Undergraduate Degree Programs: Recent Developments and Trends
The landscape of undergraduate education is undergoing significant changes, driven by factors such as evolving workforce demands, the need for greater accessibility, and increasing concerns about affordability. Various institutions are adapting their programs to meet these challenges. This article explores recent news and trends in undergraduate degree programs, examining innovative approaches and potential implications for students and institutions alike.
Program Cuts and Curriculum Adjustments
Faced with fluctuating enrollment numbers and budgetary pressures, some universities are making difficult decisions regarding program offerings. For example, the University of Iowa (UI) is planning to seek formal approval for cuts to programs with low enrollment. The university’s Russian program, for instance, had 10 students enrolled as majors, while its African American Studies bachelor’s degree had nine. However, leaders at UI aren’t cutting everything with low enrollment. The university is also trying to account for student interest by keeping courses in certain fields and offering minors. UI plans to continue offering minors in African American and women’s studies.
Iowa State Provost Jason Keith said his institution is currently working with faculty through shared governance processes to determine which programs to eliminate or consolidate with others. The University of Northern Iowa has decided to merge or terminate nine programs.
These decisions are not made lightly. UI Provost Kevin Kregel emphasized that the institution considers workforce alignment and licensure requirements, making allowances where appropriate. The faculty in that program were really engaged and have been over the last year able to increase their major numbers.
Some states are taking a more legislative approach to program evaluation. In both Ohio and Indiana, lawmakers passed laws directly requiring elimination for those programs that fall under thresholds for graduating a certain number of students in a specified timeframe.
Read also: Undergraduate Programs at UNC
The Rise of Online and Flexible Degree Programs
Recognizing the needs of working adults and other non-traditional learners, institutions are increasingly offering online and flexible degree options. Cornell University will launch a part-time, fully online Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree program in August 2027. Offered by the School of Continuing Education (SCE), the BPS degree will provide a flexible, career-focused pathway for adults to earn a Cornell undergraduate degree. The first BPS major, organizations, markets and society, will integrate business, economics, policy and social sciences. Applications will open in January 2027, with the inaugural cohort beginning coursework in fall 2027.
“Cornell was founded to be an institution for ‘any person,’ and accessibility is a central commitment that is key to our mission,” said President Michael I. Kotlikoff. “The online Bachelor of Professional Studies program will expand access to a Cornell education in entirely new ways, bringing a Cornell undergraduate degree within reach for working adults in many different life circumstances.”
Mary Loeffelholz, Cornell SCE dean, said the program reflects a growing demand. “Adult learners bring deep professional experience, perspective and motivation to the classroom,” Loeffelholz said. “This program is designed to honor that experience while providing the academic rigor, support and community that define a Cornell education.”
The program is built for working professionals and adults with some college experience but no undergraduate degree. Most courses will be asynchronous, with optional live sessions for discussion, collaboration and networking. Students may begin in either the fall or spring semester and are expected to complete the degree within five years.
Faculty from across Cornell’s schools and colleges will teach in the program, collaborating with Cornell SCE and eCornell to develop high-quality, engaging online learning experiences. Donna Haeger, BPS academic director, professor of practice in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and an expert in business analytics, will teach Spreadsheet Modeling, where students will develop practical skills in building, analyzing and interpreting data.
Read also: Drexel University Student Statistics
Students will also have access to dedicated academic advising, career services tailored for adult learners, technical support for online learning and networking opportunities with faculty, peers and Cornell alumni. All students will graduate with a curated digital portfolio and complete a community-engaged capstone project bridging theory and practice. Coursework for the new major will include business fundamentals and management, economics and finance, marketing and entrepreneurship, data analytics, sustainability, global development and social equity. Graduates will build skills in quantitative analysis, data-driven decision-making, communication and ethical use of information, and will be prepared to analyze and address complex challenges facing organizations and communities.
Maria Fitzpatrick, professor and senior associate dean of academic affairs at Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, co-developed one of the new degree’s foundational courses, Big Data for Big Policy Problems. “I’m excited about the Bachelor of Professional Studies because it will bring those skills to adult learners in a flexible format.”
Cornell plans to expand the BPS program over time by adding additional majors aligned with workforce needs and emerging fields. Future majors will draw on Cornell’s academic strengths and aim to include disciplines that support career advancement, community impact and lifelong learning.
The program is designed for adults seeking to complete their undergraduate degree, community college students and alumni and Cornell employees. To build a pipeline of eligible students, Cornell SCE is forging relationships with community colleges across New York state. Cornell SCE is also collaborating with the Cornell Prison Education Program to offer the degree to incarcerated adults at three correctional facilities in the region.
