How Do I Get an Accelerated Bachelor’s Degree?

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• Accel­er­at­ed bach­e­lor’s allow stu­dents to com­plete their degrees faster than tra­di­tion­al pro­grams. They are ide­al for work­ing adults or those eager to join the work­force soon­er.
• Accel­er­at­ed degrees may cost less over­all because they require few­er semesters.
• Prospec­tive stu­dents need to meet spe­cif­ic cri­te­ria like a high school diplo­ma, cer­tain GPAs, and pos­si­bly work expe­ri­ence. The appli­ca­tion process­es is sim­i­lar to tra­di­tion­al programs.

Col­lege seems far away in a world where around 85% of peo­ple are chang­ing careers, and younger folk want to get into the work scene faster. Not every­one has the time to spend four years get­ting their bachelor’s degree, espe­cial­ly when class­es take place most of the day.

When you want to earn your degree faster, a good alter­na­tive is the accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s pro­gram. But how can you get such a degree, and how well-regard­ed is it? In this arti­cle, you will sat­is­fy your curios­i­ty about accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s degrees so you can get your hands on one.

Relat­ed:

• Fastest Online Bachelor’s Degrees
• Accel­er­at­ed Online Bachelor’s in Actu­ar­i­al Science
• Fastest Online Para­le­gal Degree Bachelor’s Programs
• Accel­er­at­ed Online Bachelor’s in Elec­tri­cal Engineering

Understanding Accelerated Bachelor’s Degrees

Accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s pro­grams allow stu­dents to get their degrees faster than the tra­di­tion­al pro­gram. Their cur­ricu­lum is sim­i­lar to a stan­dard degree, but cer­tain pre­req­ui­sites could allow stu­dents to skip a few steps. These types of class­es are more con­densed and taught at an accel­er­at­ed yet flex­i­ble pace, mak­ing them an excel­lent option for work­ing individuals.

Benefits of Accelerated Programs

Whether you go for in-per­son, hybrid, or ful­ly online accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s degrees, they all come with cer­tain ben­e­fits, such as:

1. Time-Saving

This option is a great oppor­tu­ni­ty for work­ing adults or peo­ple who want to get their hands on a degree with­in a short time. These time-effi­cient bachelor’s degrees can be com­plet­ed in half the time of a tra­di­tion­al pro­gram, allow­ing peo­ple with busy sched­ules to fin­ish their stud­ies quick­ly. Plus, as the pro­grams are flex­i­ble, class­es can be eas­i­ly tak­en dur­ing the week­ends or evenings.

2. Cost-Effective

In a way, the cost of accel­er­at­ed degrees per semes­ter is rel­a­tive­ly sim­i­lar to tra­di­tion­al pro­grams. What makes fast-track pro­grams less expen­sive is that there are few­er semes­ters to attend – thus, you will have less to pay in the long run. While the aver­age cost of get­ting a bachelor’s degree the tra­di­tion­al way is $40,000-$60,000, the accel­er­at­ed ver­sion is often around $20,000. Indeed, the final cost depends on the major and pro­gram you go for, but for the most part, accel­er­at­ed degrees are less expen­sive in the long term.

3. Intensive Learning Experience

Per­haps one of the great­est accel­er­at­ed degree ben­e­fits is the fact that you can enjoy an inten­sive learn­ing expe­ri­ence. Since the cur­ricu­lum is con­densed, you don’t have to go through inter­me­di­ary cours­es – you will attend use­ful-to-know cours­es. The focus is on the most impor­tant class­es that could get you start­ed with your career.

How to Enroll in an Accelerated Bachelor’s Degree Program

There are some aspects to con­sid­er before enrolling in a fast-track bachelor’s pro­gram. By know­ing the eli­gi­bil­i­ty rules, you should be able to cre­ate a com­pelling appli­ca­tion that will get you accepted.

Eligibility Criteria and Prerequisites

Each accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s pro­gram has dif­fer­ent admis­sion cri­te­ria. This is why it’s worth check­ing out what they require of you. Most pop­u­lar cours­es ask for the following:

• High school diplo­ma or some equiv­a­lent of it (e.g., the GED)
• Stan­dard­ized test scores (e.g., ACTs or SATs)
• Min­i­mum GPA (usu­al­ly around 2.0–3.0)
• Work expe­ri­ence
• Pre­req­ui­site courses

Some might also require doc­u­men­ta­tion such as let­ters of rec­om­men­da­tion or a pre­vi­ous bachelor’s degree (e.g., if you get a nurs­ing or teach­ing accel­er­at­ed degree). It’s rec­om­mend­ed you check the accel­er­at­ed pro­gram eli­gi­bil­i­ty for mul­ti­ple cours­es before deter­min­ing which one is right for you.

