Recently a friend of mine posted an article on Facebook about the UNC system (that’s North Carolina’s university system) exploring 3 year bachelor’s degrees instead of four. Apparently this is a new national trend in higher ed. Less cost to the student, more focus on the necessary, etc. etc. etc. I have multiple thoughts on this proposal. Before I launch my essay in defense of higher ed, I would like to be honest about a few things:

1. I didn’t take a deep dive into this proposal. I read the article and clicked on a few embedded links for more information. 
2. I have a Bachelor’s degree from a private liberal arts college and a Master’s degree from a state university. My bias towards higher education is hereby formally acknowledged.

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If the average time to graduate from a state college or university with a 4 year bachelor’s degree is 5 years (per google) why on earth would we think it makes sense to award a degree in 3 years? I was relieved to read the proposals by the UNC system powers that be state that these degrees would be appropriate for non-traditional students, those with some college already, or those in the military with pre-existing experience in the appropriate field. For these potential students, yes, an accelorated program absolutely makes sense. Buyer beware and all of that aside, these folks need ways to bolster their life and previous job experiences to make them competitive in a work force that increasingly asks for “experience” and a degree simultaneously. I met many folks like this in the IT department of my first big girl job in Atlanta (No, I was not in the IT department, but these allies were critical to my job performance.). 

A reduced hour degree is not for the traditional, recent high school graduate college hopeful. Unless the said student has equivalent gen ed requirements via dual degree programs in high school, or in AP/IB curriculums, you don’t get to skip the line. Knowledge builds. There are baseline levels of learning and communicating and studying and thinking at a faster pace than a high school classroom that can only be found in intro college level (gen ed) courses. The ability to read, assemble, and dissect large amounts of information in a short amount of time requires practice. English 151 and Calc 130 aren’t called pre-req’s for nothing. 

I would also debate the purpose of a college degree. The whole point of a bachelor’s degree is to become a critical thinker, a capable writer, and establish a base of subject matter mastery to continue learning, researching, and growing in one’s chosen field of study. Yes, a person will gain many, many skills in college that help their transition to the workforce and also indicate a level of basic ability to your future employers (hence bachelor’s degree required/preferred in job descriptions). Many more students will participate in a research project, embark on a unique travel or service opportunity, or overcome a personal crisis while in college that gives them something to leverage, expand upon, or use in a job interview that makes them standout. There are also the added benefits of creating a network of connections from your college or university that will open doors in the future for something you want. Alumni networks, Greek life networks, freshman hall friends, parents of former roommates, professors who know someone and are willing to make introduction are all invaluable resources that help you land an interview, or get your resume viewed. To be pithy, college can buy access and opportunity. 

The focus of college is not work place readiness. In my opinion, the idea of workplace readiness is a huge misconception. There is a difference between a job and a career. A job you need to pay your bills. A career is a vocation or lifetime love or desire to do something specific in which you are lucky enough to get paid to do what gets you out of bed in the morning. Not all careers require college degrees. Not all college degrees turn your job into a career. The point of a bachelor’s degree is to give you the tools you need to pivot, advance, or embark on a new dream, or a new opportunity. College doesn’t teach the specific job skillset, life does—whether that comes in the form of an advanced degree, specific on the job training program, or just plain old clocking in and out. Ask any adult who has worked for more than five minutes and they will tell you the truth.

As an aside—my career as a speech therapist required additional years of specialized study (Master’s Degree) and several hundred clinical training hours. The clinical hours are crucial, but meaningless without the theory and study and research behind them in the classroom. Post-grad I still had a fellowship to complete. I learned the lion’s share of my craft on-the-job during my fellowship! Having a recognized degree and making inter-professional (and collegiate) connections were crucial in securing the requirments for me to complete my training and find employment (included multiple job changes). Ultimately, I was fortunate to have a rewarding (and slightly unorthodox) career that I would never trade. 

So, no, I am not a fan of awarding bachelor’s degrees in 3 years—unless earned in an accelorated fashion through pre-college credits, prior but unfinished coursework, or work/military experience that is an acceptable exchange for the degree of study. This continual demand in higher ed to streamline efforts to generate degrees creates an unquestioning “work force” instead of a “think force.” If we paid attention in history class (high school, college, or other) or read a dystopian novel we hated in high school (or freshman college English) we would know what happens to a society that wants bodies over brains.🧐 

Employment is critical, no question. Thinking is critical. Learning is critical. None of it requires college. But all of it requires effort and knowhow and time. Stop selling a college degree as some sort of magical piece of paper that guarantees a job. It does not. If you want (or let’s be real, need) to work, work. If you want a specific technical skill for work (and we need SO many) go get it. If you want a career that requires advanced training do it. If you want to go to college, let’s make sure you can go without robbing you blind and caging you in crippling debt—that doesn’t mean short-changing your experience or making Western Civ irrelevant. Life isn’t about being a college graduate. Life is about what kind of human you want to be, what your plans are, and what it takes to make those plans a reality. 

Love Y’all so Big,

Marla 

P.S. i just left my favorite gift store to pick up little surcees for my girlfriends from graduate school. There were seven of us in the With Other Background Track. We are going to the beach together again—all of us this time! We’ve also run a half marathon together. And, almost weekly (or daily), we text one another about something. No one will ever understand you and your anxiety and your dreams and your fears like your friends who studied for exams with you at the Starbucks and cried with you over yet another clinical placement you didn’t want. I couldn’t do life without these bright, capable, incredible women. I am so thankful for them.