One of the topics currently burning up administrative listservs is that of three-year, baccalaureate-degree programs. Legislatures are looking at using dual-enrollment programs (college courses offered in high schools), standardized testing, summer-school programs, and even the reduction of credit-hour totals necessary for degree completion to chop the traditional four-year degree program down to three years. The savings at taxpayer-funded institutions would be, it is supposed, significant; private institutions would have to adopt similar programs to stay competitive.
The merits of such plans are debatable, but since this site is dedicated to hiring issues, I should point out that this approach would have a significant impact on faculty jobs, especially in general-education programs. Every student credit hour generated off campus is a credit hour that is no longer taught on a campus. That would mean fewer jobs for more people.
How else might compressed baccalaureate-degrees affect the job market in academe?
Follow On Hiring through your favorite RSS reader: