Colleges & universities

 Reason -  Last week, Johnson & Wales University (JWU) in Rhode Island announced the launch of the nation's first in-person, three-year bachelor's degree programs. While other institutions already offer three-year bachelor's degrees, these programs are either exclusively online or require 120 credit hours. JWU students will be able to complete a degree in computer science, criminal justice, graphic design, and hospitality management within 90 to 96 credit hours. 

The launch of JWU's program follows a recent wave of support for similar initiatives across the country. In March, the Utah Board of Higher Education authorized state colleges to explore creating three-year bachelor's degrees. That same month, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a law requiring each of the state's public four-year colleges to review their bachelor's degree programs to determine whether they could be completed in three years.

Yet despite the growing momentum, whether or not three-year degrees become more ubiquitous will be up to accreditors.  The New England Commission of Higher Education, JWU's accreditor, approved the program in September. Similar programs at Merrimack College and New England College were approved by the NECHE in March, but have yet to be launched, according to The Boston Globe.

College accreditors have historically been wary about approving three-year programs. Before its three-year degree program was approved, New England College had its proposal rejected by the NECHE, which did not consider the college's sub-120-hour degree programs to offer the equivalent value of a four-year degree, according to Inside Higher Ed.