The University of Virginia each year attracts thousands of applicants who began their college careers in high school.
This fall, more than two-thirds of first-year students arrived with an average of 15 Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credits. With the help of summer and January Term credits, many would be able to complete their bachelor’s degrees in three years, and a few do.
Early in her tenure, U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan proposed a more formal “3+1” program to allow students to complete bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years. This fall, the University is offering more guidance and options for students who want to follow that path.
“This new emphasis builds on existing options,” Sullivan said. “The University has been a leader in creating accelerated programs to help students take advantage of a strong liberal arts education and pursue their professional goals.”
The accelerated option provides exceptionally well-prepared students the ability to reduce the time it would normally take to graduate with both degrees, said J. Milton Adams, vice provost for academic programs.
“Every year we have hundreds of students who enter U.Va. with 15 or more Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credits,” he said. “Depending on their field of study, these are the ones who could benefit from the 3+1 program.”
The program’s expansion responds to one of the objectives of Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s Higher Education Opportunity Act, passed earlier this year, which calls for 100,000 more degrees to be awarded over the next 15 years.
“Our proposal was met with enthusiasm from the governor and the General Assembly,” Sullivan said.
However, the program isn’t simply about churning out more U.Va. degrees, Adams said. “The 3+1 option isn’t for everyone,” he said. “We don’t want students to feel that they’re sacrificing their U.Va. experience.”
Several existing one-year master’s programs lend themselves to the 3+1 option. For example, the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy offers an accelerated bachelor’s/master’s in public policy degree that allows students to begin their graduate studies in the final year of their undergraduate program and earn a master’s in just one additional year. The McIntire School of Commerce has a one-year master’s in commerce, and in the Curry School of Education, students can complete both a bachelor’s degree and a master of teaching degree in five years.
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