Beyond the Credit Cut: A Design Thinking Model for Developing Quality Three-Year Bachelor Degrees
September 29, 2026
12noon to 1:00PM Eastern Time
The three-year, reduced-credit bachelor’s degree is gaining national traction, but some in higher education view it as a shortcut, a dilution of quality and rigor. This session reframes that narrative by sharing how the American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) designed a 90-credit Bachelor of Science in Integrative Healthcare and Wellness Coaching using a design thinking framework that embedded quality assurance, workforce relevance, and institutional readiness at every step.
Presenters will provide an overview of the current landscape of reduced-credit degrees, including emerging approaches to how reduced-credit bachelors are structured, followed by a detailed case study of ACHS’s intentional design process. Participants will receive practical tools, including a Readiness Assessment Matrix and Graduate Profile Framework, and leave with a replicable roadmap template for developing reduced-credit degrees that maintain academic integrity while improving access, affordability, and workforce alignment.
Presenters:
Tiffany Rodriguez, Ph.D.; Chief Academic Officer, American College of Healthcare Sciences and Co-Founder, Educational Strategy & Design Group
Sonny Calderon, MFA; Vice President for Academic Affairs, New York Film Academy and Co-Founder, Educational Strategy & Design Group
Cost: this event is free for NEean members, and costs $15 for non-members.
An email will be sent to registrants on September 28
with log in information for the webinar.
Notification of Session Recording
Please be advised that this session will be recorded and the recording shared with attendees and NEean members.
