Nebraska State College System approves new graduation requirements

The key changes are to reduce the number of credit hours needed to graduate from 125 to 120 and to reduce the number of credit hours required for general education. The policy will now require faculty and administrators at Chadron, Peru and Wayne State Colleges to design their undergraduate degree programs based on 120 credits with a maximum of 42 credit hours required in general education.

The proposed policy changes have been widely discussed at the three colleges and the college presidents and chief academic officers were instrumental in designing the new requirements. The change made in the credit hour requirement will be implemented in such a way to ensure that NSCS academic programs retain their excellence and that NSCS graduates will be well prepared to join the workforce.

Any exceptions to the 120 credit hour requirement must be approved by the NSCS Board of Trustees. Programs that require more than 120 credit hours because of specific accrediting body standards will be exempt from the new limits. Accordingly, several teacher education programs will be exempt from the policy due to the requirements established by the Nebraska Department of Education. Students earning a degree in accounting who plan to become a certified public accountant will also enroll in a program requiring more than 120 credits hours for graduation.

NSCS Chancellor Stan Carpenter, who currently serves on the steering committee of the P-16 Initiative in Nebraska, said, “We want students to successfully complete college and enter the workforce in a timely manner, without compromising the quality of their education. Faculty and administrators are willing to examine new ways of looking at the curriculum and instructional delivery methods. Changing the graduation requirements will address the issue of “time to graduation” which has been a national discussion.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by NSCS Board member Roger Breed who said, “As Commissioner of Education and co-chair of the P-P-16 Initiative, I strongly support this decision by the Board of Trustees. The focus of the P-16 initiative is to ensure that students can successfully travel through all stages of their educational journey, from preschool through college. Not only must we increase the college going rate, we must also ensure that our students graduate in a timely manner.”

Chadron, Peru and Wayne State Colleges join the ranks of many colleges and universities around the country in establishing a 120 credit hour graduation requirement, which will reduce the cost of earning a degree.

While the average debt load for a student graduating from one of the Nebraska State Colleges is considerably less than the national average, further reducing it greatly benefits students.

Gary Bieganski, chair of the NSCS academic, personnel and student affairs committee, said, “The state colleges are about eliminating barriers to students seeking a college degree in Nebraska. With the increasing demand for a college educated workforce, the Nebraska State College System remains committed to ensuring our students have the ability earn a degree in four years without breaking the bank.”