Cal State may soon offer degrees that take just 3 years to finish. Work experience counts, too
Mikhail Zinshteyn
May 11, 2026
Students may soon be able to earn bachelor’s degrees in as little as three years at California State University campuses as system leaders contend with a need to attract more working-age students and those without a degree eager to lift their job prospects.
The system’s trustees voted unanimously last week to allow campuses to create three new types of shortened bachelor’s degrees:
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Bachelor of Education, for aspiring teachers who want a bachelor’s focusing on teaching specifically
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Bachelor of Professional Studies, which targets employees pursuing managerial positions that will give them course credit for skills learned at past jobs
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Bachelor of Applied Studies will be geared toward students with vocational or technical training, such as in car maintenance or home heating repair