Applicants must be at least four years beyond high school graduation and have earned 45 to 60 transferable college credits from a regionally accredited institution. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is recommended, though applicants with lower GPAs may be considered based on professional experience and academic readiness. Because the program is part-time and online, it does not support student visas. International students are encouraged to contact the program to determine eligibility. Cornell has committed to making the BPS degree as affordable as possible. Preliminary tuition is $925 per credit hour, with need-based financial aid available to those who qualify. Students also are encouraged to explore employer tuition benefits and external scholarships. Part-time enrollment allows students to pay as they go, spreading costs over time.
Read also: Boost Your Financial IQ
“By offering this new degree design to nontraditional learners, students whose lives do not allow them to move to Ithaca will still have the opportunity to earn a Cornell degree,” said Haeger.
The Emergence of Three-Year Bachelor's Degrees
In an effort to reduce costs and accelerate time to graduation, some institutions are experimenting with three-year bachelor's degree programs. The Board of Higher Education has opened the door for colleges and universities across Massachusetts to offer three-year bachelor’s degrees, a move aimed at boosting access to higher degrees while some have raised concerns it could diminish education quality. The board voted to approve a regulation allowing higher education institutions to submit pilot proposals for degree programs that differ from current criteria, like the 120-credit requirement. The regulation doesn't provide specific criteria for programs, but says a pilot should be “responsive to significant changes in society, demographics, technology, educational research, or expectations regarding post-secondary education.”
Board chair Chris Gabrieli noted that there are other possible program structures that may be contentious. "I think our general view on innovation should be to neither assume all innovations are good ideas, nor to prevent campus driven ideas - if they're high quality - from proceeding."
The regulation aims to offer students a faster, more affordable path to a degree. However, some educators have raised concerns over how curriculum cuts and accelerated programs could reduce the quality of students’ education and leave them ill-prepared to enter the workforce.
Aruna Krishnamurthy, an English studies professor at Fitchburg State University, said during the meeting. “With the 90-credit degree, the state is sending a signal to our hardworking families and our first generation students they are not worthy of an education that expands the possibilities of their consciousness.”
Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teacher’s Association, noted that conversations on K-12 education have focused on deepening student’s learning and the new regulation would limit opportunities to do so at the college level. Also, if the aim is to boost affordability, the board should tailor regulations more closely to that goal, he said. “Let’s not use the front of affordability to pursue a weakening of this degree,” Page said.
Vice Chair Harneen Chernow, one of two board members who voted against the regulation, raised concerns that the regulation could create a two-tiered system where students - often from wealthier families - attending more selective and prestigious schools would be more likely to go through standard four-year programs than their counterparts at state or community colleges.
In 2024, the New England Commission of Higher Education, an institutional accreditor for most of the private and public colleges in New England, gave Merrimack College in North Andover a green light to pilot a three-year program focused on non-licensure majors, like business, health science, physics and liberal arts degrees. Last fall, Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island became the first in the country to launch an in-person, three-year bachelor's degree. Students are only required to complete 90 to 96 credit hours, and take a regular semester load of courses during the academic year. The university is only offering the accelerated degree program in computer science, criminal justice, graphic design and hospitality management.
Undergrads give up the chance to explore other majors and career tracks with electives, but these programs are a win-win for students who prioritize cutting back on costs and for employers hunting for more workers STAT. Exhibit A: Johnson & Wales University piloted four three-year bachelor’s degree programs beginning in fall 2025 on its Providence campus: criminal justice, design, computer science and hospitality management. Enrollment in the pilot was popular enough that the school opened applications to a three-year hospitality management degree on its Charlotte campus as well, with the first incoming class matriculating next fall.
Three-year programs often ask students to fulfill the same course credits as a four-year student would by loading up on classes and studying in the summer; JWU gives students summers off by reducing the requirements to 90-96 credits (depending on the program) and a paid internship or other intensive experiential learning opportunity during the year. They’re eligible for the same financial aid packages even as they pay 25% less in tuition.
Three-year programs only work for focused students who know what they want to study. If they change their minds, they have to switch to a four-year model and pay more. Lower tuition also hurts a school’s bottom line in the short term, though financial modeling convinced JWU that the loss of tuition dollars would be set off by the expected higher retention and graduation rates, which would then open the door for graduate work at the institution.
