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Writer's pictureThe San Juan Daily Star

Middle States Commission welcomes three-year bachelor’s degrees



At Albizu University in San Juan students can complete degrees in three years.

By The Star Staff


The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) welcomed on Wednesday institutions offering “Reduced Credit” bachelor’s degrees and three-year bachelor degrees.


As the number of colleges offering three-year bachelor degrees is going up in Puerto Rico, the MSCHE said it was encouraging and celebrating innovation in institutions. It emphasized it had no requirements for program length.


At Columbia Central University and Albizu University, for instance, students in Puerto Rico can complete degrees in three years.


“’Reduced Credit’ bachelor’s degrees, or the ‘Degree in Three,’ have garnered media attention and have become an increasingly attractive option for students and institutions,” the MSCHE said in a statement. “We would like to bring to your attention how our Commission’s Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation, as well as policies and procedures, demonstrate long-held support for three-year degrees, which do not require our prior approval.”


While other institutional accreditors, systems, and states may have prescriptive requirements for different credential levels, the MSCHE does not and has not set specific thresholds for degree program lengths, the entity stressed. The MSCHE’s Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation generally speak to program length. For example, as noted in Standard III, the commission requires institutions to demonstrate that student learning experiences are characterized by rigor and coherence and that degree programs are assigned a reasonable approximate number of credit hours for the amount of work completed by students.


The MSCHE, however, does not require 120 credit hours for a bachelor’s degree like others may, the entity said.


The commission’s Standard III requires sufficient course content and program length as appropriate to the degree’s or other credential’s objectives. The MSCHE’s Credit Hour Policy and Procedures are also relevant, whereby the institution must demonstrate that educational programs are of sufficient content, depth, and program length appropriate to the degree’s or credential’s objectives. The institution’s methodology for assignment and award of credit hours shall conform to commonly accepted practices in higher education and be consistent with applicable laws and regulations wherein the institution operates.


“Institutions should be aware that system or state regulations often speak to requirements for degree offerings,” the MSCHE said. “As stated in Standard II, the Commission requires institutions to comply with any applicable government laws and regulations. Standard VI also speaks to the requirement that institutions demonstrate compliance with their program responsibilities under existing federal Title IV and other state laws and regulations. The Commission also expects institutions to uphold their own policies and procedures related to degree options and required credit hours.”

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