in Strategic Communication program and an MBA program that took both and blended it together,” said Dr. Robert Stec, the co-director of the CBL program. “A student regardless of their undergraduate degree could get their master’s degree in Communication and Business Leadership that prepared them for whatever industry they go into.”

Stec believes that the CBL helps with students struggling with finding their niche in the world.

“A lot of students get out of undergrad and aren’t ready to choose their life’s work yet,” said Stec. “The CBL program focuses on skills that you can use in life no matter what profession.”

The attractive part of the program is that it is only one year long, which is very hard to find at other universities. The other part positive is the value. When this program launched, it was announced that it would be tuition-free with the only payments having to be for room and board.

But the free tuition and one year of learning doesn’t make the program easy. For those making their decisions on whether to do the program or not, there are some challenges for those who look at coming back as just another year to be in college.

Dr. Bobby Hayes, one of the professors in the program, says there is an ideal fit for the program.

“One [a student] who is certain that he or she wants a master’s degree opposed to a fifth year,” said Hayes. “So many students were away from the campus during COVID-19 and wanted to recapture that senior year. You must have a real purpose and commitment to being here.”

Stec adds that students who have a strong dedication to the program will do best.

“Students that realize that there is another level in communication and what leaders do, those are the students that we want in the program and have flourished,” said Stec.

The CBL program is completely different from undergraduate as students are hit with the surprise of the higher workload and long, late hours in the classroom. As students make their decisions to join the program and spots keep filling up, students see both sides to the one-year program. It is an opportunity to gain a master’s degree while still having the chance to be in school, especially in a comfortable environment.

“It’s exciting to get a master’s degree in one year which is pretty rare,” said Brad Schmitt, an incoming student to the CBL program. “I’m also getting a chance to stay at High Point for another year. I’ve loved the first four and now I get the chance to stay around with some friends for another year of college.”

There are so many things that are exciting and innovative about the CBL master’s program. But perhaps the most meaningful is the education and the opportunity to stay in an environment that students have already had success in.

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For more information on the CBL program, please visit the HPU website.

Harris Eisenberg is a senior at High Point University majoring in sports media with a minor in sport management. For contact inquiries, please email heisenbe@highpoint.edu.