The Opportunity Architecture

 The 90 Credit Degree is Moving from Possibility to Practice Earlier this year, I wrote about reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees as an emerging opportunity—and challenge—for higher education. At the time, much of the conversation was still prospective: If institutions begin moving below the traditional 120-credit model, what might that mean for learners, institutions, employers, and the broader higher education ecosystem? We are beginning to get some answers. Arizona State University recently announced new three-year Bachelor of Education programs in elementary education and special education. These are not simply traditional degrees placed on a faster calendar. They require a minimum of 90 credits rather than 120, while retaining the clinical preparation and certification requirements expected of future teachers. ASU will offer them alongside its existing four-year degrees, giving learners another pathway rather than replacing the traditional model. That distinction matters. The mo...

  Reduced-Credit Degrees: Leading with Learners While Preparing for Disruption Originally published by UPCEA on January 12, 2026. This entry was expanded on September 9, 2026, with two companion resources designed to support institutional exploration and discussion. The 120-credit bachelor’s degree is often treated as an immutable standard. In reality, it is also a design choice—one that deserves renewed examination as learners confront mounting concerns about cost, time, flexibility, and return on investment. My original UPCEA piece grew from a conversation with institutional leaders about emerging interest in bachelor’s degrees requiring fewer than 120 credits. The discussion surfaced both the potential of these models and the difficult questions institutions must address before pursuing them. Thoughtfully designed, reduced-credit degrees could provide faster and more affordable routes to opportunity. Poorly conceived, they risk becoming little more than exercises in cuttin...

Unlocking Opportunity: How Tax Policies Like Section 127 Can Drive Employer Partnerships Updated and republished by UPCEA on September 2, 2026; originally published in July 2025. Co-authored with Chelsea Miller of UpSkill America, an initiative of the Aspen Institute. Tax policy may not be the most obvious entry point into a conversation about educational opportunity. Yet provisions such as Section 127 quietly influence how employers invest in their employees—and how colleges and universities price, structure, and administer programs for working learners. This updated piece explains how Section 127 allows employees to receive up to $5,250 annually in tax-free educational assistance through a qualified employer plan. Recent federal changes made the provision’s coverage of qualified student-loan payments permanent and established cost-of-living adjustments to the benefit beginning after 2026. The article also considers Sections 117 and 132(d), which provide additional pathways for certai...