Louisiana Board of Regents Adds 3-Year Degrees to Offerings

Students will be able to complete two programs at a Louisiana State University campus in three years after the governing board signed off on the accelerated degrees, NOLA.com reported.

LSU at Alexandria will offer the 90-credit option for information technology and bioinformatics starting in the fall if the university’s accreditor signs off.  These two programs are the first three-year options approved in the LSU system. Other states and institutions have moved in recent years to give students a faster track to earning a degree as lawmakers and university administrators aim to address affordability concerns and to help students get into the workforce quicker.

“We are adding a new tool to the higher ed toolbox for several different career paths,” said Nathan Sammons, dean of the College of Science, Technology and Mathematics at LSU at Alexandria. “There will always be a place for two-year degrees, I think there will always be a place for four-year degrees, but there’s been a place for three-year degrees for a while now, especially in industries that are rapidly shifting and as technology shifts with it.”

Sammons told the news outlet that the university sought to protect the general education requirements to ensure students still receive a well-rounded liberal arts experience. As a result, students will take fewer electives on the three-year track.