Time Shortened Degrees

A Policy Brief
A recurrent and continuing issue in American higher education over the last 350
years has been the duration of the college course leading to a baccalaureate degree.
Efforts to modify the traditional time attern and e!ectations have been a matter of
concern for ragmatic and educational reasons including the cost of a degree" as a time
for #ob rearation rather than as a time for hilosohical reflection" and eliminating
e!cessive re$uirements" frills" and %asteful dulication to facilitate advancing into a more
roductive life &'einert" ()*+, Schoenberg" ())+-. .ne solution to this concern has been
a three/year baccalaureate degree &0ir1" ()20, 3arnegie 3ommission" ()*(, Bersi" ()*3,
'einert" ()*+, 0eller" 4005, Ale!ander" 400), Estein" 40(0, Ellis" 40(4, 6urley and
6arnisch" 40(4, 7ems1y" 400)" 40(3, Tsuleff" 40(+-. These references are illustrative
rather than e!haustive of %hat can be found in the literature in suort of time/shortened
degrees. The three/year baccalaureate is not a recent idea and the use of %hich deends
largely on the %illingness to not vie% the four/year degree as sacrosanct. As noted by
Bersi &()*3" .(-" Daniel 3oit 8ilman" the first resident of 9ohns 6o1ins :niversity
made this oint in (5*2; <= see no advantage in our attemting to maintain the traditional
four/year class system of the American college . . . the number four has nothing sacred or
mystical about it. =t is an accidental" not an essential" limit.<
There are different aroaches and methods that have been used or roosed to
reduce the elased time for comleting degree re$uirements; academic calendar and
schedule reform" combine high school and college and>or undergraduate and graduate
%or1" and reduce the actual number of credits re$uired from (40 to )0 semester hours.
There are many variations %ithin each of these aroaches &Schoenberg" ())+, Estein"
40(0,6urley and 6arnisch" 40(4, Davies" Slac1" and 6o%ard" 40(4, :sher" 40(+-.
The ma#or argument for students is and has been a reduction in cost; entering the
%or1lace more $uic1ly %ith gainful emloyment" reducing time/to/degree oortunity
costs and actual e!enses" accelerating further graduate and rofessional education by
comressing academic rogression" and achieving the same or more in reduced time. ?or
institutions" the oortunity to educate more students %ith the same resources" better
utili@e lant and e$uiment if the academic calendar is e!anded to include more terms"
and segment the student oulation by creating structures that accommodate different
student goals.
Arguments against time/shortened degrees generally favor maintaining the status
$uo and raise ob#ections in terms of contemorary undergraduate student behavior. Some
students may have the credits to graduate early but choose to stay for a fourth year for a
variety of ersonal ob#ectives" and very fe% ob#ect to accelerating time/to/degree er se
including comleting a +/year degree in less than four academic years. Esecially" as
many have noted" if utili@ing a number of mechanisms have been in lace for many years
for reducing the time it ta1es to earn a degree" e.g." advanced lacement and semester
overloads" students do not generally use them to finish sooner
&Schoenberg" ())+, 'arcy" 40(0, Schneider" 40(0, 6urley and 6arnisch" 40(4-.
Recommendations
The mar1et for higher education is not a homogenous one" articularly as access
has e!anded during the last hundred years or so, hence" there is not one articular
solution that %ill solve all roblems and considerations. 3onse$uently" there are a
number of otions" many of %hich can stand alone but all of %hich have the otential to
ma1e an advance in some asect of reducing the time to degree" sub#ect to students
choosing some or all of those otions.
A 3hange the academic calendar structure to ma1e it year round %ith a minimum of
three semesters er calendar year or e$uivalent. =f a student chose" a four/year
bachelor degree could be comleted in 4 years and 5 months" and a three/year
bachelor degree could be comleted in 4 years.
A Bedefine the meaning of a baccalaureate degree by focusing on the content and
goals %ith a focus on desired outcomes. The e!anded mar1et for higher
education needs to be segmented to fit the needs and desires of the articiants.
=t is e!ected that the outcome %ill change the four/year aradigm into %hich
everything needs to fit to several aradigms including one or more three/year or
)0 semester hour degrees" each %ith content and goals focused on a articular
outcome.
A 3hange academic rogression from one of fi!ed time" fle!ible learning model to
one of a fi!ed learning" fle!ible time model. A change that %ould shift the
traditional curricula a%ay from itCs only about <time/on/tas1< to cometency and
roficiency. The shift should start in elementary education and allo% individuals
to advance at their o%n ace" motivation" and achievement throughout the
educational system" %hich ironically %ould male it a seamless" integrated system.
