UMass to start offering 3-year degrees

The University of Massachusetts is joining a growing trend by designing a program that will allow students to earn a degree in three years as a way of making college more affordable.

Provost James Staros says there have always been some students who take on a heavy course load as a way to graduate early, but this fall freshmen majoring in economics, music, and sociology will be able to join the three-year degree track.

He says eventually, the three-year option will be available to students in one-third of the Amherst campus' 88 majors.

He tells The Boston Globe that under the program, highly focused students entering with enough Advanced Placement credits will be able to design a three-year course of study with the help of advisers. That course may include online and summer classes.