More schools considering college in 3 years

Just 15 years ago, it was preposterous to float the idea of college students earning a bachelor’s degree with fewer than 120 credit hours.

But a lot has changed since then. Cost and efficiency are now top of mind for a growing number of college students who want affordable pathways to high-demand careers.

That’s why a growing number of schools are creating accelerated bachelor’s degree programs that students can complete in just three years, or 90 credit hours.

Ohio legislators have taken it as far as mandating these degrees. To secure their state funding, all Ohio public universities are required to offer at least one of these programs in an in-demand field by fall 2027.

At Youngstown State University, leaders are developing three accelerated bachelor’s degree programs in healthcare administration, psychology and communications.

YSU Provost Jennifer Adams anticipates that this option could be a game changer for students.

“It’s going to save students a whole year of tuition,” Ms. Adams told the Post-Gazette. “25% less debt coming out of college, 25% less cost, less books — all of that can play a role in a student’s decision on whether to attend higher education or not.”

YSU is one of about 80 collegiate members of the College-in-3 Exchange movement. Founded by University of Pennsylvania education professor Robert Zemsky and University Of Minnesota Rochester Chancellor Lori Carrell, the nonprofit aims to reimagine higher education to increase student success while decreasing costs.

In 2009, Mr. Zemsky unsuccessfully tried to float the idea of a three-year degree to administrators and professors, said Madeleine Green, the executive director of College-in-3 Exchange who previously served in various roles at the American Council on Education.

Higher education wasn’t interested or ready for it then, Ms. Green said. Now is a different story.

“One size does not fit all in American higher education,” Ms. Green said. “Time does not equal learning. … We have the tools to say, ‘Yeah, you can do this in three years, and your learning will be equivalent to a four-year degree.’ ”

College-in-3 member institutions either offer accelerated bachelor’s degree programs or are considering it. About 12 members have already launched these programs, and another 15 will kick off three-year degrees this fall, Ms. Green said.

There are currently no Western Pennsylvania schools on the list.

At institutions that are creating these programs, a lot of time and effort have gone into mapping out how these degree pathways will work.

The primary way that schools can eliminate 30 credit hours is by reducing the number of electives that students take, Ms. Adams said. For example, a student in YSU’s three-year psychology program would only take psychology and general education courses. They’d opt out of other “random” classes that some students already feel are irrelevant to their career preparation.

For a school to add these unorthodox degrees, officials typically need the OK from their faculty senate, state Department of Education and accrediting bodies. YSU has already received approval from the former, and is waiting for state officials and the Higher Learning Commission, its accreditor, to greenlight its three-year degrees.

The public university is currently equipping its advisers to manage students on the accelerated pathway.

“You really need your advisers to be involved to make sure that everything’s being planned out correctly,” Ms. Adams said.

There won’t be any cap on how many students can opt for an accelerated pathway at YSU, Ms. Adams said. She also noted that students aren’t married to the degree option they choose freshman year, meaning a student on an accelerated path could decide to graduate in four years instead.

Accelerated degrees won’t work for all disciplines or institutions, Ms. Adams noted. But it can offer a promising pathway to students who want more than a two-year associate degree while saving tuition dollars. YSU’s annual tuition is about $11,700 for in-state students and $12,100 for out-of-staters.

Still, there could be some drawbacks, Ms. Adams said. There are concerns that students who dually enroll in college classes during high school would only spend one or two years at their undergraduate institution.

There are also questions about how graduate programs will approach at these untraditional bachelor’s degrees.

And of course, some believe that four years are needed to gain the full breadth of the undergraduate experience.

As more schools add accelerated degrees to their offerings, Ms. Adams believes it’s going to be a “learning process” to see where and when these degrees work.

“There’s going to be the traditionalists that think that ... 120 credits, four years are important for students’ growth. And there’s going to be others that say, ‘If we don’t make this easier on students, they’re not going to go to college,’ ” she said. “How do we get [students] what they need and get them in the workforce? I think there’s a balance. It’s going to be a learning process.”

Ms. Green noted that most innovations in higher education are met with skepticism. But she is hopeful that rethinking the bachelor’s degree in some cases could boost retention and student success.

On average, public institutions lose about a quarter of their students between their freshman and sophomore years, she said. Perhaps three-year degrees could change that.

“We think that a shorter, clearer, deliberately designed pathway to a degree should help students stay in college,” Ms. Green said. “This movement has gathered so much momentum. In the past 16 months, we’ve gone from 25 to 80 members, states are changing their legislation, [and] all the accreditors now have policies to address the issue of three-year degrees.

“This is not going to go away.”