Accelerated Degree Programs on the Rise

Most students enter college expecting to spend the next four years studying, going to classes, attending sports events, and preparing for their future careers. Four years. That’s all we students expect to spend at college.
However, the average student today is spending six years and seven months at college. This time span takes into account time taken off for work, repeating classes, or just the appeal of not being quite ready to end the college experience. But when you consider that the average public college tuition is $6,585 per year, that’s a total tuition cost of $44,119.50, not to mention living expenses and books.

So what if some schools started offering programs that were geared towards helping students graduate in only three years? That could be pretty beneficial, if you ask me. Imagine spending about half of the time in school, graduating early, and starting your professional life. You’d be making money, not spending it. Not too bad of a deal, right?
Hartwick College, which is a small college located in New York, has been making this offer to motivated students. Hartwick College is not the only school following this new trend. According to Newsweek, this new accelerated program “could become the higher-education equivalent of the fuel-efficient car.”
Should other colleges that are not offering this new three-year-degree program be worried? Possibly. It just depends how popular the program becomes. It is in the beginning stage but is quickly gaining popularity among small, liberal-arts schools. Keep your eyes posted for accelerated degree programs becoming more and more mainstream in the next few years. Who knows, maybe you’ll earn your petroleum engineering degree in three years instead of four or more!
Via NewsWeek.