Bryant’s Accelerated Fourth Year MBA program is more commonly known as the “3+1,” but it’s the idea of getting a “twofer” that appeals to many students within the program. 

Launched in 2021, the 3+1 program allows students to earn an undergraduate degree and an MBA in just four years. The track appeals to students looking to enter the workforce with a graduate degree without having to tack on extra years in school. Plus, those who choose to speed up their education enjoy the benefit of using scholarship money to help pay for both degrees. 

Alexander Seymour ’24, ’25MBA is among the first cohort of 3+1 students, who entered the MBA portion of the program this academic year. A Finance student as an undergraduate, Seymour recently accepted a data analyst internship at Middlesex Savings Bank. “I feel like finance is such a competitive field that you need something else to differentiate yourself,” he says of his desire to pursue an MBA. 

“I looked at the three Bs: Babson, Bentley, and Bryant,” recalls Seymour. “The Bryant 3+1 program came out right when I was trying to make a decision on where to go to school. Other schools wouldn't guarantee your scholarship all the way through the MBA program, while Bryant guaranteed both tuition and housing.” 

"Other schools wouldn't guarantee your scholarship all the way through the MBA program, while Bryant guaranteed both tuition and housing.”

Seymour understood that he would have to take summer classes to complete the 3+1 program but also arrived at Bryant with 18 AP credits from high school, which eased his undergraduate course load. 

A self-described “long-term thinker,” Seymour says the program matched his desire to “get school done and get out there in the workplace" while still allowing him to fully immerse in Bryant's learning and community experience.

The 3+1 program had the added benefit of allowing him to stay connected with his undergraduate cohort. “One of the best things about the program is that I’m still rooming with my friends, even though they're technically a grade below me,” he says, whereas many other schools don’t even offer housing to graduate students. 

Wendy Gray, an adjunct professor who is teaching 3+1 students in her “Reporting and Controlling Resources” course, says the accelerated program suits students who are “well-organized, have good time-management skills, are ambitious, and are strong self-advocates.” 

Alex Cole, Ed.D., Bryant’s executive director of graduate and professional education, points out that students need to maintain a 3.0 GPA to remain in the 3+1 program.  

“It's a very rigorous program, but for a student who is dedicated, driven, and willing to put in the work and effort, it's absolutely worth it,” he says. 

Cole says the program provides a competitive advantage for Bryant as well as to students. “Not every institution does this, and not every institution does it like we do it,” he says. That’s reflected in enrollment numbers, which have more than tripled in the first three years and are expected to double again by the 2025-26 academic year. “There's been an increase in initiation every year,” says Cole. 

“It's a very rigorous program, but for a student who is dedicated, driven, and willing to put in the work and effort, it's absolutely worth it."

The 3+1 program “has not only helped grow our undergraduate population but our graduate population, as well,” adds Cole, who notes that the students take their core MBA classes during the day but attend specialization classes in the evenings alongside full-time and part-time MBA students. 

“In the graduate program we’re focused on adding diversity of background and experience in the classroom,” he says. “The 3+1 students have a unique opportunity to interact with all the MBA students. That includes the part-time MBA students, who sometimes bring a little bit more professional experience to the classroom, as well as students from other College of Business graduate programs.” 

Being in the accelerated program hasn’t prevented Seymour from taking an internship or participating in other activities. He’s currently working three days a week at Middlesex Savings Bank, for example, and recently joined his fellow graduate students on a Global Immersion Experience (GIE) trip to South Korea.  

Many 3+1 students are active in clubs and sports and are among the school’s academic leaders, as well. Jess Maffee ‘24, ‘25MBA, for example, is the captain of Bryant’s cheerleading squad, while Andrew Sayles ‘24, ‘25MBA is a goalie on the ice hockey team. Julia Tricarico ‘24, ‘25MBA is a member of Alpha Kappa Delta, the international sociology honors society who last year presented her Honors Program thesis on societal factors that influence women’s body image perceptions. Just to name a few. 

To help facilitate internships, summer classes between the end of undergraduate studies and the beginning of MBA classes were recently eliminated for the 3+1 program. 

“Just because it's accelerated doesn't mean they're missing out” on valuable in and out of classroom opportunities, says Cole. “They're getting the same high-quality Bryant MBA, and the GIE is something that they have to do as part of the curriculum, which is very unique to Bryant.” 

Seymour says the 3+1 program saves students two years by offering completion of a four-year undergraduate degree in three years, plus an MBA — which can take two years — in a single year.  

“I recommend the program to anyone who can see the monetary value on top of the time value,” he says.