Some Colleges and Universities Considering Three-Year Degrees in Attempt to Increase Access while Reducing Costs
July 13th, 2009Questions of access and affordability have plagued higher education for many years. Coupled with the implications of the recent global economic downturn, these issues have received even greater consideration in the last several years. As college administrators attempt to tackle the problems associated with providing greater access and affordability, creative ideas are being formulated.
One such idea recently gaining attention is scaling back the length of time it takes to receive a bachelors degree from the traditional four years to three. This past February, at the annual conference of the American Council on Education, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) addressed attendees and suggested that instead of four years, colleges should consider offering bachelor degrees that can be earned in only three. Alexander suggested that doing so would not only obviously cut the length of time required to earn a degree by one-fourth, but also cut the cost of earning the same degree by as much as one-third. Alexander was quoted in a February 2009 article in Inside Higher Ed as equating such a concept to the development of a fuel-efficient vehicle.
