A state lawmaker would like to see Kentucky's regional universities "fast track" their degree programs to save students money and get them into the labor force more quickly. Republican Senator Jared Carpenter of Berea says students are piling up debt and taking some courses that really aren't necessary."Things have changed and we have to progress with it, change with it. Everybody doesn't have to have all these basic electives," maintains Carpenter.
Meanwhile, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education says schools are reducing the number of credit hours needed for most degree programs to 120. However, the CPE's Aaron Thompson says schools also need to ensure the quality of their programs.
"We have to do it with good assessment and good accountability with these accelerated programs. In the past there's been some accelerated programs put in place that didn't have the quality," Thompson replied. "They may have gotten you through faster, but the learning and the competencies weren't there."
The issue was brought up last week in Frankfort at a meeting of an interim education committee.