The largest institutional accreditor in the United States has formally introduced a new process for reviewing bachelor’s degree programs that require fewer than the traditional 120 academic credits.
The Higher Learning Commission, which historically has accredited programs in the vast middle of the United States, from West Virginia to Colorado, revealed at a conference on three-year bachelor’s degrees last spring that it would this fall consider granting approval to any institution seeking to offer a “reduced-credit bachelor’s degree.”
Following up on that promise, the agency unveiled new guidelines and a new application Tuesday for institutions seeking approval to offer bachelor’s degrees with reduced credits.
“HLC recognizes the desire among our institutions to meet students’ needs with more flexible degree options,” Barbara Gellman-Danley, president of the commission, said in an email about the new policy.
“Our aim at HLC is to ensure that reduced-credit degrees will have as much rigor and quality as traditional degrees,” she added. “We are confident that the new guidelines will help institutions in achieving their goals.”
Accreditors have moved slowly to embrace the so-called three-year degree, which advocates like the College-in-3 Exchange believe has the potential to reduce costs and time to completion for students and stimulate curricular innovation at undergraduate colleges.
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities approved the first reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees last year, and others have taken modest steps in that direction.
HLC officials said the commission’s new process should take roughly eight months and is designed to ensure the rigor and quality of the program and to make sure that students do not suffer any limitations when it comes to transfer, licensure or employment, among other things.