Factors to Consider when Choosing the Program

Not every accel­er­at­ed pro­gram was made the same. Some are pro­vid­ed by pub­lic insti­tu­tions, while oth­ers are offered by pri­vate par­ties. No mat­ter which one you opt for, you should look into the following:

· Accreditation

A reli­able pro­gram must be accred­it­ed by a rec­og­nized body under the U.S. Depart­ment of Edu­ca­tion. Accred­it­ed accel­er­at­ed degrees will ensure your edu­ca­tion meets spe­cif­ic qual­i­ty stan­dards, improv­ing your employ­a­bil­i­ty rate.

· Reputation of the Institution

Sim­i­lar to a tra­di­tion­al pro­gram, the institution’s rep­u­ta­tion can shape how employ­ees view your degree. Look at alumni’s suc­cess and fac­ul­ty exper­tise to deter­mine the edu­ca­tion qual­i­ty you will like­ly have.

· Specifics of the Program

Each pro­gram has cer­tain specifics that you ought to keep in mind. This could involve the cur­ricu­lum, options for spe­cial­iza­tion, flex­i­bil­i­ty, and many more. Make sure that the pro­gram you choose aligns with your expectations.

How to Apply for an Accelerated Degree

Once you have found a pro­gram that meets your needs, the accel­er­at­ed degree appli­ca­tion process is straight­for­ward. Below are some steps you should go through:

1. Find out when the dead­line is and sub­mit your appli­ca­tion before that date.
2. Col­lect all the nec­es­sary doc­u­ments and pre­req­ui­sites, includ­ing let­ters of rec­om­men­da­tion and per­son­al statements.
3. Accu­rate­ly fill out the appli­ca­tion form pro­vid­ed by the program.
4. If applic­a­ble, pay the appli­ca­tion fees.
5. Mon­i­tor the sta­tus of your appli­ca­tion to make sure every­thing goes smoothly.
6. If required, pre­pare for the inter­view and show up on the appoint­ed date.
7. If accept­ed, care­ful­ly go through the admis­sion offer.
8. Final­ize the enroll­ment by pay­ing the required tuition, reg­is­ter­ing for cours­es, and attend­ing orientation.

Remem­ber that these are some gen­er­al steps, but they might vary from pro­gram to pro­gram, so you should do your research first.

Challenges and Considerations of Accelerated Programs

These fast-track pro­grams offer many advan­tages, but there are also some draw­backs you need to be aware of. Some com­mon accel­er­at­ed degree chal­lenges include the following:

1. Demanding Pace

One of the great­est chal­lenges stu­dents face with accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s degrees is keep­ing up with the demand­ing pace. With these pro­grams, the class­es are con­densed into short­er lessons, mean­ing you will need to absorb the same infor­ma­tion much faster. If you have oth­er com­mit­ments in life, such as a job, this fast pace could be quite chal­leng­ing for you.

2. Difficulty in Obtaining Balance

Depend­ing on your com­mit­ments, bal­anc­ing accel­er­at­ed stud­ies with oth­er dai­ly tasks might prove prob­lem­at­ic. As the cours­es have an accel­er­at­ed rate, you may have to han­dle more than one assign­ment at a time. This leaves few win­dows for your­self, your hob­bies, and your loved ones.

3. Limited Breaks

Where­as tra­di­tion­al bachelor’s degree pro­grams have breaks between semes­ters and inten­sive study ses­sions, we can­not say the same about accel­er­at­ed pro­grams. This means that you might not have much time to recharge after you worked hard to study for your exams. These inten­sive bachelor’s pro­grams could put you under pres­sure, which may feel over­whelm­ing for some students.

Top 5 Schools for an Accelerated Bachelor’s Degree

North­east­ern Uni­ver­si­ty – North­east­ern offers accel­er­at­ed path­ways in fields such as busi­ness, IT, and health sci­ences. This approach pro­vides flex­i­bil­i­ty and valu­able job place­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties post-graduation.

Uni­ver­si­ty of Ari­zona – Arizona’s online pro­gram pro­vides accel­er­at­ed options in pop­u­lar majors like infor­ma­tion sci­ence and cyber­se­cu­ri­ty. With com­pet­i­tive tuition rates and high nation­al rank­ings, it attracts stu­dents seek­ing a faster, rep­utable degree com­ple­tion route.

