A few HLC recent actions

Ummm... it's not private despite its Methodist affiliation. It is one of the 10 members of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ) and is partially funded by the Ministry of Education.

"As a publicly owned Methodist institution, the College is governed by a Committee of Management (COM) comprising representatives of the Church, Ministry of Education, staff, students, community, as well as thePrincipal and Bursar."

 

Thanks

 

Thanks

 

Approval of Request for Change - September 2025

Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the following educational programs:
  • Doctor of Ministry (33 credit hours, CIP code 39.0602)
  • Master of Science in Engineering Operations (38 credit hours, CIP 15.1501)
  • Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering (128 credit hours, CIP code 14.2701)

Not sure if the DMin will be offered online.

Colorado Technical University, Colorado Springs, CO

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the following educational programs:
  • Bachelor of Science in Social Work (182 credit hours, CIP code 44.0701)
  • Associate of Science in Social Work (93 credit hours, CIP code 44.0701)
  • Bachelor of Applied Psychology (182.5 credit hours, CIP code 42.2813)

CTU is branching out.

Purdue University Global, West Lafayette, IN

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the Doctor of Business Administration (90 credit hours, CIP code 52.0102).

Denial of Request for Change

National American University, Rapid City, SD

• Denied the institution’s request to offer the Bachelor of Science in Management-Focused in a reduced-credit format.

 

I'm wondering if the reduced credit is a reduction of overall credit hours (120 for example) or a reduction of program-specific hours (___ credits in Management courses out of 120)?

 

I think the reduction was proposed to the total credit hours for the entire bachelor's program, not just the program-specific major credits. The phrasing "reduced-credit format" likely refers to the overall program credit hours, rather than only the major portion, because it doesn't specify "major" or "core."

 

That's incredible to me, NA degrees already have less-than-universal acceptance and now they want to lop a year off?

In my MSPP program, I had a female classmate who was initially denied admission because she had a Canadian 3-year B.A., she had to take a certain amount of leveling courses before she was admitted.

 

Sorry, I meant the schools themselves, not DEAC as a whole.

You would think DEAC schools would want no part of anything that would further limit acceptance/utility/respect of their credentials. Perhaps the schools favoring this cater to international students where the 3-year Bachelor's isn't uncommon?

 

January 2026 Actions

Approval of Request for Change

Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the following educational programs:
  • Bachelor of Science in Construction Management (120 credit hours, CIP code 52.2001).
  • Doctor of Nursing Practice in Organizational Leadership (33 credit hours, CIP code 51.3801).
  • Associate of Science in Pre-Nursing (60 credit hours, CIP code 51.1105).

The DNP in OL will most likely be online. They already offer an online DNP.

Williams Baptist University, Walnut Ridge, AR

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness in a reduced-credit format (90 credit hours, CIP code 01.0101).

WBU launching 3-year bachelor's in Agribusiness - Arkansas Baptist News Three-year degrees are growing... I saw some discussions about that here recently.

University of Denver, Denver, CO

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Information Technology in a reduced credit format (136 quarter credit hours, CIP code 11.0103).

136 QCH is equivalent to approx. 90 SCH (another 3-year degree).

Morgan Community College, Fort Morgan, CO

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the Bachelor of Applied Science in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education (120 credit hours, CIP code 13.1202).

Another community college offering a bachelor's degree.

Augustana College, Rock Island, IL

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the following Pell-eligible prison education program (PEP): Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies – Prison Education Program (120 credit hours, CIP Code 09.0101) and Bachelor of Arts in American Studies – Prison Education Program (120 credit hours, CIP Code 05.0102) at East Moline Correctional Center, 100 Hillcrest Road, East Moline, IL 61244 in the following modality: in person.

I like this one. I am all for correctional education.

Erikson Institute, Chicago, IL

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the Doctor of Philosophy in Child and Family Studies (60 credit hours, CIP code 19.0706) and the Education Specialist in Child and Family Studies (54 credit hours, CIP code 19.0706).

This institution used to offer its Ph.D. with Loyola Chicago being the awarding institution. I guess this degree is the replacement for Earn Your PhD in Child Development | Erikson Institute

Taylor Business Institute, Chicago, IL

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the Associate of Applied Science in Information Technology & Networking (91 credit hours, CIP code 11.0101).
• Approved the institution’s request to expand distance education to courses and programs.

Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, IL

• Approved the institution’s provisional plan and teach-out agreements with the following institutions:
  • Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI
  • Carroll University, Waukesha, WI
  • Dominican University, River Forest, IL
  • Judson University, Elgin, IL
  • Lewis University, Romeoville, IL
  • North Park University, Chicago, IL
  • Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais, IL
  • Saint Xavier University, Chicago, IL
  • Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL

Trinity is going out of business...

Manchester University, North Manchester, IN

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the following educational programs:
  • Bachelor of Science in Applied Accounting in a reduced-credit format (90 credit hours, CIP code 52.0301).
  • Bachelor of Science in Applied Business Management in a reduced-credit format (90 credit hours, CIP code 52.0201).

More three-year degrees....

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Winona, MN

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology in a reduced-credit format (90 credit hours, CIP code 42.2813).

University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN

• Approved the institution’s request to increase the credit hours for the Doctor of Psychology in Counseling Psychology, from 82 to 102.5 credit hours (CIP code 42.2803).

Walden University, Minneapolis, MN

• Approved the institution’s request to decrease the credit hours for the Doctor of Information Technology, from 92 to 61 quarter credit hours (CIP code 11.0101).
• Approved the institution’s request to decrease the credit hours for the Doctor of Social Work, from 78 to 59 quarter credit hours (CIP code 44.0701).

HLC is also approving credit reductions for graduate programs!

White Earth Tribal & Community College, Mahnomen, MN

• Approved the institution’s request to expand distance education to courses and programs.

Bellevue University, Bellevue, NE

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) in a reduced-credit format (95 credit hours, CIP code 51.3801).

Maybe three-year degrees will soon become the norm!

Turtle Mountain College, Belcourt, ND

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the Master of Applied Science in Cyber Law & Policy (36 credit hours, CIP code 43.0404).

Google and Wikipedia have this school as a community college. However, it is no longer a CC. This is its second master's degree.

Mount Mary University, Milwaukee, WI

• Approved the institution’s request to offer the Bachelor of Social Work-Accelerated Pathway in a reduced-credit format (90 credit hours, CIP code 44.0701).

Staff Action Recommendation

Mount St. Joseph University, Cincinnati, OH

• Accepted the institution’s request to postpone its comprehensive evaluation for reaffirmation of accreditation from 2025-2026 to 2026-2027.

I didn't know that this was possible!

Full actions here: January 2026 Actions | The Higher Learning Commission

 

I fixed the Turtle Mountain College name on Wikipedia.

 

I fixed the Turtle Mountain College name on Wikipedia. The change to Wikipedia should propagate to Wikidata and thereby eventually to Google.

 

Great stuff!