Georgia greenlights 3-year college bachelor’s degree

Want a bachelor’s degree but don’t want to spend four years in college? Georgia’s public universities can now offer a three-year alternative.

The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents last week changed its guidelines to allow for 90-credit hour degrees for some majors, which could be completed a year quicker than the traditional 120-credit hour bachelor’s programs that have become the quintessential form of American higher education.

Georgia is the most recent state to endorse the concept that’s been percolating across the country in recent years. Advocates say three-year bachelor’s programs would be more cost-effective for students and allow them to enter the workforce quicker.

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The Bachelor of Applied Science programs — as they will be known in Georgia — are in response to “workforce demand and national trends,” University System officials wrote in a recent agenda item about the plan. The agenda did not offer specifics about potential programs, but said they must be in high-demand career areas and have “a focus on workforce competencies.”

Regent Harold Reynolds called the move “extraordinarily significant.” Regent Tim Evans also voiced support, saying students who have “practical” experience in their education are “hugely beneficial” when they enter the workforce.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Experts say the rise of the programs can be largely attributed to the public’s general dissatisfaction with higher education. A 2025 survey from the Pew Research Center found 70% of Americans believe higher education is going in the wrong direction, up from 56% in 2020. Nearly 30% say a four-year degree isn’t worth the cost.

“Especially since COVID, there has been less trust of traditional higher ed, and I think that’s pushing people to question the traditional models, and also allowing for some innovation,” said Beth Akers, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. “There’s this kind of movement generally in the population that maybe we want to take higher education off the pedestal, start asking what is this doing for me, what is this doing for the nation, and start making some changes.”

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The approved USG policy did not specify how credits would be reduced. But other schools, such as Johnson & Wales University in R.I., have structured the programs so that students don’t need to take electives outside of the core general education requirements, “allowing for a stronger focus on degree-specific classes,” according to JWU.

Akers applauds Georgia, as well as other schools and states, for trying out the new model. In theory, she said, the experiment should work; a three-year degree would give students an additional path toward the labor market.

“In reality, there are so many frictions that make it challenging to move away from the status quo,” she said.

A primary obstacle could be the fact that students, parents and employers have come to value a four-year bachelor’s degree. It’s unclear if they’ll attach the same worth to a reduced-credit degree, and it could take five to 10 years to find out, said Robert Kelchen, a higher education professor at the University of Tennessee.

“These programs are just now starting to get approved, but the critical mass of programs is still a couple years away,” said Kelchen. “Then students need to get into the programs, complete (them), and go out in the labor market.”

Kelchen doesn’t expect many traditional college students to pursue the programs. Instead, they could be used by adult learners who have limited time, or by people who want to build skills with an applied bachelor’s degrees and “move up in their careers right away.”

In March, the Decatur-based Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges approved a policy for reduced-credit undergraduate degrees, with SACS president Stephen Pruitt saying, “The goal is not to replace the traditional bachelor’s degree, but to provide institutions with a structured pathway to explore innovation responsibly.”

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

The programs, according to the largest accreditor in the South, “are generally expected to be offered in specialized or workforce-related disciplines that prepare graduates for direct entry into employment.”

If the experiment is successful, it could help schools recruit more students. That would be particularly valuable for schools staving off fears of a pending “enrollment cliff,” as declining birthrates nationwide could mean less students and therefore less tuition revenue.

It’s reasonable for schools to try new, well thought-out plans, said Kelchen. But since it’s not clear how valuable the degrees will actually be, it could be wise for schools to start with a small number of programs and to work closely with employers, “because the more there’s a commitment from employers to value these credentials, the more likely this is to pay off,” he said.

In the meantime, the programs are a gamble for students and schools alike.

“It’s possible that it’s a win-win,” said Kelchen. “It’s possible it’s a lose-lose.”

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