A Establish a <Bologna/li1e< rocess to facilitate reform and rene%al in American
higher education and rovide leadershi and resources to romote accetance and
innovation across the system. The scoe and magnitude of the reforms
anticiated are beyond the scoe of one institution <going it alone< by initiating
one or more of the otential shifts, hence" a change rocess that is sufficiently
dynamic and long term to eventually succeed.
A 3ontinue to encourage and suort incremental change through e!erimentation"
in$uiry" and innovation by a %ide variety of institutions that have resulted in such
initiatives as Advanced Placement" Early 3ollege 6igh Schools" Accelerated
Degree rograms" and others of the same otential and outcomes.

A These recommendations in the long run %ill be self/sustaining at the institutional
level after the initial start/u" transition" and imlementation costs %ith the
e!cetion of the of the <Bologna/li1e< rocess %hich should be coordinated"
orchestrated" and funded at the federal level %ith 6igher Education institutional
leadershi articiation and final olicy determination.
A The ?ederal government should rovide seed money for ilot ro#ects" and
financial imlementation suort for articular ro#ects similar to the %ay the
?ord ?oundation did in the ()50s and the 3arnegie 3ororation did in the ()*0s.
Beferences
Ale!ander" D. &400)" .ctober 42-. The Three/Eear Solution. Newsweek, (5+&(*-" 42/4).
Bersi" B.'. &()*3-. Restructuring the Baccalaureate: A Focus on Time-Shortened
Degree Programs in the nited States. Fashington" D3; American Association
of State 3olleges and :niversities.
3arnegie 3ommission on 6igher Education. &()*(-. !ess Time, "ore #$tions:
%ducation &e'ond the (igh School. Fashington" D3; 3ommission 'embers.
Davies" P." Slac1" 0." 6o%ard" 3. &40(4-. Gariation in the Dength of an :ndergraduate
Degree; Particiation and .utcomes. Studies in (igher %ducation" 3*&+-" +3(/
++*.
Ellis" B. &40(4" 'arch 44-. 3olleges Slashing Tuition" offering 3/year degrees.
Available from htt;>>money.cnn.com.
Estein" 9. &40(0-. E!ress Dane to a B.A. )nside (igher %ducation. Betrieved from
htt;>>%%%>insidehighered.com>ne%s>40(0>03>((>threeyears>.
6urley" D.9." H 6arnisch" T.D. &40(4-. The Three/Eear BachelorCs Degree; Beform
'easure or Bed 6erringI American Association o* State +olleges and
ni,ersities. A 6igher Education Policy Brief. Betrieved from
htt;>>%%%.aascu.org>olicy.
9aschi1" S. &40(0-. 3/Eear DegreesI Jot So ?astI )nside(igher%d. Betrieved from
htt;>>%%%.insidehighered.com>ne%s>40(0>02>03>aacu.
0eller" 8. &4005-. (igher %ducation and the New Societ'. Baltimore" 'D; 9ohns
6o1ins :niversity Press.
0ir1" 8.D. &()20" 'arch 42-. 3ollege ShouldnCt Ta1e ?our/Eears. The Saturda'
%,ening Post, 434" 4(" (05/((4.
'arcy" '.B. &40(0-. The Three/Eear Degree; An =dea Fhose Time Fill Pass. !i&eral
%ducation" )2&+-" 54/52.
'einert" 3. F. &()*+-. Time Shortened Degrees. EB=3 6igher Education Beort Jo. 5.
Fashington" D3; American Association of 6igher Education.
.ls@e%s1i/0ubilius" P. &4004-. A Summary of Besearch Begarding Early Entrance to
3ollege. Roe$er Re,iew, 4+&3-" (54/5*.
Schneider" 3.8. &40(0-. The Three/Eear Degree is Jo Silver Bullet.. Association o*
American +olleges and ni,ersities. Betrieved from
htt;>>%%%.aacu.org>about>statements>40(0>threeyears.cfm.
Shoenberg" B.E. &())+-. Time Shortened Degrees. !i&eral %ducation, 50&3-" 45/3(.
Tsuleff" 'aria. &40(+-. A Three/Eear Degree as a Trend in 6igher Education.
Betrieved from htt;>>acsd.org>article>a/th.
:sher" A. &40(+-. A Euroean Persective on Three/Eear Degrees. (igher %ducation
Strateg' Associates. Betrieved from htt;>>higheredstrategy.com>a/eK
7ems1y" B. &400)-. "aking Re*orm -ork: The +ase *or Trans*orming American
(igher %ducation. Je% Bruns%ic1" J9 and Dondon; Butgers :niversity Press.
7ems1y" B. &40(3-. +hecklist *or +hange: "aking American (igher %ducation a
Sustaina&le %nter$rise. Je% Bruns%ic1" J9 and Dondon; Butgers :niversity
Press.
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