New academic initiative allows students to earn a bachelor of arts degree in business administration and a master’s degree in business administration in only five years.
by Duane Bonifer
COLUMBIA, KY. (03/23/2026) Lindsey Wilson University is giving students an opportunity to earn two degrees in five years.
Starting this fall, Lindsey Wilson’s four-plus-one business program will allow students to earn a bachelor of arts degree in business administration and a master’s degree in business administration in only five years — saving students time and money.
Students who major in business administration apply to the accelerated pathway during the second semester of their junior year and begin taking MBA-level coursework in their senior year. The graduate hours count toward both the bachelor’s degree and the MBA, allowing students to make progress toward both degrees.
“This new program prepares students to move seamlessly from undergraduate business foundations to advanced leadership and strategic practice in an accelerated, integrated learning pathway,” said business professor Cathy Boatright, who helped design the new program. “It cultivates analytical thinking, ethical decision-making and innovative problem-solving through a curriculum that blends business theory with real-world application.”
Boatright said that means “graduates will emerge from Lindsey Wilson equipped to lead in dynamic, data-driven and globally connected organizations, ready to translate knowledge into impact across industries and professions.”
Boatright said the new program — known as the 4+1 BA-MBA Program — will especially appeal to students who discover their potential later in their academic careers.
“We have so many undergraduate business students who often don’t realize their potential when they first enter the program,” said Boatright. “The focus of our undergraduate faculty is always to help our students see what they’re capable of accomplishing, both academically and professionally. The 4+1 BA-MBA Program will help encourage them to do more, especially our first-generation students. It will help them find an accessible path to advanced higher education that will give them even greater preparation to enter the workforce.”
An added advantage is that Lindsey Wilson students can earn both degrees from the same school.
“Our students become accustomed to a certain level of care and attention that Lindsey Wilson faculty provide them,” said Boatright. “The 4+1 BA-MBA Program will allow students to study and learn in one educational environment rather than having to adjust to learning in a new academic program. That’s another barrier this program removes for students.”
Earning a bachelor’s degree in business, followed by an MBA usually takes six years — four years as an undergraduate student, then two as a graduate student.
“In addition to providing students a pathway to easily transition from an undergraduate degree to a graduate degree, they will be able to do it faster, which will save them time and money,” said Lindsey Wilson School of Graduate Business and Technology Dean Helen MacLennan. “I am excited to see new students in the MBA program who otherwise might not have considered earning a master’s degree right away.”
“This new program prepares students to move seamlessly from undergraduate business foundations to advanced leadership and strategic practice in an accelerated, integrated learning pathway,” said Lindsey Wilson University business professor Cathy Boatright, who helped design the university’s new 4+1 Bachelor’s-MBA Program.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 30 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)