BOSTON - What if college students could get a bachelor's degree in three years instead of four? State leaders are exploring a potential game-changer for higher education in Massachusetts. The State House News Service reported Tuesday that the Board of Higher Education is weighing whether to let colleges and universities in the state lower the number of credits needed for a bachelor's degree.

The Board of Higher Education is considering allowing colleges and universities in Massachusetts to offer three-year bachelor’s degrees, reducing the typical 120-credit requirement. The proposed measure aims to provide students with a faster, more affordable path to a degree, though members of the board wondered Tuesday about the trade-offs.

The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education is considering signing off on three-year bachelor's degrees. The proposal is in the discussion phase. To earn a bachelor's degree, students are required to take and pay for 120 credits.

Luisa Sparrow teaches fifth and sixth graders with intellectual disabilities at the Oliver Hazard Perry School in Boston.

Luisa Sparrow, a special education teacher in the fifth and sixth grades, said she was honored to receive the award.

Boston teacher Luisa Sparrow has been named as the 2025 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Sparrow, a Wilmington resident who works as a special education teacher for fifth- and sixth-grade students at the Oliver Hazard Perry School in South Boston,