If you’re a high school student with a strong interest in the sciences but with an interest in obtaining a graduate business degree, Penn State’s BS/MBA program may be for you.

This specific program integrates an undergraduate degree with a Masters of Business Administration from Smeal Business School. Students applying to this BS/MBA program will complete a bachelor of science in a specific focus area like biology or chemistry. Usually during the third or fourth year of coursework at Penn State, these students will begin taking graduate business classes that work toward the MBA.

Students with a fair number of AP credits and an interest in completing some summer courses can finish the undergraduate coursework portion of the program in three years. A student in this program can then go on to complete the MBA in the next two years.

Completing a BS and an MBA in just five years is an impressive feat that gives students in this program lots of exposure to many different fields of study. Another one of the major perks of being a part of this program is the wide array of professional development activities that these students can take part in.

“Even just as a freshman, I’ve been exposed to a variety of careers through our career development programs,” said Jon Westlake, a current BS/MBA student. “The activities have specifically given me a taste of medical consulting careers and administrative roles in hospitals.”

Getting into this program certainly isn’t a breeze. According to the admissions page, successful applicants to the BS/MBA program have typically had SAT scores up above the 1300 range or an ACT score of at least 30, have ranked in the top 10 percent of their graduating class, and have the intangible abilities to complete a difficult course load.

In fact, students who don’t keep a 3.5 GPA or do not earn a 650 or higher on the GMAT – the entrance exam for business schools – may be asked to drop the program. The same applies if the student doesn’t show the maturity needed to succeed in a graduate school environment.

For students interested in an academic program that leads to a wide variety of career options, however, this program will certainly help.

“I actually didn’t know about the program until about May of my senior year,” Westlake explained. “I applied because I’ve always been interested in science but I’m the type of person who could never do lab work or research.”

Westlake explained that he has always been indecisive about a career path, but the program was explained to him as “bridging the gap between the formality of business and the intricacies of science.” For him, that sealed the deal. Having the ability to combine interests in both science and business made the decision to join the program a no-brainer.

More information about the program can be found of the Eberly College of Science website. This website houses info about the application process, potential scholarships, career development, and more.

Westlake even noted that next Friday, the program members are taking a trip to New York City to see Deloitte’s national headquarters as well as Pfizer’s world headquarters.

This program is the real deal, folks.