Today, a bachelor’s degree is almost a necessity in order to
work in a professional career. Even for entry-level positions, many employers
require that candidates have at least a bachelor’s degree before they will be
considered. While several careers, such as attorney, doctor, college professor,
or psychologist require even higher degrees, a bachelor’s degree is a necessary
step in earning those higher degrees. Because a bachelor’s degree is such an
important and useful degree to acquire, many people who consider committing to
earning one first wonder exactly how long does it take to get a bachelor’s
degree?
On average, a bachelor’s degree takes four years to earn
from a college or a university. While four years is the average time for
completion, a student can find that it sometimes takes much longer to earn one.
For instance, a student who is only attending a college or university on a
part-time basis may take much longer to complete the course of studies necessary
to obtain a bachelor’s degree in a chosen subject. Or, a student who is
attending full-time, but who does not do well in all of the classes required for
a bachelor’s degree, may have a need to repeat some of the coursework involved
and therefore, could take longer to complete the required courses. Also, there
is sometimes an issue of colleges or universities being overcrowded, and due to
space limitations students are not able to enroll in all of the classes that
they need to achieve their goal of graduation in four years. These situations
can lead to students taking longer than average to complete the requirements
necessary to earn a bachelor’s degree.
A bachelor’s degree can also be
completed in less than the average of four years. Some students have reduced
their time spent in actual classroom training by large percentages simply by
earning credits through testing in certain subjects. Taking a test designed to
measure a student’s competence in a subject matter that would normally be taught
in a traditional classroom setting accomplishes this. If a student passes the
test with a satisfactory score, then the student is given credit for the course
without having to sit through the entire course itself. Such testing is offered
primarily through the College-Level Exam Preparation (CLEP) program, where
students are tested on their competency in the subjects of history, math,
science, foreign language, and English. Similar tests designed to measure a
proficient understanding in several college level courses, such as DSST, ECE,
and TECEP, are also available to help students complete the required coursework
in less than four years.
Whether a student is able to complete a bachelor’s degree in three, four, or
even five years, the most important goal is to complete the requirements for
their degree, regardless of how much time is involved. Committing to earning a
bachelor’s degree is a positive step that serves as an investment in future
goals. Anyone considering enrolling in a college or university with the hopes of
earning a bachelor’s degree is wise to investigate the options available for
earning credits through testing, and to realize that minor obstacles may occur
that can delay the desired completion date for a bachelor’s degree. However, no
matter how long it ultimately takes to complete, earning a bachelor’s degree is
well worth the time invested to do so.