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UNCG student gets 4-year degree in 2 1/2
[December 13, 2012]

UNCG student gets 4-year degree in 2 1/2


GREENSBORO, Dec 13, 2012 (News & Record - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- At UNCG, Kimberly Daye found a college close to her hometown but far enough away so she could experience being on her own.

But once she attended orientation, she found the school offered another positive: a program that would let her earn her bachelor's degree in just three years. Daye signed up.

Today, she'll become the first student to graduate from the UNCG in 3 program.

"It just gets you ahead, so you can plan and save money," said Daye, a 20-year-old communications major from Roxboro. "And you get priority registration, and you're with goal-minded people." UNCG launched its accelerated degree program in fall 2010 for students who enter the university with at least 12 credit hours. The idea is moving students quickly out of the classroom and into the workforce.



Five students enrolled that fall. There are 70 students this year. The university anticipates adding another 30 next year, said Steve Moore, UNCG director of transfer and adult student academic success.

UNCG touts the program as a way to cut the cost of a college education. The university estimates UNCG in 3 graduates save about $8,000.


More schools across the country have started accelerated degree programs in recent years. But in an article last summer The Washington Post said such programs have not elicited a great response from students.

UNCG officials acknowledged their program got off to a slow start. But the school has been aggressively marketing it, dedicating a staff person to visit school systems across the state to promote it, Moore said.

UNCG offers accelerated degrees in select majors, primarily those in the liberal arts.

Moore said the university expects to add more majors next year, including several from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance.

Most students looking to earn their degrees quickly attended early or middle college high schools. They get priority registration at UNCG and supplemental advising from Moore's office to develop a three-year graduation plan. In addition to taking full course loads in the fall and spring, many take winter session and summer courses.

And there is still time for other activities that help shape the college experience, Moore said.

"We try to encourage the students, if they can, to participate in any activity that they would normally as a student," he said.

Moore said if it takes students 3{ years, that's OK, too.

"Ultimately, they're graduating much quicker than the average student would," he said.

Daye did it in just 2{. Her priority was saving money.

"I knew I needed to help my parents because they were helping me pay for college," Daye said.

Daye said she still had time to hang out with friends and serve as a student-alumni ambassador and as a member of the honor society for communications students.

"I knew when I had to study and I knew when I could go out with friends," Daye said.

Having saved money on her undergraduate education, Daye said she's applying to graduate schools. She's considering law school or teaching communications at the college level.

Moore said some students abandoned the program because they wanted to do other activities they knew would keep them in school longer.

For other students, the program is just too much, he said.

"It's not for every student," Moore said.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 373-7080.

___ (c)2012 News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.) Visit the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.) at www.news-record.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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