OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced a new executive order on Feb. 5, 2025, requiring the state's higher education institutions to offer 90-credit-hour bachelor's degree programs for certain majors, a move aimed at getting students into the workforce faster.
"I'm asking for our higher ed institutions to prioritize a 90-hour pathway to a bachelor's degree," Stitt said. "This speeds up workforce entry. It makes so much sense."
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The initiative follows similar programs in Utah, Indiana, and Minnesota, though most universities implementing these accelerated tracks are still in early stages, with limited data available. Butler University currently offers three-year bachelor's degree programs for more than 40 academic majors.
Student reactions at the University of Central Oklahoma were mixed. Junior Caleb Finely welcomed the potential change.
"Well, come on, Stitt. Let's hurry it up. Let's get this 90-hour thing going," Finley said. "I think that would give students more opportunities to take more classes that they want, maybe in less time, so that they can really focus on what they wanna do."
However, transfer student Jaxon Allen expressed concerns about the compressed timeline.
"I feel like you won't, don't learn as much and get as much on-hand experience on campus as maybe you should going into the workforce," Allen said.
Stitt also signed a second executive order restructuring college tenure systems across Oklahoma. Research universities will maintain tenure but with mandatory five-year reviews, while regional schools and community colleges will transition to performance-based contracts tied to student success metrics.
"And just because they have tenure, they sit there, so challenge them, push them, we hold people accountable, and it's just amazing," Stitt said.
Both the University of Oklahoma and UCO conduct annual performance reviews for faculty, per their respective policies.
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Oklahoma State University conducts a 5-year cumulative review for tenured faculty, with annual appraisals.
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