Finish in Five

About The Program

The Finish in Five Program is a groundbreaking initiative designed to expand postbaccalaureate opportunities in STEM—fields critical to the future of California and the Central Valley. By offering an accelerated route to earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in approximately five years, the program helps students save time and money. It also provides a seamless process—removing the need for separate graduate applications or fees—and integrates capstone experiences that combine senior projects with master’s-level research.

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Apply Now! Application Period ends April 15, 2025.

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The Finish In Five Program’s Mission

We are committed to removing barriers to advanced education and producing the next generation of highly skilled STEM leaders. Our mission focuses on creating a cohesive path from undergraduate to graduate studies, fostering academic excellence, and ensuring students are prepared for dynamic, in-demand careers. This approach is especially vital in California’s Central Valley, where rapid growth and technological advancements require a strong, diverse STEM workforce.

At the core of the Finish in Five Program is a supportive network designed to help students excel academically and professionally. Participants benefit from:

  • High-Impact Summer Research Experiences that build hands-on skills in cutting-edge fields.
  • Affinity Research Teams to connect with peers and deepen collaboration.
  • Cohort Activities that foster community building and professional identity.
  • Faculty Advising and Mentorship to guide research interests, internships, and career pathways.
  • Tutoring and Assistantship Positions that develop leadership and teaching skills.
  • One-on-One Research Projects for immersive learning and direct faculty interaction.

In tandem with these supports, students can pursue an accelerated path by applying up to several of their upper-division electives to graduate credit, effectively reducing the time and cost required to complete a master’s degree.

Meet Our Team

Project Manager:

Dr. Xuanning Fu

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

College Deans:

Chris Meyer

College of Science and Mathematics
cmeyer@mail.fresnostate.edu

Dr. Elizabeth Lowham

Interim Director of Graduate Studies
elowham@mail.fresnostate.edu

Ram Nunna

Lyles College of Engineering

rnunna@mail.fresnostate.edu

Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire

Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
rsthilaire@mail.fresnostate.edu

College Coordinators:

Dr. Alejandro Calderón-Urrea

College of Science and Mathematics
calalea@mail.fresnostate.edu

Dr. Arun Nambiar

Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
Operations & Finance Manager
anambiar@mail.fresnostate.edu

Dr. Sankha Banerjee

Lyles College of Engineering
sankhab@mail.fresnostate.edu

 

Administrative, Budget, and Outreach:

Christine Thibodeaux

Administration
christinet@mail.fresnostate.edu

Nancy Gomez

Administration
ngomez@mail.fresnostate.edu

Feng Teter

Administration
fengkt1@mail.fresnostate.edu

These individuals provide leadership, strategic planning, and day-to-day operations to ensure the program runs smoothly while meeting the evolving needs of students and the broader community.

Ready to Fast-Track Your Future?

Whether you’re a current high school student, a community college transfer, or already enrolled at Fresno State, the Finish In Five program offers a pathway that fits your goals.

  • Explore available blended tracks in science, engineering, and agriculture
  • Connect with a faculty mentor to help guide your path
  • Discover how to apply and set yourself on the fast track to success

Start Your Journey Today!

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Fresno State Finish In Five

Finish In Five is a streamlined educational pathway that allows motivated students to earn both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in just five years. By blending undergraduate and graduate coursework, students can fast-track their education, saving both time and money.

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Sankha Banerjee

Sankha Banerjee

Sankha Banerjee, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and the Graduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Fresno State. Dr. Banerjee has extensive experience in the interdisciplinary areas of materials fabrication, plasma processing, and characterization. He founded the Energy Devices and Plasma Applications Laboratory at Fresno State in 2016 which is partially funded by the Department of Defense and Southern California Edison. Dr. Banerjee has also worked in the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (a national laboratory at Princeton University) on the synthesis and surface modification of nanomaterials using thermal and micro-discharge plasmas.
Dr. Banerjee earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Rutgers University. He has over 38 refereed journal publications and over 50 presentations in national/international conferences and technical meetings. He has also received several grants from federal (DoD, NIST, USDA), state (DWR), local agencies (City of Fresno, and F3), and private industry (Qualcomm, Southern California Edison). He actively collaborates with UC Merced and the State University of New York, Buffalo State in developing lead-free ferroelectric perovskite oxides and halides for biomedical and structural health monitoring applications. He also works with the Center of Irrigation Technology and the California Water Institute on active filtration and desalination devices for wastewater treatment and purification.

