How I Finished My SUU Bachelor's Degree in 2 Years
Posted: March 15, 2024 | Author: Madelyn Bushman | Read Time: 6 minutes
Are you like I was – wanting to finish your bachelor’s degree fast? Do you want to ensure you are on the right track to complete your degree in 4 years or less?
It is indeed possible, even at state schools that have traditional semesters. I was able to complete my bachelor’s degree in two years by utilizing some tools, techniques, resources and opportunities available to all T-Birds. And I’m going to give you the inside scoop.
To be fair, your ability to finish college quickly may vary depending on a bunch of factors, such as where you are in school now, whether you can be a full-time student, how many credits you can transfer, the difficulty of the courses in your major and even your propensity for planning.
My 2-year Graduation Plan
So, how did I finish my degree in two years? Let me list my steps for you, then we will dive deeper into each piece.
- Researched the pre-requisite courses and course offerings to find the shortest path to graduation for me.
- Took only relevant courses (no fluff).
- Used Degree Works to help me devise my graduation path.
- Took 16-18 credit hours each semester.
- Attended school year-round, taking advantage of summer semesters.
- Transferred concurrent enrollment credits from high school.
Let’s take a look at what steps you need to take to have a fast-paced college experience.
Take Courses that Fulfill Requirements
For starters, you will need to make sure that every course you are taking is required for your degree, a prerequisite for required courses or relevant to your degree. If the course doesn’t fulfill any elective requirements or is not directly relevant to your major requirements, it might not be the best course for you to take to graduate early.
Also, you will want to stack up your courses every semester. This means having to take around 16-18 credit hours each semester, depending on your degree. Incidentally, most schools consider 12 credit hours to be full-time enrollment (this is related to federal financial aid). Consider your situation to determine if you can handle the extra class load. Taking extra courses that don’t apply to your degree plan might impact your course load, amount of credit hours, the overall amount of tuition you pay and more.
Learn how to use Degree Works
SUU uses Degree Works software to help students and their advisors construct a degree plan. This can be one of your best assets for helping you finish your degree fast.
In your SUU portal, Degree Works is located under the Resources tab. Within Degreeworks, you have two tabs - Worksheets and Plans - which enable you to monitor your degree progress and requirements, explore pre-existing degree plans and craft your personalized plan.
Worksheets and What-Ifs
Under the Worksheets tab, you can see your major, advisor, GPA and credits. From there you can see your degree progress laid out in terms of requirements for your degree and major. It will list every course requirement, prerequisite and elective credit you need to meet your degree and major requirements.
When viewing the courses required for your degree, you can click on the blue titles to pull up additional information. This will give you a description of the course and let you know if there are any prerequisites, what semesters the course is offered or if there are any registration restrictions.
There is also a What-If section in the Worksheets tab where you can conduct a What-If analysis based on catalog year, degree, major, concentration and minor. There is even an option to include additional areas of study and future classes.
Plans and Templates
Your advisors can make plans for your degree, but you can also! In the Plans tab, you can create a plan either from a selected template or from scratch.
From scratch, you can create a plan to gauge what courses you will be taking each semester that will align your plan with both your degree requirements and educational goals.
Advocate for Yourself
Advocating for yourself is crucial when it comes to creating a degree plan that will fit your timeline and goals. You will need to actively seek information, clarify requirements and proactively address any challenges that may arise with your degree plan.
In addition, self-advocacy empowers you to communicate your specific needs and goals with your academic advisors. This open communication is essential for exploring options such as credit transfers, degree plans, amount of credit hours each semester and more. Working closely with your advisor and advocating for yourself can help narrow down what credits you are required and eligible to take, and establish a set plan to meet all requirements.
Self-advocacy is indispensable for those aiming for a fast-paced degree. It enables you to navigate the academic landscape effectively, communicate your needs, explore opportunities for acceleration and address challenges head-on, ensuring a smoother and more efficient path toward your educational goals.
Don’t Skip the Summer Semester
If you want a fast-paced degree, the summer semester is your answer. Look ahead to see what courses are offered in the summer either online or on-campus. Summer sessions often offer accelerated 7-week courses, allowing students to cover the essential material more quickly and complete the course faster.
Carefully consider which courses to take during the summer because not all courses are offered then. In some cases, it may be wiser to take a particular course during the summer because other courses you need are only offered in the fall or spring semester.
Taking advantage of the summer semester provides an opportunity to possibly lighten your course load during the regular academic year. This might ensure a more manageable workload throughout the entire duration of your program, reducing stress and enhancing the likelihood of success, especially through a fast-paced degree.
In addition, attending summer courses enables you to stay consistently engaged with the academic material, preventing gaps in your knowledge and maintaining a continuous learning momentum. Due to the sustained focus, you may have a deeper understanding of the material and retention of information.
Planning and Puzzles
I know that not everyone has a passion for planning, puzzles and checklists like I do. Figuring out the fastest way to graduate is certainly an area where that knack has come in handy.
It would be great if Degree Works had a feature that could calculate the shortest path to graduation the way that virtual map apps can calculate the route with the quickest arrival time, or the shortest distance or a route avoiding toll roads.
But since that technology isn’t available yet, I would consult with my academic adviser and use the program course offerings list and a good old piece of paper to puzzle together the most efficient plan for me. Maybe you use sticky notes on a wall, project management software or your favorite critical path analysis app. The point is that your ingenuity and a few basic tools can help you figure out how to graduate faster.
Register early
Once your degree plan is set, there is the matter of making it happen. Pay attention to the dates when registration opens for each semester. Register for your courses on the first day it is open to you – registration opens on different days for different student segments (seniors, juniors, online, etc.). Classes do fill up and you want to make sure that you get a seat in the courses you need to stay on track.
Achieving your degree early is feasible, particularly when driven by self-advocacy, determination and motivation.
Contact your advisor today to create a fast-paced degree.
Tags: Academic SUU Online
