UPCEA 2025 Institutional Representatives Annual Breakfast Briefing + Council for Chief Online Learning Officers and Council for Credential Innovation Convening

Reduced-Credit Degree: Preparing for Disruption While Leading Credential Innovation 

7:45-9:15 AM MT, Tuesday, March 25, 2025


Open to all UPCEA Institutional Representatives (IRs), Chief Online Learning Officers (COLOs), and Council of Credential Innovation (CCI) representatives attending the UPCEA 2025 Annual Conference.
Registration for this event is separate from full conference registration.

The 2025 UPCEA Institutional Representatives Annual Briefing, hosted in conjunction with the UPCEA Council for Chief Online Learning Officers and UPCEA Council for Credential Innovation, provides an opportunity for senior leaders in online and professional education to connect with peers, to be briefed on the most pressing topics of our field today, and to discuss together ways we can be best positioned for the future. 

As college costs increase, accrediting bodies will be increasingly more willing to support pilot projects that explore undergraduate degrees in focused fields that are “less than 120 credit hours.” Specifically, growth in three-year degree models will increase in fields where elective courses often are not perceived to prepare learners with skills employers seek, such as IT, hospitality, and applied health care, permitting graduates to find meaningful work faster and with less debt. 

Highlighting the impact sub-120 credit degrees may bring to the landscape, this year’s briefing will provide opportunities to consider the ways in which such pilots may impact member institutions directly. Following a “roundtable” format, our briefing will feature a panel discussion focused on emergent opportunities for “reduced-credit” undergraduate degree innovation, followed by ample time for table-based discussion and reporting-out.


Session Agenda 

  • 7:30 AM | Breakfast Served
  • 7:45 AM | Welcome; Sponsor Remarks
  • 7:55 AM | Panel 
  • 8:25 AM | Respond at Tables; Capture Ideas and Questions 
  • 8:45 AM | Report Out 
  • 9:05 AM | Closing Thoughts; Adjourn