A fifth of Cal State University students may like the idea that their bachelor’s degree will now only require 120 units. However, there is a chance this change could diminish the quality of their education. Students may want to consider this before donning their caps and gowns earlier than previously required.
The CSU Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to change Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, capping most bachelor’s degree programs at 120 units. The change affects 18 percent of CSU bachelor’s degree programs and 20 percent of undergraduate students in the CSU.
The degrees that are exempt from the change include architecture, music, fine arts and landscape architecture.
It is surprising that engineering degrees are not included in the exemption. Those degrees could be included in the exemption should Chancellor Timothy P. White deem them so. White was chosen as chancellor less than four months ago. This month marked his first time he chaired the Board of Trustees meeting. That is a lot of responsibility for a new chancellor.
The purpose behind this change is to get students to graduate faster. The fewer units students are required to take, the quicker those students will be to putting on their cap and gown. By allowing more students to graduate faster, the CSU would be able to admit more students in the system.
Cal State Long Beach President F. King Alexander said CSULB alone could admit 500 to 600 more students.
So, yes, the unit cap might make the CSU more efficient; it might lower the costs to students. However, leaving the CSU earlier may backfire in most graduates’ faces.
Most students attend a CSU with the expectation that they will earn a degree that will eventually get them a job. They expect the major they choose will prepare them for the professional world. The CSU has done a good job of preparing its students for the next step with a valuable education.
However, if a student’s degree program is cut in units, does that decrease the value of that student’s education? Does it make the student less prepared for the post-graduation world?
Instead of getting a complete education from their major, students will miss out on classes that were previously required by the major. This is not because the classes will be gone but because the unit cap now gives students the option to finish school earlier. Whether these classes were needed to prepare a student for the next step, they will find out the hard way on their first day at their new job.
Now, not all students will choose to graduate at 120 units. It is not a cap that students cannot exceed; it is one that applies to degree programs. Still, even students who want to take more units should take precaution. There have been proposals to charge fees for students who exceed a certain amount of overall units.
If the CSU really wants to put a cap on something, maybe it should be on general education requirements. While these classes help some students figure out which major they wish to pursue,they constitute a large portion of a bachelor’s degree. Now with the cap, that portion will be even larger for 20 percent of CSU students. In respect to the CSU’s financial situation, some cuts have to be made, but when students graduate with a degree, it should be worth every penny.