A Bachelor’s Degree in 3 – Can it Be?
When business, K-12 and higher education work together to address growing workforce needs in the local economy, everyone wins, especially students who take advantage of “Degree in 3.”
It’s a new program established through the KU Edwards Campus partnership with the Blue Valley School District and Johnson County Community College. Degree in 3 allows high school students to earn college credits, complete an associate’s degree in one year, and finish with a bachelor’s degree two years later.
The first of several planned Degree in 3 programs is the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT), which will launch in fall 2014. Designed in collaboration with business leaders, the BSIT degree meets industry’s growing IT demands.
Through high-quality academic instruction and engagement with local IT firms, graduates emerge with the valued technical skills and business savvy needed in today’s workforce.
3 Years, 3 Accomplishments
1. Blue Valley School District
Develop a four-year academic plan (including Advance Placement classes) and apply to Degree in 3 end of freshman year
2. Johnson County Community College
Complete remaining freshman-sophomore credit in one year
3. KU Edwards Campus
Complete Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from KU in two years
Feathers in the CAPS
The Degree in 3 model is rooted in the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) experience in the Blue Valley School District. CAPS equips high school juniors and seniors with profession-based, personalized learning experiences that prepare them for 21st century opportunities.
Through mentorships and internships at area bioscience, business, engineering and human services organizations, CAPS students supplement classroom learning with real-world professional skills necessary to succeed in today’s fast-paced world – all before entering college.
“Blue Valley CAPS, JCCC Computer Science and KU Edwards Information Technology have developed an excellent relationship in building the Degree in 3,” says Steve Hansen, co-chair of the computer science department at JCCC. “Degree in 3 students will be able to enter the IT workforce or enter graduate school one year sooner while at the same time more easily managing their college expenses.”
The Edwards Campus is currently exploring ways to expand Degree in 3 to other degree programs and local school districts.
‘Amazing Opportunity’
Zach Belcher, who graduated from Blue Valley West this spring and took part in the CAPS program, is just the type of student the BSIT Degree in 3 is designed to attract.
“I’ve always known I wanted to be in IT, but I don’t want to only write code for my entire career,” Belcher says. “The BSIT offers that mix of technology and business, which really interested me.”
Combined with his CAPS experience and an internship this summer, Belcher realizes what Degree in 3 could mean for him.
“You can get real-world experience during high school, plus an internship, and carry that into a college program, then potentially be hired by the company you interned for – after only three years,” he says. “It’s an amazing opportunity, and it’s right here in one of the engineering capitals of the world.”
This article was published in the June 2014 HigherEd e-newsletter. HigherEd is produced each semester by the KU Edwards Campus marketing and public relations office.