East­ern Ken­tucky Uni­ver­si­ty – EKU offers afford­able, fast-track online degrees in sub­jects like busi­ness, crim­i­nal jus­tice, and nurs­ing. Its accel­er­at­ed struc­ture and strong rank­ings make it a great choice for those aim­ing to grad­u­ate quick­ly with­out sac­ri­fic­ing quality.

Thomas Edi­son State Uni­ver­si­ty – TESU offers a vari­ety of accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s degrees, includ­ing busi­ness, com­mu­ni­ca­tions, and com­put­er sci­ence. Its afford­able tuition, flex­i­ble cred­it-trans­fer poli­cies, and sol­id rank­ings make it ide­al for non-tra­di­tion­al stu­dents or those with pri­or learn­ing credits.

West Texas A&M Uni­ver­si­ty – Known for afford­abil­i­ty and top region­al rank­ings, West Texas A&M offers accel­er­at­ed online options in busi­ness, nurs­ing, and com­mu­ni­ca­tions. It’s an attrac­tive choice for stu­dents look­ing to com­plete a degree in less time with excel­lent sup­port from on-cam­pus faculty.

Tips for Success in an Accelerated Program

When it comes to study­ing, some indi­vid­u­als could strug­gle to find the right bal­ance. If you are one of them, check the tips that can help you meet your goals:

· Use the Right Time Management Strategies

Since the class­es are rel­a­tive­ly con­densed, it’s essen­tial to cre­ate a time man­age­ment strat­e­gy and stick to it. Set up a sched­ule, deter­mine what your pri­or­i­ties are, and min­i­mize dis­trac­tions while you are study­ing. Remem­ber that breaks are cru­cial to pro­duc­tiv­i­ty, so break­ing your projects into small­er tasks might prove beneficial.

· Seek Support from Wherever Possible

Accel­er­at­ed pro­grams are rather demand­ing and tire­some, so you will need as much sup­port as pos­si­ble from your peers and your insti­tu­tion. Use tutor­ing ser­vices when nec­es­sary and join peer study groups. To make it eas­i­er to study while bal­anc­ing com­mit­ments, you should rely on your fam­i­ly and friends for support. 

· Make the Most of the Timeline

Mak­ing the most of the con­densed learn­ing sched­ule could help you retain the infor­ma­tion bet­ter. Use edu­ca­tion­al tools and tech­no­log­i­cal apps while active­ly par­tic­i­pat­ing in class­es. Stay orga­nized, but most impor­tant­ly, don’t for­get to prac­tice self-care.

Accelerated Degree FAQs

As accel­er­at­ed pro­grams are not as com­mon as tra­di­tion­al ones, many stu­dents have queries about these degrees. Here are the most com­mon ones, along with their answers.

1. What Financial Aid Options Are Available for Accelerated Programs?

Like tra­di­tion­al pro­grams, accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s degrees offer dif­fer­ent financ­ing options. You can opt for grants, schol­ar­ships, and stu­dent loans to cov­er your fees. The good news is that many of these pro­grams come with their own finan­cial aid sys­tems. So, it is rec­om­mend­ed to do some thor­ough research on them before mak­ing your choice.

2. How Do Employers View Accelerated Degrees?

For the most part, accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s degrees are regard­ed by employ­ers in the same way as a tra­di­tion­al bachelor’s pro­gram. The only con­di­tion is that it should be accred­it­ed by a reli­able insti­tu­tion, prov­ing its authenticity.

3. Can I Transfer Credits from Other Institutions?

This most­ly depends on the pro­gram that you are opt­ing for. If you have fol­lowed rel­e­vant cours­es before or gath­ered cred­it based on expe­ri­ence, some insti­tu­tions might allow you to trans­fer them. It’s worth check­ing with their pol­i­cy before you apply, as they should make this infor­ma­tion trans­par­ent beforehand.

The Bottom Line

Accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s degrees can be just as use­ful as tra­di­tion­al ones when find­ing a job. The advan­tage is that you will get your cer­ti­fi­ca­tion faster to enter the work­force as soon as pos­si­ble. Before mak­ing your choice, do your research and find a course that aligns with your goals. Once you do that, you can suc­ceed in the accel­er­at­ed pro­gram by stay­ing organized.

Sources:

Wall Street Journal

Busi­ness News Daily

Inside High­er Ed