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Colleges Consider Move to 3-Year Degrees

Downturn has colleges looking for ways to save students time, money

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted May 23, 2009 9:28 AM CDT

(Newser) – A growing number of colleges are looking at ways to cram 4-year degree courses into 3 to help students combat tough times, the Washington Post reports. More than half of teens have changed their college plans because of the economy, according to a recent survey, and many in the world of higher education believe the time has come to rejig the centuries-old 4-year model to help students save time and money.

"It's a creative solution to a lot of different things," said the director of Chatham University's new 3-year program. "Students enter the workforce quicker, they save a year of tuition and they can go on sooner for graduate study. And no, they aren't missing anything. Academic quality stays the same." Critics, however, believe shortening courses will diminish students' academic—and social—experience.

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Only 4.2% of U.S. undergraduates finished with bachelor's degrees in three years according to the most recent statistics. , (Shutter Stock)

College administrators are considering shortening degree courses through reducing the numbers of credits needed or requiring more summer study. (Flickr)

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It will not be easy to produce a low-cost, high-quality three-year curriculum for a college degree, but now is the time to try. - Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 3 comments

Derni

May 25, 2009 6:28 AM CDT

Th ehurry-is the cost-higher education has always been less for more-studies have shown tha tthe worst teaching takes place in college-why? Teachers in college-unlike grade school and high school-don't take courses in educational methods and are not certified-the American way!

Timinator2K

May 23, 2009 4:06 AM CDT

"Colleges Consider Move to 3-Year Degrees"...WHAT A JOKE! They already manipulate their required class availability to FORCE students back for AT LEAST an extra semester or, year. Just another whopper of an academic lib lie. What? They're going to cut out the bullshit "core" courses? Yeah, that's going to happen...not. Gotta keep liberal arts profs employed at all cost's...the student's cost, that is.

Fondue

May 23, 2009 2:59 AM CDT

Diminished social experience? Not buying it.

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Colleges Consider Move to 3-Year Degrees