Chancellor Mim Runey and her colleagues reached out to the top 30 employers of JWU graduates in each field to research whether they’d hire a three-year degree graduate for the same roles as a four-year graduate. “Without hesitation, across the board, their response was favorable,” she said. “The thing that is most important to students is getting into the industries that they serve.” So far, though, only around 90 students are enrolled across these programs, so Runey cautioned that it’s too soon to make sweeping conclusions. Runey noted that students in the three-year program are, to date, being retained at a higher rate and earning higher grades.
Community Colleges Expanding Bachelor's Degree Offerings
Community colleges in California are making strides in offering bachelor's degrees, challenging the traditional boundaries between two-year and four-year institutions. California’s higher education landscape is seeing a historic shift as community college officials approved three new bachelor's degree programs that had been stalled by institutional friction. The decision marks a bold assertion of authority by the community college system over the California State University (CSU) system regarding program duplication. The three newly-approved programs are a cyberdefense degree at Moorpark College, a physical therapy assistant degree at San Diego Mesa College, and a transborder environmental design degree at Southwestern College. These programs were approved after the community college chancellor’s office reviewed a report from WestEd, a nonprofit that determined duplication would be minimal. Specifically, the report noted that San Diego Mesa’s program and the "competing" kinesiology degree at CSU San Bernardino were 95 miles apart and led to different careers.
James Todd, vice chancellor of academic affairs, defended the move, stating, "An objection is not a finding of duplication." Additionally, CSU has recently dropped objections to three other programs at Oxnard, Cerritos, and Santiago Canyon colleges.
It remains unclear how the CSU system will formally respond to this bypass of their objections. The future of ten other proposed degrees that remain in limbo is also undecided. The Legislature may take up Senate Bill 960, which would legally bar universities from filing objections unless they are geographically close to the community college. Meanwhile, advocates are eyeing a 2028 ballot measure, backed by polling showing 80% of likely voters support expanding these degree options.
Student Success and Post-Graduation Outcomes
Student Voice, Inside Higher Ed’s ongoing survey and reporting series, seeks to elevate the student voice in institutional student success efforts and in broader conversations about how higher education can better-and best-serve students. Questions touch on academic life; health and wellness (including financial health); the college experience outside the classroom; preparing for life after college; affordability and cost of attendance; trust and more. Student Voice is an independent editorial project presented with The Generation Lab. Students are confident they have what they need to succeed postcollege. A third of students don’t participate outside of class.
Attending college still confers significant benefits in the labor market, but another factor may be even more important when it comes to finding a decent job after graduation: what you study. A recent analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York ranks employment outcomes for college graduates ages 22 to 27 based on their major, including how much money they can expect to earn early on in and midway through their careers.
One key takeaway: Although many recent college grads face significant challenges finding a good job in their chosen field, having a degree still gives young workers an edge, especially in terms of pay. Another finding may come as more of a shock for young grads who followed the conventional advice to major in computer science and engineering, information systems, and other technology fields. The New York Fed researchers found that tech jobs are harder to come by these days as employers pull back in hiring after expanding too quickly during the pandemic years. The analysis also measured the rate of underemployment for different college majors, which reflects how hard it is to find a job in your field of study. For example, recent computer science majors have a relatively high unemployment rate, at 7%, compared with a national average of 4.3%.
Individual Student Achievements
Beyond program-level changes, individual students continue to achieve remarkable accomplishments. Oct. McNair Scholar Joshua Ito arrived at UT wanting to be at the front of medical research, and through the Freshman Research Initiative and mentorship from professor Ryan Gray, he achieved that goal. Oct. Minji Kim, a University of Texas at Austin informatics senior, approaches AI and computer science through an ethics-focused, human-centered lens rather than pure coding. She has contributed to privacy-preserving vision language model research, delivered cybersecurity solutions through the Texas Cybersecurity Clinic, and mentored students through Girls Who Code-all driven by her commitment to creating socially impactful machine learning solutions. Sept. Rachel Schnakenberg, a transfer student who arrived at UT Austin in fall 2023, recently earned the prestigious Beinecke Scholarship as UT's sole recipient through strategic networking and community engagement. Her flood emergency research under Dr. Javier Auyero's mentorship, combined with active participation in the Urban Ethnography Lab and work at the Blanton Museum, exemplifies her academic excellence. Rachel's success demonstrates how building meaningful relationships with faculty and peers creates a strong foundation for future Ph.D. Rachel Schnakenberg, a senior at UT Austin, has been awarded a Beinecke Scholarship worth up to $34,000 for graduate study. Rachel is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Educational Psychology.
tags: #undergraduate #degree #recent #news
