Interested in saving time and money? Three years to earn a highly respected four-year college degree may sound like impossible math, yet every year motivated students like you are making it happen. The formula for earning a bachelor’s degree in three years – even something as ambitious as a Human Biology Degree – is entirely doable. Here’s how.
More College Credit Hours: The Key to the 3
First, remember that earning a bachelor’s degree is all about achieving the correct number of college credit hours. Technically, colleges consider that an average of 12 hours a semester is full-time. Plus, most colleges offer a full-schedule fall and spring semester and a limited summer session. Often, summer classes offered may not be applicable for a career-track degree like for a BS in Human biology or other life sciences degree.
No wonder completing a bachelor’s degree in only four years is getting stretched out. Overall, the average time for a bachelor’s degree is 5.1 years, so efficiently completing a degree happens only with a solid plan and a lot of determination. Remember, college is not like high school; some 86 percent of first-year students in a yearly national survey said they do plan to graduate from college on time. Years of statistics, however, show only about a third of that number actually achieve their goal.
There must be a smarter way to get through college, right?
A Human Biology Degree in 3 Years
So now imagine applying your great study habits, a knack for staying organized, and a proven ability in math and life sciences to earn a bachelor’s degree in biology or human biology. You might choose a BS in human biology because you’re drawn to a career in the health sciences, such as:
Each of these college degrees means going beyond the bachelor’s degree (undergraduate degree) to graduate school. The number of years to earn these graduate degrees varies. A chiropractic degree (D.C.) is 3.3 years, and a medical degree (M.D.) usually takes four years plus a two-to-three year residency. A BS in Human Biology is a time-tested degree option for both the D.C. and M.D. degrees.
How to Prepare for the Human Biology Degree
It’s pretty easy seeing the benefits of reducing the amount of time you spend in school. Less time in school means reducing the money spent on housing, food, tuition and fees. Plus, you could graduate and be in the workforce a year earlier than someone in a traditional four-year plan.
To go the three-year route will require more of your determination and focus. Your college classes will likely be accelerated, which means the same amount of knowledge in a shorter term, and delivered in a year-round schedule. If you do choose a challenging degree in life sciences like a BS in Human Biology, the college usually has plenty of help available:
A Solid Plan for a College Degree
Here’s a 6-step plan to put your college education on the fast track while in high school.
1. Begin with the right pre-college education
For an undergraduate human biology degree, for example, have a record of academic success, most likely a high school GPA of 3.0 or better. Your class schedule should include challenging classes: Algebra or higher math, biology or life sciences, anatomy, and chemistry courses with laboratory requirements.
2. Go beyond the ordinary
Explore your options among the advanced placement (AP) or international baccalaureate (IB) classes, which count for college credits.
3. Dual-credit classes
Many high schools have dual-enrollment courses through college partnerships. Taking those classes count for high school and college credit.
4. Do your college search homework
Look for the college that fits your style and has a three-semester (year-round) schedule. Students complete three full class schedules per year instead of two.
5. Remember the objective
Commit to an increase in college credit hours per academic term, matched with the study habits to carry it through. Instead of the traditional 12 credit hours, count on an average of 15 hours per term, and perhaps more when you’re covering foundational and prerequisite classes.
The college should have 100-percent online classes available. For more difficult subjects, online classes may be in a hybrid format, in which most work is done online. You only come to campus a certain number of times per term.
6. Online class options
If you have a college in mind, go to the advising office or college website and see what online class options might be available.
B.S. in Human Biology (and more) at CUKC
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a nonprofit, private, university that has been pioneering health care education for nearly 100 years. The University is in Overland Park, Kansas, the largest suburb in the Kansas City metro. The University offers degrees through its College of Chiropractic and associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees through the College of Health Sciences.
At CUKC, students can complete the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Human Biology degree in as little as three years. Many CUKC students who are interested in a career as a chiropractor choose to pursue the B.S. in Human Biology degree and the Doctor of Chiropractic degrees through a Concurrent B.S./D.C. program. The concurrent option helps students who want to become a doctor of chiropractic to maximize the value of their overall education through an accelerated educational plan.
Does a human biology degree in 3 years appeal to you? Discover more about the BS in Human Biology degree at CUKC today!
