ST. LEO – Saint Leo University said it’s the first in Florida to offer an accredited bachelor’s degree requiring 93 credit hours – a full year less than the traditional 120-credit model.
Saint Leo’s new Reduced-Hour Bachelor of Business Analytics received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in September. The program will launch in January 2027.
“This is an important moment for higher education in the state of Florida and for Saint Leo University,” said Dr. Jim Burkee, president of Saint Leo University. “In 1998, when online education was still in its infancy, we made a bold investment in a new way of delivering a college education. Today, we are applying that same spirit of innovation to another fundamental question facing institutions of higher learning: What should a bachelor’s degree look like in the 21st century?”
Officials said reduced-credit and three-year bachelor’s degree programs are gaining momentum across the country, particularly in fields such as business and computer science. Saint Leo is bringing this approach to Florida as part of a universitywide effort to align undergraduate education with student and employer needs.
“Higher education has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to examine long-standing assumptions about how a bachelor’s degree must be structured,” said Bryan DePoy, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Saint Leo University. “We believe students should have an education that is rigorous, relevant and intentional. This program is an example of what can happen when we start with the outcomes we want for our graduates and build the curriculum around them. We also hear clearly from students that cost and time to completion matter. This program responds to that directly, offering a path to a degree that costs less and takes less time, without compromising the quality of the education behind it.”
DePoy also pointed to employer response.
“We surveyed a broad cross-section of regional and national employers about the reduced-credit model, and the response was overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “Employers told us an accredited, reduced-credit degree would not affect a candidate’s eligibility for hire and would meet their bachelor’s degree requirement. What they look for is accreditation, demonstrated competencies and relevant experience, not the total number of credit hours.”
The new reduced-credit degree gives students an alternative to Saint Leo’s traditional four-year, 120-credit-hour Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics, which was introduced in fall 2026. Both programs prepare students for careers in fields that rely on data-driven decision-making, with coursework in data analytics, finance, economics, marketing analytics and the application of artificial intelligence to business.
Students will develop the ability to interpret data, apply emerging technologies and translate insights into strategic business decisions. By focusing on core business and technology coursework, the 93-credit program is expected to reduce the time and cost of earning a bachelor’s degree by 25% compared with a traditional 120-credit-hour degree.
“Business analytics sits at the intersection of technology and business, making it particularly relevant to the workforce our students are entering,” said Derek Mohammed, dean of the university’s Tapia College of Business and Technology. “This program brings together the analytical, technical and business skills students need to understand data and use it to make informed decisions.”