Regional Industry & News

Pacific University to Offer Oregon’s First Three-Year-In-Person Bachelor’s Program With 25% Less Required Credits

ByPacific University will become the first university in Oregon to offer in-person three-year bachelor's degrees when it launches new programs in chemistry, computer science and sustainability & adaptation in fall 2027.

The university said the programs will require 96 credits spread across three years, cutting the usual credit load for those degrees by 25%.

Pacific said the new tracks were approved by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the regional accrediting body. The school said most of its undergraduate degrees normally require at least 124 semester credits, according to KOIN.

Pacific's announcement says students in the accelerated programs will complete the same major coursework as students in the traditional four-year versions.

The main difference is that general education elective requirements will be reduced so the degree can be finished faster. The university said the format is intended for students with a strong career focus who already know what they want to study.

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Jaye Cee Whitehead, dean of Pacific's Division and College of Undergraduate Studies, said the programs are designed to help students enter the workforce sooner while preserving the university's experiential education model, Oregon Live reported.

Pacific also said the three-year option fits its broader goal of becoming an "Opportunity University," a Carnegie classification that recognizes institutions that expand access and help students achieve strong postgraduation earnings.

The university describes itself as high-access and medium-earnings under that framework. The new degrees will be offered in Forest Grove, where Pacific's undergraduate campus is based, and they will remain fully in person.

That distinguishes them from the school's existing accelerated bachelor's completion program, which is designed for working adults and uses hybrid classes.

Pacific's academic listings also show that the university already has a range of undergraduate and graduate offerings across its campuses and delivery formats, as per PacificU.