{"id":98450,"date":"2026-05-20T11:26:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T15:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/?p=98450"},"modified":"2026-05-20T11:44:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T15:44:16","slug":"two-items-re-experiments-within-higher-ed-as-well-as-offering-alternative-college-models","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/2026\/05\/20\/two-items-re-experiments-within-higher-ed-as-well-as-offering-alternative-college-models\/","title":{"rendered":"Two items re: experiments within higher ed as well as offering alternative college models"},"content":{"rendered":"

Putting college on the fast track<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0— from hechingerreport.org by Jon Marcus
\nAs students grow impatient, colleges try three-year bachelor\u2019s degrees<\/em><\/p>\n

Some colleges and the accreditors and states that oversee them are adding and approving\u00a0three-year bachelor\u2019s degrees that require fewer credits\u00a0than the traditional four-year kind.<\/p>\n

Institutions facing enrollment declines hope the new three-year degrees will attract students unwilling to spend the usual amount of time and money that it takes to graduate. States need those graduates to fill jobs.<\/p>\n

Nearly 60 universities and colleges are planning, considering or have already launched reduced-credit, three-year bachelor\u2019s degrees in some disciplines. They\u2019re calling them \u201capplied\u201d or \u201ccareer-focused\u201d bachelor\u2019s degrees.<\/p>\n

While earning bachelor\u2019s degrees with fewer credits may appeal to some students, the idea is so new that there\u2019s a key unanswered question: whether employers, graduate schools and licensing agencies will accept them.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From DSC:<\/em><\/span>
\nGiven the often high price of obtaining a degree these days…whether it’s a 4-year program or a 3-year program, the key is whether a student can get a good job coming out of that program<\/em>.\u00a0 I think the required time doesn’t help as much as making the necessary changes to offer more responsive curricula, relevant programs, and real-world learning experiences (including apprenticeships and internships).\u00a0 I appreciate the experiment to lower the overall costs, but like so many other “innovations,” it’s playing at the fringes. It’s really the same old, same old — just on a shorter time frame.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

At current prices, families are FORCED to consider employment prospects. They are demanding<\/em> a ROI, because they have<\/em> to.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I was at a meeting earlier this year with other parents and family members who were interested in a particular program at a Michigan-based university. One set of parents really wanted to know if their student would be getting a good job coming out of the program. They didn’t want to take a second mortgage out if the investment wasn’t going to pay off.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Also see:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n