4-year degrees in 3 years
If colleges and universities started offering three-year bachelor’s degrees, would you be interested in pursuing one? With work, family and life commitments, could you even pursue one, especially if it meant increased course loads and constant summer school?
While three years is the norm for bachelor’s degrees in Europe, the idea of a three-year bachelor’s has never caught on in the United States. That may be changing, in large part because of the economy.
Back in February, Sen. Lamar Alexander, a former U.S. education secretary, championed the three-year bachelor’s at the American Council on Education’s annual meeting. Since then, the idea is generating growing interest in education circles. A handful of U.S. colleges, including Ohio’s Ursuline College, New York’s Hartwick College, and the University of Houston-Victoria in Texas, offer three-year bachelor’s degrees. Others, such as Arizona State University, are considering the option.
Proponents of a three-year bachelor’s say it would save students money and work well for ambitious students who know what they want to study. Opponents contend it would lower academic standards, and that previous attempts at three-year bachelor’s programs have met with little student interest.
Still, three-year bachelor’s programs may hold unique interest to students with military experience. Often older than the traditional college student, service members tend to know what they want out of college and might benefit from the option of finishing in a reduced period of time.
To learn more about the three-year bachelor’s debate, check out these stories from USA Today and InsideHigherEd.com.
