I have written many articles related to finishing your bachelor’s degree in three years (or quicker). Some of the approaches I brought to light were through the use of traditional 3 year programs offered at various colleges and universities. Other techniques required some extra work (and planning) before and during college. The end result is a quality education at a bargain price because you shaved some extra semesters off the length of your program.

Everyone has always focused on shortening the time frame for getting a bachelor’s degree but a community college in Indiana is applying the same principle to the associates degree.

Ivy Tech, located in Fort Wayne Indiana, has developed an accelerated associate program that will graduate small cohorts (12 – 20) of students within a one year time frame. This program is cited as not being for the academically challenged and is working with local guidance counselors to identify students that are “college ready” and expected to excel within the framework of how this curriculum will be executed.

The concentration of studies will be in Health Care Support, General Education, and Computer Information Systems. This program is being backed by a $2.3 million dollar grant by the Lumina Foundation and a $270,000 grant provided by the Indiana Higher Education Commission. The overall goal of the one year associates degree is to help increase graduation rates and reduce costs for the students.

Seems like a great idea to me… Get your associates degree in a year and if you are eager, transfer the credits to a bachelor degree program. Either way, it is a great way to help save on education costs and complete your degree goals ahead of schedule.

For more information, you can visit Ivy Tech Community College online here.