As a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, I want to see UNH succeed in an increasingly difficult and competitive higher education environment.
But success should not come at the expense of what a UNH degree represents: a strong education that prepares its graduates for a fulfilling professional life and to become informed, engaged citizens.
UNH holds the Carnegie R1 designation, placing it in the highest tier of American research universities alongside many of the nation’s leading public institutions. Its internationally recognized work in ocean mapping, marine science, engineering and space research, as well as significant partnerships with NASA, NOAA and other federal research agencies, adds real value to any UNH degree.
That is just one important reason UNH’s decision to offer an abbreviated bachelor’s degree deserves careful scrutiny.
UNH is now offering 90-credit, three-year Applied Bachelor of Science degrees in Management and Computer Information Technology through its College of Professional Studies. A traditional bachelor’s degree generally requires 120 credits, typically earned over four years at about 30 credits per academic year.
Put more simply, UNH has created a bachelor’s degree requiring roughly one full academic year — and 25% fewer credits — than a traditional bachelor’s degree.
Online learning is becoming a major force in higher education, and UNH should be part of it. But delivering a sound online education requires substantial investment, expertise, technology and student support. Flexibility should not be confused with reducing the substance of the credential.
UNH’s own disclosure raises precisely that concern. Its academic catalog states that the 90-credit degree “is not equivalent to a traditional, four-year baccalaureate degree.” It further warns that some graduate programs, professional schools and employers may not recognize or accept it.
That is a remarkable warning to attach to something called a bachelor’s degree. If UNH itself says the credential is not equivalent to a traditional bachelor’s degree, students and alumni are entitled to ask why it should carry essentially the same name.
UNH is not alone. Other institutions have begun experimenting with abbreviated 90-credit bachelor’s degrees as colleges confront enrollment pressures, rising costs and increasing competition for students. While 90-credit degrees are starting to be offered at several New England institutions, they have not been broadly adopted by the region’s major flagship research universities.
But an emerging practice in a financially stressed higher education marketplace is not necessarily sound educational policy.
UNH also faces legitimate financial challenges. New Hampshire ranks at the very bottom nationally in support for public higher education, and UNH has acknowledged that expenses are growing faster than revenues. Meanwhile, Southern New Hampshire University now serves more than 200,000 online students nationwide, with graduates in all 50 states, while other institutions compete aggressively for online and adult students.
UNH must respond with flexibility and innovation. But its response should not rely principally on abbreviated degree credentials with reduced academic requirements. It must continue efforts to reduce the cost of delivering education, and pursue them even more aggressively — easier said than done, admittedly — while protecting academic quality.
That means asking difficult questions. How many layers of administration are necessary? Which programs can be consolidated? Are facilities being efficiently utilized? Can technology reduce administrative expense? Could year-round education allow motivated students to earn the traditional 120 credits in three years? Could expanded partnerships with New Hampshire’s community colleges reduce costs while preserving academic requirements?
Those questions are harder because they require the institution to change rather than requiring less of the student.
Higher education has already experienced decades of rapidly rising costs, increasing student debt and well-documented concerns about grade inflation. An abbreviated bachelor’s degree should cause us to ask whether another accommodation, however well-intended, ultimately diminishes what the credential represents.
None of this means UNH should resist change. It should expand online education, welcome adult learners and develop creative ways for students to graduate sooner and with less debt.
But innovation should not be measured by how much education can be removed from a degree. The challenge is to make UNH leaner, more flexible and more affordable while preserving the academic standards that have given its degrees their value.
That is the kind of innovation New Hampshire’s flagship public university should pursue.
Mark Bodi is a former New Hampshire legislator, businessman, and member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. He resides in Portsmouth.