Though some colleges have begun creating three-year bachelor's degree programs in an effort to save students money, there has not been a huge amount of interest in the possibility of similar programs at AU.
A majority of undergraduate programs at U.S. universities are meant to be completed in four years, but with the economy now in a recession, the three-year bachelor's degree might soon become viewed as a widespread option for cutting costs, according to USA Today.
Marla Boren, senior academic counselor in AU's College of Arts and Sciences, said AU offers several combined bachelor's and master's degree programs that reduce the total amount of time a student is in school. Boren has not yet seen an increase in the number of students interested in graduating early, but the recession may change this, she said.
Jesse Boeding, director of undergraduate programs in the Kogod School of Business, said some students save money by graduating early in order to stop paying tuition and enter the workforce sooner.
"Whether you stay four years or three years, you're going to have to pay for the credits in some way," she said. "But all of the overhead expenses of room and board and travel expenses and things like that are mitigated by re-sequencing your coursework."
The amount of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credits students now come into college with have made it fairly common for them to be a semester or two ahead. Boeding said she knows of approximately 10 Kogod students who currently plan to graduate early.
Ryan Kim, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, said he will be graduating this December to save money and get a head start on graduate school. He left high school two years early to attend De Anza Community College in Cupertino, Calif., before he transferred to AU.
"I am concerned with not getting the full 'college experience,' but hopefully attending grad school will help to offset those concerns," Kim said in an e-mail.
Early graduation might interfere with study abroad or internship opportunities. Therefore, students must make tradeoffs and decide which aspects of their college career are most important to them.
Kristen Velit, a freshman in CAS, said she would only consider the possibility of an early graduation if she could still study abroad.
"I don't think missing the [typical college experience] would be that much of a disadvantage, but I really want to go abroad and if I wasn't able to because I was going to be graduating early, that would be a disadvantage that would overshadow it," she said.
Studying abroad, being involved on campus and being able to explore different disciplines through a minor or second major can provide advantages in the job market that students who graduate early may not be able to take advantage of, Boeding said.
"I think the primary [disadvantage] is sometimes students rush through school and it becomes a check-the-box mentality," she said.
Karim Abdallah, a freshman in Kogod, said he thinks it is a smarter idea to stay in school for the entire four years.
"Well, seeing how the workforce is going these days, it's better to stay in school until the crisis is over," he said.
In the near future, AU is unlikely to instate any undergraduate programs specifically designed to be completed in three years, Boeding said. Since the university is an accredited institution, it cannot cut down the number of credits in its bachelor's degrees to make them three-year programs.
"I think that AU has a structure that allows students to graduate early if they want to," Boeding said.
You can reach this staff writer at mkendall@theeagleonline.com.
