SALT LAKE CITY — Ensign College has redesigned all Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degrees to require 90 to 96-credits, enabling students to earn the degree in three years. The degrees are fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and help students graduate faster and start earning sooner, without requiring an overloaded, accelerated course schedule.

Affordability and career relevance are central to how families judge the value of a college degree, with many calling it “a cornerstone of decision-making.” Tyton Partners, a higher-ed, workforce development and investor consultancy, reported in a 2025 study that most students and parents view a 90-credit bachelor’s degree as at least as valuable, if not more valuable, than a traditional 120-credit degree.

Reducing cost increases accessibility

Completing a bachelor’s degree faster saves students time and money. “Nearly 50% of today’s college students cannot rely on help from family to pay for college,” said Ensign College President Bruce C. Kusch.“Three-year degrees reduce cost and that makes college more accessible—especially to first-generation students and underserved populations.”

Redesigned to focus on what matters

Many college ‘finish-in-three’ options rely on taking additional credits each term to compress a traditional 120-credit program into three years. Ensign’s three-year bachelor’s degrees are not compressed or accelerated but instead are redesigned from the ground up to focus on the most essential outcomes and skills graduates need to find a good first job and embark on a fulfilling career. “We have done an across-the-board redesign of ALL our BAS degrees so they can be completed in three years while maintaining the same educational outcomes,” said Academic Vice President Tim Sloan. “We evaluated every credit and every assignment, eliminated elective courses, and gave priority to hands-on, immersive experiences. 100% of our 3-year BAS degrees require an internship.”

Designed for what employers want now: validated skills and readiness

Employers increasingly prioritize demonstrated skills and readiness, not just time spent in class. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reports that nearly two-thirds of employers use skills-based hiring practices for entry-level roles.

Employers also consistently rank skills such as communication, critical and creative thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and digital literacy as very important. A 2025 Forbes article advises current graduates to stand out by leading with transferable skills which “are in high demand and are often hard for AI to replicate”. The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) reported in 2023 that employers identify these skills as lacking with many graduates, but Ensign intentionally integrates these essential capabilities in its applied, outcome-based programs.

“Hiring is increasingly skills-first,” said Mike Ray, Director of Career and Internship Services. “Our students learn by doing and our industry partners are key to helping us know what to teach. The tell us what skills they expect to see in graduates and together, with curriculum developers, we create those learning experiences in our courses.”

Karlan Evans, Boncom VP of Human Resources and Employee Experience added: “It’s not about the number of credits on a transcript. What matters is whether graduates can apply skills with good judgment and professionalism. Our quality interns and new hires from Ensign College have proven that Ensign programs deliver outcomes we trust.”

Ten areas of study across Three BAS degrees

Ensign College’s fully accredited 3-year BAS degrees include 10 areas of study. The three-year BAS degrees deliver bachelor-level learning outcomes and are designed to support graduate-school consideration, where applicable.

BAS Degrees

  • Business Management
  • Communication
  • Information Technology

Areas of Study

Business Management, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Communication, Digital Marketing, Software Engineering, System Administration, Cybersecurity

For more information about 3-year degree programs visit us at: ensign.edu/3YD

Three-year, 90-96 credit degrees are currently available only to domestic students due to Federal regulations. 120-credit BAS degrees continue to be available for international students

About Ensign College

Founded in 1886 and located in downtown Salt Lake City, Ensign College is part of the Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ensign College has an annual campus enrollment of 2,500, with students from over 70 countries, and serves more than 19,000 online students in more than 100 countries in partnership with BYU-Pathway Worldwide.