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Regents approve 90-credit accelerated bachelor policy and new AI, IT and bioinformatics programs
Summary
The Board approved a statewide policy allowing 90-credit accelerated bachelor's degrees and accepted new academic program proposals including a first-in-state BS in Artificial Intelligence at LSU A&M and two 90-credit accelerated degrees at LSU Alexandria (Information Technology and Bioinformatics). SACSCOC approval and substantive-change reviews were discussed.
The Board of Regents approved a policy permitting 90-credit accelerated bachelor's degrees statewide, a step staff said will let campuses design targeted, shorter-degree pathways focused on workforce needs. Deputy Commissioner Tristan Denley described the 90-hour degree as a "tall, skinny degree" that maintains bachelor-level learning objectives while allowing up to 12 credit hours of general-education objectives to be satisfied by upper-division discipline coursework.
As part of academic program approvals, the board approved an AS in Health Studies at Baton Rouge Community College, a BS in Aviation at LSU Alexandria and the state's first BS in Artificial Intelligence at LSU A&M. Denley described the AI bachelor's as an engineering-focused degree that trains students to become AI engineers, requiring rigorous mathematics, computer science and AI theory.
LSU Alexandria presented two of the first accelerated 90-credit bachelor programs (Information Technology and Bioinformatics) and President Paul Correll described workforce demand supporting the proposals. Staff noted that SACSCOC recently created a reduced-hour bachelor's category and campuses will seek substantive-change approval for their first accelerated programs.
The board approved staff recommendations for the policy and the program proposals.
