Public colleges and universities throughout the country are offering business degree programs that allow students to obtain a bachelors degree in three years rather than four. In addition to saving time, students who participate in three-year degree programs in business can save tens of thousands of dollars off the cost of tuition. Some institutions refer to these programs as accelerated degree offerings, while others consider them "degree completion" programs.
A representative from a Massachusetts institution suggested in a September Boston Globe report that tuition costs at public colleges and universities have gone up as a result of state cutbacks. This particular institution has designed its three-year program in business for students who have obtained advanced placement credits, according to the Boston Globe article. Yet another institution, this one in Pennsylvania, offers an accelerated degree business program designed for adult learners.
The Pennsylvania university's "degree completion" program includes evening and online courses. The website for a New Hampshire institution shows that its three-year business course saves students up to $40,000. Both offer their business degrees in business administration. Students in the New Hampshire program might specialize in accounting, international management, marketing and more.
Some colleges and universities require that students maintain specific academic levels in order to participate in programs that earn a degree in three years. A scholars program in Missouri, for example, requires that students have a 3.75 grade point average to participate. In order to remain in this particular program of three-year degrees, students must also maintain a specific grade point average.
The Missouri scholars program includes a major in business administration with concentrations in finance, management and marketing. An institution in Wisconsin offers similar options with its program whereby students can earn a degree in three years, rather than four. The three-year Wisconsin business program includes courses offered during summer and the winter break, as well as online courses that students can participate in remotely.
More jobs require some type of an education after high school. Many people have also been taking time during the recession to advance their credentials. For these students and others, business offerings that get them on track in three years might be an ideal way to get back into the workforce more immediately. For those already working, the speed of this program would get them the degree they need sooner, to advance in the career they already have.
Most 2007-2008 undergraduate degrees (335,000) were awarded to business majors, while the 156,000 graduate degrees were conferred in business, second only to the number of graduate degrees that went to education majors, National Center for Education Statistics information shows. Government officials and education professionals have supported three-year degree programs. According to a February 2009 report in Inside Higher Education, one US Senator likened the programs to a "fuel-efficient car."
Posted in: Accelerated, Business, Degree, Online, Online Accounting Degree Cost, Program, Three, Traditional
