Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey
The regulation permits institutions to submit pilot proposals for degree programs that deviate from traditional requirements, including the standard 120-credit threshold. While the board didn't establish specific criteria, pilot programs must respond to "significant changes in society, demographics, technology, educational research, or expectations regarding post-secondary education."
"We're creating a pathway for colleges to allow some students to graduate in three years, which will help make us more competitive with other states, lower costs, and support students and our workforce," said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey.
The move, which has been under consideration for 18 months, reflects a broader national trend. Many universities nationwide are shifting to 90-credit-hour bachelor's programs as institutions seek to reduce costs and time to degree completion.
Board Chair Chris Gabrieli acknowledged the controversial nature of such innovation.
"I do expect there to be some controversy under some of these proposals, maybe all of them, because they all represent innovation and sometimes real boundary changing and that could be uncomfortable," he said. "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 initiative has drawn sharp criticism from some faculty members who worry that compressed programs could shortchange students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, argued that the regulation contradicts current K-12 education priorities focused on deepening student learning. "Let's not use the front of affordability to pursue a weakening of this degree," Page said.
Massachusetts joins several states exploring accelerated degree options. Last fall, Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island became the first institution nationally to launch an in-person, three-year bachelor's degree program. Students complete 90 to 96 credit hours while maintaining regular semester course loads. The university currently offers the accelerated option in computer science, criminal justice, graphic design, and hospitality management.
In Massachusetts, Merrimack College in North Andover received approval in 2024 from the New England Commission of Higher Education to pilot a three-year program for non-licensure majors including business, health science, physics, and liberal arts.
Indiana took a more aggressive approach in 2024 when then-Gov. Eric Holcomb signed legislation requiring every state college and university to review bachelor's degree programs to determine if full-time students could complete them in three years.
