Educators balk as Merrimack, Suffolk plan to roll out 3-year bachelor’s degrees

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Supporters say students will save time and money, while critics say shorter programs could come at the expense of a comprehensive education.

A bachelor’s degree in three years instead of four could soon become a reality for some Massachusetts students.

Merrimack College and Suffolk University plan to launch a pilot three-year applied bachelor’s degree program in the fall of 2027, after which consent From the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education last week.

Supporters say accelerated programs can reduce the cost of earning a college degree, but critics say students may sacrifice the breadth of education needed for graduate school and the workforce.

“Many students need to start their careers sooner to support themselves and their families, and these Airmen are exploring how we can grow options to be career-ready in a way that reduces the costs and time needed to earn a degree,” Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega said in a statement.

Merrimack will pilot a 96-credit version of its bachelor’s degree in business administration, communications, criminal justice, and psychology programs.

Meanwhile, Suffolk will pilot a 94-credit applied bachelor’s degree in healthcare management and innovation.

The standard number of credits for a bachelor’s degree is 120.

The program will expand based on the state’s growing list of affordable college options, including free community colleges, free and affordable four-year public degrees, and Expanded early college programs Which allows students to earn college credits at no cost to high school.

Fears

Massachusetts Teachers Association to caution Before voting to approve the pilot, the most financially vulnerable students will choose to pursue shorter degrees, potentially creating deeper disparities.

“It is sad to me that this proposal is somewhat targeted at low-income or working-class students,” Heikki Schouten, a faculty member at UMass Boston, said in a statement.

She continued: “My students are already disadvantaged by having to work full-time while attending classes. Offering them less education, as if it were an adaptation to this disadvantage rather than some kind of enhancement of it, is at best dishonest and at worst cruel.”

The Massachusetts Teachers Association said faculty and staff expressed concerns that shortened degrees would create a “two-tiered higher education” system that would “erode the state’s reputation for academic excellence.”

The teachers association said 30 fewer credits may not seem like a lot, but it means fewer electives and general education courses that make a good student.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association did not respond to a request for further comment after the vote.

The union represents more than 100,000 teachers, faculty and professional staff in public schools, colleges and universities across the state.

The program “will deteriorate the quality of higher education in our state,” said Kevin Young, an assistant professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“The solution to financial difficulties is not to lower our standards or reduce the place of the liberal arts in our curriculum,” Young continued. “The solution is to provide stronger public funding, and manage it democratically at the campus level.”

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