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Christine Thibodeaux

Christine Thibodeaux

Christine Thibodeaux currently serves as the blended program coordinator at Fresno State. Prior to this position, she worked in the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) dean’s office for 18 years, where she held roles such as special projects director and budget analyst. In the dean’s office, her responsibilities included overseeing daily operations, managing the college budget, and handling grants, contracts, and special projects. Christine grew up in the Central Valley and is a graduate of the Craig School of Business at Fresno State, where she earned a degree in Business Administration. In her current role, she coordinates federal grants.

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Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire

Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire

Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire became the dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Science and Technology in September 2022. Before this role, he spent 24 years in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University, where he served as department head since 2016 and led the Extension Plant Sciences Department starting in 2021. Dean St. Hilaire holds a doctoral degree in horticulture from Iowa State University and a master’s and bachelor's degree from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. His teaching and research emphasize environmental plant biology, ornamental plant development, water conservation, and the application of advanced sensing technologies to enhance resource use efficiency in cropping systems.

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Dr. Ram Nunna

Ram Nunna

Dr. Ram Nunna was named dean of Lyles College of Engineering in April 2014. Prior to his appointment, he served as interim dean, associate dean and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He joined the Fresno State faculty in 1998. Dean Nunna earned his doctoral and master’s degrees in Computer Engineering from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, and a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communications from Bangalore University in India. His teaching and research have been in the areas of application specific integrated circuits and computer architecture.

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Chris Meyer

Chris Meyer

Dr. Christopher R. Meyer, a Central Valley native who currently is the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.

Meyer is a biochemist with extensive teaching, mentoring and leadership at Cal State Fullerton. He has a vision for collaborative and synergistic scientific research related to water, food and energy. He developed and taught innovative lab, lecture, and general education courses to diverse undergraduates and master’s degree students, and successfully integrated research into a lab course resulting in a high impact paper with student authors.

He has also served as principal investigator on significant conference grants, including an innovative Ideas Lab that brought together scientists from the U.S. and U.K. to collaborate on enhancing photosynthesis, and a national conference in Fullerton focusing on enhancing student centered research at predominantly undergraduate institutions.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from California State University, Chico in 1985 and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside in 1990. He served as a postdoctoral scholar (1990-93) and a visiting research assistant professor (1993-94) at Michigan State University.

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Dr. Arun Nambiar

Dr. Arun Nambiar

Dr. Arun Nambiar is a Professor of Industrial Technology in the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and serves as the Industrial Technology Coordinator for the Finish in Five Program. Arun N. Nambiar's research interests include production planning and control, simulation, lean manufacturing, production scheduling, AR/VR, RFID and mass customization. He teaches courses in Project Management, Production Data Analytics, Energy Conversion and Advanced Manufacturing Technology.

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Alejandro Calderón-Urrea

Alejandro Calderón-Urrea

Dr. Alejandro Calderón-Urrea is a Professor of Biology in the College of Science and Mathematics and serves as the Science and Mathematics Coordinator for the Finish in Five Program. He was born in Colombia and became a U.S. citizen in 2002. From a young age, he developed a strong interest in biology. He attended Universidad del Valle, a local university in Cali, Colombia, where he graduated with a degree in Biology, focusing on Genetics. Dr. Calderón-Urrea pursued graduate studies and was accepted into the Molecular Biology Institute at Vrije Universiteit in Brussels, Belgium, to undertake a master's project. He received a fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation to support his Ph.D. studies at Yale University, where he graduated in May 1996. After completing his studies, he moved to California to conduct post-doctoral research at the Plant Gene Expression Center, a research institute formed in collaboration with the USDA and UC Berkeley. He began his faculty career at Fresno State in 1997. During his career at Fresno State, Dr. Calderón-Urrea has taught a range of courses, including Introductory Biology, Developmental Biology, and Biotechnology and Society. He has supervised research for over 100 undergraduate students and 30 graduate students, with 25 of those graduate students completing their Master’s degrees under his guidance. Additionally, nine post-doctoral scientists, including three visiting scientists, have received training in his laboratory. Dr. Calderón-Urrea is also a dedicated advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion within the scientific research community in the United States.

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