Have you ever had the experience of taking a class in college that you took in high school, and realizing that a lot of the course material was similar? Maybe you remembered the whole course from high school and felt like the college course wasn’t worth the money, or maybe you didn’t remember anything and felt like the course was worth it. I have definitely had this happen a couple of times, and it has made me think: “Why is college four years instead of two?”
High school students take at least four English or writing courses, three to four mathematics, history, and science courses, so why are we taking courses in college that we may have already taken? Why did I take forensic science in high school, only to take the course again in college and have to learn most of the same stuff?
A two-year college program in which students can get a bachelor’s degree would allow students to spend less money, give students the opportunity to take more classes they care about, and make every class feel necessary and meaningful.
Yes, associate degrees do exist, and those are two-year programs; however, having a two-year bachelor’s degree program would be a little different. Most associate degrees are still 30-36 credits of core curriculum, while this bachelor’s program would not include any core curriculum and would be fully based on the student’s major and academic goals.
For some, AP, IB classes, or dual enrollment may not have been as accessible as they were for others, but that doesn’t mean that the course material doesn’t overlap. I have taken CP or Honors courses in high school and then taken the college equivalent, and it’s been mostly the same course with most of the same material.
Most college students don’t care about the course material when it comes to these KP courses. Usually, these courses are boring and cause a lot more stress than the courses that these students are interested in. Aren’t you meant to be taking courses that you like in college and that are to help you progress toward the degree that you’re getting? If that’s the case, then why did I have to take a history course, considering history is nothing close to what I want to do?
Having a class feel necessary would make students more likely to do well in the course, and would make students feel like their money is going towards something actually good and productive. If bachelor’s degrees were only two years, we would likely see more people willing to attend college, and we would see more affordable prices all around.
–April 7, 2026–
