KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, LouisianaLSU standarizing course hours for degrees
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Associated Press - March 5, 2010 5:24 PM ET
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - LSU has taken the first steps toward cutting the number of class hours some students need before they can get an undergraduate degree.
The LSU Board of Supervisors agreed Friday to move to a standardized system that would require most students to take 120 credit hours to earn a bachelor's degree. Some programs, like engineering programs, will require heavier course loads to meet accreditation standards.
The board's action follows recommendations from a higher education restructuring panel that suggested some degree programs required "excess hours."
The panel, the Postsecondary Education Review Commission, said class hour requirements often varied from college to college in Louisiana. The commission pushed the idea of standardization as a way to improve graduation rates and allow students to complete their course work in four years.
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