Degrees In Chemistry, Computer Science, and Sustainability & Adaptation Are Designed To Move Graduates Faster Into The Workforce
Pacific University will offer Oregon’s first in-person, three-year undergraduate degree programs.
Starting in Fall 2027, students will be able to complete bachelor’s degrees in chemistry, computer science, and sustainability & adaptation with 96 credits spread over three years. The programs, approved by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the region’s accredited body, reduce the credits required for those degrees by 25%.
The three-year degree programs align with Pacific’s goal of becoming an Opportunity University. Designed for highly-focused students, the programs offer the potential to reduce student debt while delivering career-ready graduates that can enter the workforce faster.
“Pacific’s three-year degrees are built for driven students who already know exactly what they want to study and are eager to launch their careers,” said Jaye Cee Whitehead ’00, dean of Pacific’s Division & College of Undergraduate Studies. “By offering these focused pathways alongside our traditional four-year degrees, we are expanding access and affordability without sacrificing the rigorous, experiential education that Pacific is known for.”
While streamlining the path to a career, the three-year degree programs maintain the rigor of a Pacific education. Students will take all the same classes within their major as their four-year counterparts, and will have the same access to experiential learning and field experiences that are valuable to future employers.
A complement to Pacific’s traditional four-year programs, three-year degrees translate into financial value in a time when the cost of higher education continues to rise. With reductions in general education elective credits to allow for concentrated study within their major, students have the potential to eliminate one full year of tuition, fees and housing costs.
Students in three-year programs will have the same access to the same financial aid, on-campus housing and extracurricular activities as students pursuing four-year degrees.
Three-year degrees are Pacific’s latest initiative to help make higher education more affordable and accessible. Pacific Priority offers a four-year graduation guarantee for most degree programs, and a two-year graduation guarantee for graduates from community colleges in Oregon, Washington, California and Hawaiʻi. Pacific’s guaranteed grad school admission program allows prospective students to apply to one of 11 Pacific graduate programs as soon as they have deposited.