NYTimes | Original Article | by Tamar Lewin

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — With tuition, student loan debt and default rates all spiraling higher, what’s not to love about a $10,000 bachelor’s degree?

In the last two years, two Republican governors — Rick Perry in Texas and Rick Scott in Florida — have challenged their states’ public colleges to develop bachelor’s degrees costing no more than $10,000, less than a third of the average sticker price for tuition and fees at a four-year public college. Governor Perry said he hoped 10 percent of the state’s degrees would meet that goal with online learning and new efficiencies. Governor Scott sought low-cost degrees in high-demand fields.

Democrats were critical of both announcements, calling the idea a gimmick that would lead to a watered down “Walmartization” of higher education. Meanwhile, in California, a Republican legislator has called for a pilot program there.

Now the $10,000 degrees are available in Florida and Texas — but not for many students, not for many majors and not on the flagship campuses. The original goal was that the degrees would use new teaching techniques and technologies to bring down costs; so far, many of the programs are unchanged.

In Florida, the two dozen former community colleges that offer both associate and baccalaureate degrees all volunteered to meet the $10,000 challenge, but several programs are not yet under way. The state universities are not in the program. Read More...