Texas has been trying to do this for quite a while. Perhaps they should study the SNHU model.

Paul Fain of Inside Higher Ed reports.

Competency and Affordability

The $10,000 bachelor’s degree remains elusive. But Southern New Hampshire University’s College for America has unveiled self-paced, competency-based degrees that students should be able to complete for that price, or less.

The private university’s regional accreditor, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, last week gave a green light to online bachelor’s degrees in health care management and communications from College for America, which is a nonprofit subsidiary of the university.

The college first began enrolling students last year. Until this week its sole option was an associate degree in general studies.

Tuition and fees at College for America are $1,250 per six-month term. The college uses a subscription-style model in which students can complete assessments at their own speed. The associate degree is designed for students to complete in an average of two years — at a cost of $5,000.

The new bachelor’s degrees will be stacked on top of associate degrees, college officials said. That means students must first complete the associate degree — or transfer in with one from elsewhere — with the bachelor’s being the second half of the curriculum.

The bachelor’s portion should also take an average of two years to complete. As a result, students can go from start to finish in four years, spending a total of $10,000. But some will go faster, as have College for America students in the associate degree program.


 
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