Teaching is an art and learning is a science. Conversely, teaching is a science and learning is an art. Neither is inherently costly, yet Americans annually spend ~$100B on the structure of education. This presentation looks at a reason for the rising costs of higher education and suggests a method for lowering that cost without compromising the educational quality (course content/student experience) or the educational product (an educated citizenry). Since the suggestion changes higher education policy, a call to action--asking attendees to speak against the presented reason for the rising costs--will be the culminating point of the presentation.

1. The Pri¢e of Higher €ducation:
An Issue and a $olution

2. What We Will Cover
• Reasons for the rising costs of higher education
• How to lower costs without compromising quality

3. Caveat
The views and opinions expressed in this
presentation are those of the presenters and do
not necessarily reflect the official policy or position
of the presenters’ employer.

4. Rising Costs

6. 4 Year Tuition & Fee Cost
Source: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2017-09-20/see-20-years-of-tuition-growth-at-national-universities
Good

7. 2/4 Year College Tuition Increases
Good

8. Tuition and Room & Board
Increases (Last 30 Years)
Good

9. Student Loan Implications
Source: MarketWatch
Good

10. Costs of Education
• Faculty
• Staff Costs | Administrative Cost Rises
• Brick and Mortar Costs

11. Primary Causes of Rising Tuition

12. Degree Creep
Source: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/dismissed-by-degrees_707b3f0e-a772-40b7-8f77-aed4a16016cc.pdf

13. Use of Adjuncts/Part-Time Faculty

14. Workforce Implications

15. Secondary & Tertiary Causes of
Rising Tuition, Implications, and
Remedies
• Minimum Degree Requirements
• Accreditation Costs
• Implications
• Methods for Lowering Costs

16. Minimum Degree Requirements
• Program Credit Constitution
– General Education compared to Electives and
Major Courses of Study (Typical Requirements)
• 40 General Education Credits
• 40 Major Credits
• 40 Credits Outside of Major

17. Workforce Implications
Source: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/dismissed-by-degrees_707b3f0e-a772-40b7-8f77-aed4a16016cc.pdf

18. Hidden Factors of College-Going
Culture
- Verified College Potential vs.
College Capital Awareness

19. Suggested Solution

20. Methods for Lowering Costs
– CBE and Online Instruction
• Time to degree
• Reduction/elimination of brick and mortar costs
– Faculty Costs
• Disaggregated Faculty Model
• Minimum Terminal Degree Necessity (degree
creep)

21. Methods for Lowering Costs
– Permit faculty without terminal degrees
– Reduce the minimum credit requirement for
degrees
– Rein in the proliferation of state oversight
agencies

23. Case in Point
• The field of Certified Professional Accountancy
– Now requires 150 credits to be a licensed
CPA

24. Full-time Students
Typical Why Not?
FT Load Requirement
(times 2 semesters/year)
15 12
Cost per Credit $600 $600
Years to Completion 4 4
Total Credits 120 96
Total Cost $72,000 $57,600
Source: https://studentloanhero.com/featured/cost-per-credit-hour-study

25. Full-time Students
Typical Why Not?
FT Load Requirement
(times 2 semesters/year)
15 12
Cost per Credit $600 $600
Years to Completion 4 4
Total Credits 120 96
Total Cost $72,000 $57,600
Source: https://studentloanhero.com/featured/cost-per-credit-hour-study

26. Radical Alternative
Typical Why Not?
FT Load Requirement
(times 2 semesters/year)
15 10
Cost per Credit $600 $600
Years to Completion 4 4
Total Credits 120 80
Total Cost $72,000 $48,000
Source: https://studentloanhero.com/featured/cost-per-credit-hour-study
26 CFR 54.4980H: 30 hours/week

27. Mathematics of Student Savings
• The Federal Government
codifies a semester as
being 12 credits
– 15 credits x 4 years =
120 credits
– Average cost per credit
(tuition and fees at public
4-year colleges in-state)
= $585.20 in 2015-16
– Total tuition cost =
$70,224
– 12 credits x 4 years = 96
credits
– Average cost per credit
(tuition and fees at public
4-year colleges in-state)
= $585.20 in 2015-16
– Total tuition cost =
$56,179
• Reduction of 24 credits is
$14,045 in savings
– *This does not include
room and board or the
higher cost of attending a
private school or being
out-of-state.
Source: https://studentloanhero.com/featured/cost-per-credit-hour-study

28. Mathematics of Student Savings
• The Federal Government
codifies a semester as
being 12 credits
– 15 credits x 4 years =
120 credits
– Average cost per credit
(tuition and fees at public
4-year colleges in-state)
= $585.20 in 2015-16
– Total tuition cost =
$70,224
– 10 credits x 4 years = 80
credits
– Average cost per credit
(tuition and fees at public
4-year colleges in-state)
= $585.20 in 2015-16
– Total tuition cost =
$46,816
• Reduction of 40 credits is
$23,408 in savings
– *This does not include
room and board or the
higher cost of attending a
private school or being
out-of-state.
Source: https://studentloanhero.com/featured/cost-per-credit-hour-study

