Breaking Orbit: The Future of the Four-Year Degree

What if the traditional four-year, 120-credit bachelor’s degree was undergoing a fundamental reassessment? The recent approval of a 90-credit bachelor’s degree at Johnson and Wales University signals a willingness to move beyond the century-old Carnegie Unit structure, offering a streamlined path to reduce the time and expense required to earn a degree. This session will explore the broader implications of this shift, including its potential to revitalize traditional residential programs, its impact on non-traditional adult learners, and the challenges of credit transfer and competency-based alternatives. Panelists will discuss whether this marks the beginning of transformative change in higher education or a stepping stone to even greater innovation.