The Massachusetts Teachers Association urges the state Board of Higher Education to leave in place the required 120 credit hours of coursework needed to obtain a bachelor’s degree.
MTA’s higher education leaders maintain that proposals to allow a degree requiring less than 120 credit hours will inevitably water down the bachelor’s degree, create a two-tiered system of higher education, and undermine the mission of colleges and universities to inspire creativity and critical thinking, while preparing students for careers and civic engagement.
The MTA represents faculty and staff at almost all of the community colleges, state universities and UMass campuses. Members have been advocating for decades to make public higher education more affordable but reject the idea that reducing credit hours is a shrewd way to lower costs.
“Massachusetts and especially its public colleges and universities cannot fall for this gimmick that will hollow out bachelor’s degree programs under the guise of affordability,” said Salem State University professor Joanna Gonsalves, who co-chairs the MTA’s Higher Education Leadership Council.
The Board of Higher Education is poised to vote on whether to accept pilot programs for sub-120-credit-hour degrees.
“Greater state investment in student aid is the solution to affordability at public colleges and universities,” said MTA President Max Page. “Students who cannot afford the cost of higher education should not be forced into programs that limit their ability to fully partake in the benefits of pursuing a degree.”
In testimony opposing the pilot program given to the BHE, Page pointed out:
- The sub-120-credit-hour bachelor’s degree compromises the mission of higher education. The requirement of 120 credit hours of coursework is aligned with national standards that integrate general education, major studies and opportunities for exploration.
- Today’s workforce requires graduates to have more grounding in critical thinking skills and the humanities to properly deploy and most effectively use rapidly changing technology.
- A shortened degree path removes opportunities for students to discover the academic and career paths they are best suited for and most interested in.
- The sub-120-credit-hour degree would affect associate and graduate programs.
- These pilot programs will lead to a two-tiered system of higher education — one for students who can afford a four-year degree and one for those who cannot — with the latter given a diminished college experience.
“The increasing use of artificial intelligence in the workplace makes it especially important for college graduates to be critical thinkers and problem solvers ready to tackle higher-order tasks,” said MTA Vice President Deb McCarthy. “Reducing credit hours for a degree does not align with our state’s attempt to revamp high school graduation requirements to emphasize deeper learning.”
