Aspiring educators may choose the accelerated bachelor's degree in education or special education and teaching license from the National Teacher Education Center in Northfield, Illinois. Designed for full-time workers who need to keep their present jobs while attending school, the program allows students to transfer in college credits and use work experience for credit toward the bachelor's degree. Online instruction and seminars supplement student teaching experience to build upon the 55 credits or associate's degree that incoming students are expected to hold. Students can complete the program in as little as 19 months.
Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa, offers accelerated bachelor's degrees in social and criminal justice, health care administration and organizational management through the ASPIRE program (Affordable, Specialized, Personal, Innovative, Rewarding Education). Classes meet one night weekly for five weeks on campus or online. Students spend time outside of class studying and investigating topics. Ashford allows students to transfer up to 99 of the approximately 120 required credits for the bachelor's degree. Work experience and life credits may also count toward completion.
Western Governors University functions differently from many other colleges. Rather than requiring students to accumulate credits, WGU checks competency areas. Classes take place via Internet and textbooks, but students can prove their understanding of course material through assessment and then move on to the next course. Assessment strategies include exams, projects and essays. Therefore, students with strong backgrounds may finish the bachelor's program long before others. The university offers programs in education, business, nursing and information technology.
For those who prefer more traditional classroom experience, Nance College of Business Administration within Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, offers an accelerated bachelor's that allows students to receive the degree in three years. Aimed at working adults, the college schedules the upper-division business courses at night in six- or ten-week sessions. Students in the accelerated program get priority admission to required courses. Availability is limited, so students should apply for the program early and schedule carefully with an adviser's assistance.
Read carefully before signing up for an accelerated bachelor's degree program at any school. Many colleges and universities require those in the program to have already completed a certain number of credits. Accelerated classes and programs run fewer weeks than standard ones. However, a student who takes one class every eight weeks each semester won't complete the degree any faster than one who takes two classes that run the entire semester. Many institutions allow transfer credits, challenge testing and work and life experience credits to accelerate a degree.