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Many colleges are taking efforts to help parents deal with rising tuition costs by offering programs that help students graduate faster. This endeavour is led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst that has plans this fall to introduce programs to enable students to complete graduation in three years time.

Dozens of schools across the country are joined by UMass that has introduced the three year degree. This offers the opportunity to students to save money while officials are still not sure about how students can socially and intellectually develop in three years.

UMass is the first major university that has offered three year degree program to shorten time and cost without diluting the degree. Students will be helped by advisors to plan their degree. Business major graduates will be allowed to graduate in three years at the Dudley’s Nichols College. This option will be introduced by Cambridge’s Lesley University in the fall.

A small number of students at the UMass have compressed their study years by adding summer classes and by taking heavy course load during the year. From this year onwards, those with advanced credits will be able to graduate with ease in three years with support from advisers who will help them complete their course in a shorter duration with the help of summer classes and online offerings.

Those who want to do independent research or double major abroad however, this degree track will not work for them. Traditionally no one really preferred undergraduates to complete their education in fewer years. According to Lamar Alexander, Senator of Tennessee, it is time for universities to be responsive to changing situations to stay competitive.

Education secretary of our country said in last fall’s Newsweek that reducing number of years is better than placing the burden of higher fees on students or asking Congress and legislators for support. A growing number of schools today offer three year degrees.

According to a business professor at Southern New Hampshire University, Marty Bradley, only a handful of schools offered such degrees a few years back. This fall, at least fifty schools will offer three year programs in our country or at least plan to introduce. By the year 2011, this number is set to double.

Recently, three year degrees were expanded to courses such as creative writing and criminal justice apart from the business program by the Southern New Hampshire University. This university will fast make two year programs a norm with the immense success it saw with the business program. Largest number of students enrolled in this program this fall.

Southern New Hampshire faculty have taken efforts to use an interdisciplinary approach to redesign the three year curriculum to ensure that students do not require summer school or extra courses. Math and English classes are integrated with skills such as problem solving, leadership and public speaking. This enables students of three year courses to earn same credits as their four year peers even as they take reduced number of courses.

This is a trend that seems to be set to take off in our country. Very soon, three year courses with reduced tuition fee may become the norm replacing the traditional four year programs.