It looks like there may be changes in store for college degrees in the future. Attendance has fallen off, mostly due to the ever-increasing tuition costs and the likelihood of not finding a position that comes close to repaying student loans let alone a lifestyle. My youngest has numerous friends who opted to forgo college for these reasons.
Colleges have decided to fight back…
Three-year bachelor’s degrees at U.S. colleges, this is a huge shift, considering how reluctant most schools have been in past years to offer the shorter, cheaper degrees.
The first wave of schools and their accreditors are green-lighting such programs, which lop off a year of tuition, fees and other costs versus the traditional four-year degree.
Tracking student outcomes over the long term is still needed and the official names will be different…“accelerated bachelor’s,” “workforce specialist” or the like.
States and public schools are pushing the trend, which could help boost enrollment. Indiana, for example, recently enacted a law requiring public schools to have at least one three-year degree. The initial focus is for in-demand degrees…cybersecurity, physical therapy, criminal justice, etc.
I really think it will boil down to costs and employ ability, especially with AI replacing white collar employees.