29. Regional Credit Requirements

30. State-Specific Credit Requirements

31. Regional Credit Requirements

32. State-Specific Credit Requirements

33. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• Office of Post Secondary Education: § 668.8 ( c )
– (i) The program is at least two academic years in length
and provides an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree, a
professional degree, or an equivalent degree as
determined by the Secretary; or (ii) Each course within the
program is acceptable for full credit toward that institution’s
associate degree, bachelor’s degree, professional degree,
or equivalent degree as determined by the Secretary
provided that— (A) The institution’s degree requires at
least two academic years of study;

34. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• Office of Post Secondary Education: § 668.8 ( c )
– (i) The program is at least two academic years in length
and provides an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree, a
professional degree, or an equivalent degree as
determined by the Secretary; or (ii) Each course within the
program is acceptable for full credit toward that institution’s
associate degree, bachelor’s degree, professional degree,
or equivalent degree as determined by the Secretary
provided that— (A) The institution’s degree requires at
least two academic years of study;

35. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• WASC Senior College and University Commission: §602. 16 ( a )
– Program length may be seen as one of several measures of quality and as
a proxy measure for scope of the objectives of degrees or credentials
offered. Traditionally offered degree programs are generally approximately
120 semester credit hours for a bachelor’s degree, and 30 semester credit
hours for a master's degree; there is greater variation at the doctoral level
depending on the type of program. For programs offered in non-traditional
formats, for which program length is not a relevant and/or reliable quality
measure, reviewers should ensure that available information clearly defines
desired program outcomes and graduation requirements, that institutions
are ensuring that program outcomes are achieved, and that there is a
reasonable correlation between the scope of these outcomes and
requirements and those typically found in traditionally offered degrees or
programs tied to program length.

36. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• WASC Senior College and University Commission: §602. 16 ( a )
– Program length may be seen as one of several measures of quality and as
a proxy measure for scope of the objectives of degrees or credentials
offered. Traditionally offered degree programs are generally approximately
120 semester credit hours for a bachelor’s degree, and 30 semester
credit hours for a master's degree; there is greater variation at the doctoral
level depending on the type of program. For programs offered in non-
traditional formats, for which program length is not a relevant and/or reliable
quality measure, reviewers should ensure that available information clearly
defines desired program outcomes and graduation requirements, that
institutions are ensuring that program outcomes are achieved, and that
there is a reasonable correlation between the scope of these outcomes and
requirements and those typically found in traditionally offered degrees or
programs tied to program length.

37. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• Colorado Post-Secondary Education Statues: §23-1-125(1)
– (a) Students should be able to complete their
associate of arts and associate of science
degree programs in no more than sixty credit
hours or their baccalaureate programs in no
more than one hundred twenty credit hours
unless there are additional degree requirements
recognized by the commission

38. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• Colorado Post-Secondary Education Statues: §23-1-125(1)
– (a) Students should be able to complete their
associate of arts and associate of science
degree programs in no more than sixty credit
hours or their baccalaureate programs in no
more than one hundred twenty credit hours
unless there are additional degree requirements
recognized by the commission

39. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• Idaho Bd. Of Ed; Governing Policies; §III (E)(d)
– Each institution will establish the number of
earned credits required for each degree.

40. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board
Policies
– 3.36 Academic Programs; Part 3. Authorized
Academic Awards. Subpart C. Academic program
credit length limits. Academic programs that lead
to an associate degree shall be limited to 60
credits and academic programs that lead to a
baccalaureate degree shall be limited to 120
credits.

41. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board
Policies
– 3.36 Academic Programs; Part 3. Authorized
Academic Awards. Subpart C. Academic program
credit length limits. Academic programs that lead
to an associate degree shall be limited to 60
credits and academic programs that lead to a
baccalaureate degree shall be limited to 120
credits.

42. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• South Carolina Commission on Higher Education -
CHE Regulations
– ‘Bachelor’s degree program’ is defined as an
undergraduate program of study leading to the
first bachelor’s degree as defined by the U.S.
Department of Education.

43. Legal Justification for Reduced
Minimum Credit Requirements
• South Carolina Commission on Higher Education -
CHE Regulations
– ‘Bachelor’s degree program’ is defined as an
undergraduate program of study leading to the
first bachelor’s degree as defined by the U.S.
Department of Education.

44. Closing: Calls to Action
• Advocate for interventions that curb rising costs
on both macro and micro levels
• Proactively implement measures at the
institutional level to lower costs
– Staffing, Curriculum, Facilities, Etc.
• Review state codes and find redundancies that
drive rising costs
– Innovate and Disrupt!

45. Closing: Specific Calls to Action
• Reduce baccalaureate programs’ minimum
credit requirements

46. Questions?