Time to Graduation, October 21, 1997

WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG TO GRADUATE?

Why don't students at Texas A&M complete their degrees in four years?

Some students do complete their degrees in the traditional four-year period. It is not impossible to graduate within four years, but it has become less common. Major reasons students are taking longer to graduate include:

Approximately 70% of the students at Texas A&M University change their major subject at least once during their undergraduate years. When students change majors or take courses not required to graduate, they extend their time in school.
On average, students must complete 32 credits per year (about 16 credits per semester) to graduate in a four-year period. But increasing numbers of working students take fewer credit hours. Many of them have opted for a 12 to 13 credit load.
Increasing numbers of students are taking one or more semesters out of school to participate in job internship or cooperative education programs designed to give them direct experience in their major subject. In such cases, students choose to slow progress towards their degrees in order to gain valuable experience that will help them find superior jobs after graduation.
Many Texas A&M students also take advantage of leadership opportunities outside the classroom. The university has more than 800 student organizations that provide opportunities for hands-on leadership training.
Students who plan to attend professional or graduate school may drop courses in which they are earning low grades in order to ensure a high grade point average. Other students may drop courses because they are having difficulty passing and need to retake them. In either case, progress to graduation is slowed.
Inadequately prepared students must take additional courses to get them ready for classes here. Although these courses do not count toward graduation, they necessarily add to the time the students take toward graduation.
Shrinking state support for public universities and land-grant colleges nationwide has led to shrinking numbers of faculty, higher tuition and fees, and an increase in student requests for financial aid (89% in 1996). Growing numbers of students at public research universities are working while attending college.

Then it's not all just one simple problem that can be legislated away?

No. Actually we are very concerned about moves made in the Legislature to limit the number of credits a student may be required to take toward graduation. Depending on how such a bill is worded, the result could reduce the quality of a student's education, financially punish the student for factors out of his or her control, or even keep the student from graduating at all.

Are students here being well-educated and prepared for their post-graduation goals?

You bet! Texas A&M students have ranked their experience high compared to students graduating from other U.S. universities. We are told by those who employ our students and use our research that we are very successful at producing people with the skills needed in agriculture, in all sorts of industries, in business, and in teaching. Indeed, the large number of extracurricular and internship opportunities here give our students an advantage when they compete for post-graduate jobs and graduate school openings.