Differences between Accelerated IT Degrees and Traditional IT Degrees

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• Accel­er­at­ed IT degrees typ­i­cal­ly take 1–2 years, while tra­di­tion­al degrees often span 3–4 years, offer­ing a faster path to graduation.
• Tra­di­tion­al pro­grams pro­vide a broad­er and more in-depth study of IT con­cepts, includ­ing the­o­ry and research, com­pared to focused train­ing in accel­er­at­ed pro­grams.
• Accel­er­at­ed pro­grams can be more cost-effec­tive due to short­er dura­tion, while tra­di­tion­al degrees may offer finan­cial aid options and a broad­er range of elec­tive courses.

When it comes to get­ting your bachelor’s degree, you prob­a­bly noticed there are two options: the tra­di­tion­al degree and the accel­er­at­ed type. The accel­er­at­ed ver­sion sounds much bet­ter for your needs at first glance, but you can’t help but won­der: what are the exact dif­fer­ences between the two?

While the result is the same (you get a degree at the end), there are still some notable dif­fer­ences between the two. It’s impor­tant to under­stand them, as it allows you to choose the most suit­able option for your needs. In this guide, you will learn more about what sets these pro­grams apart so you can con­trol your IT career outcomes.

Relat­ed:

• Fastest Online Infor­ma­tion Tech­nol­o­gy Degree Bachelor’s Programs
• Best Online Infor­ma­tion Tech­nol­o­gy Bachelor’s Degree Programs
• Best Bachelor’s in Infor­ma­tion Tech­nol­o­gy Degree Programs
• What Can I Do with a Bachelor’s in Infor­ma­tion Tech­nol­o­gy Degree?

What Are Traditional IT Degrees?

Tra­di­tion­al IT degrees are con­ven­tion­al pro­grams where stu­dents go over an exten­sive Infor­ma­tion Tech­nol­o­gy (IT) cur­ricu­lum. These pro­grams last around 4 years or more, depend­ing on your spe­cial­iza­tion and whether or not you match it with a master’s. They are offered by uni­ver­si­ties, with the class­es tak­ing place on cam­pus. They cov­er aspects such as:

• soft­ware development
• net­work­ing
• com­put­er sciences

What Are Accelerated IT Degrees?

Unlike tra­di­tion­al degrees that take 4 years to com­plete, accel­er­at­ed pro­grams can last between 1 and 2 years. The same key sub­jects are approached with such a pro­gram, but the class­es and exams are more con­densed. Also, the course­work is more inten­sive, and most insti­tu­tions offer flex­i­ble times to accom­mo­date one’s sched­ule. Many class­es are deliv­ered online or in a hybrid for­mat, with the cost of IT degrees being low­er than tra­di­tion­al programs.

IT Degree Comparison: Key Differences Between the Two Programs

When get­ting high­er edu­ca­tion in IT, it’s cru­cial to under­stand the dif­fer­ences between the two types of pro­grams. Here is what you need to know: 

1. Duration and Pace

The IT degree dura­tion for a tra­di­tion­al pro­gram is around 4 years, after which you can get your diplo­ma. On the oth­er hand, accel­er­at­ed pro­grams should take around 1–2 years to com­plete. For this rea­son, the lat­ter allows you to get into the work­force much faster.

2. Curriculum Depth and Specialization

Tra­di­tion­al pro­grams offer more in-depth cur­ric­u­la and class­es, depend­ing on the spe­cial­iza­tion you go for. This includes every­thing from com­put­er sci­ence to data man­age­ment and cyber­se­cu­ri­ty. Alter­na­tive­ly, accel­er­at­ed IT degrees have more com­pact course­work, focus­ing on indus­try-lev­el skills that could be more prac­ti­cal for you.

3. Cost Implications

The finan­cial part is also essen­tial, as tra­di­tion­al pro­grams are more expen­sive than accel­er­at­ed ones. Depend­ing on whether you go for a pub­lic or pri­vate pro­gram, IT edu­ca­tion costs can be around $40,000 and $60,000 per year. If you live on cam­pus, that cost can be even high­er. Accel­er­at­ed degrees cut the cur­ricu­lum in half, along with accom­mo­da­tion costs, mean­ing you would have to pay around $20,000 for the degree.

4. Learning Environment

Tra­di­tion­al IT degree pro­grams are held in class­rooms, offer­ing access to labs and extracur­ric­u­lar activ­i­ties. Very few of the cours­es are held out­side the build­ing. Accel­er­at­ed options are either online IT pro­grams or hybrid options, which allow stu­dents to bal­ance work or oth­er activ­i­ties with their studies.

5. Flexibility

Tra­di­tion­al IT degree class­es have less flex­i­bil­i­ty when it comes to sched­ul­ing, with the class­es and labs tak­ing place at fixed times through­out the day. Accel­er­at­ed pro­grams offer more lee­way, as class­es are held on week­ends or evenings, often in an online for­mat to accom­mo­date one’s busy program.

6. Admission Requirements

IT degree admis­sion for both tra­di­tion­al and accel­er­at­ed pro­grams is fair­ly sim­i­lar, depend­ing on where you apply. That said, the lat­ter option also has the poten­tial to be stricter, with many accel­er­at­ed degrees requir­ing a high GPA or rel­e­vant work experience.

Comparing the Pros and Cons of Each Program

Both accel­er­at­ed and tra­di­tion­al IT degrees have advan­tages and dis­ad­van­tages that you should con­sid­er before apply­ing. Here is an in-depth com­par­i­son between the two and what they offer.

Understanding Traditional IT Education

Tra­di­tion­al IT degrees are the pro­grams most stu­dents attend for the col­lege expe­ri­ence. There are cer­tain advan­tages asso­ci­at­ed with this type of pro­gram, includ­ing the following:

• If offers resources for stu­dents that want to get the cam­pus experience
• Class­es are lay­ered in a more relaxed way, reduc­ing exhaus­tion and stress
• Pres­tige poten­tial, as the pro­gram takes longer to complete
• Abil­i­ty for in-depth research due to the length of the program
• Access to var­i­ous net­work oppor­tu­ni­ties due to your pres­ence on campus

There are also a few dis­ad­van­tages to take into con­sid­er­a­tion, including:

• It takes a longer time to com­plete the course
• Mul­ti­ple semes­ters can lead to high­er tuition costs
• Lim­it­ed sched­ule flex­i­bil­i­ty since many class­es take part dur­ing the day
• Delayed entry into the work­force, pre­vent­ing you from earn­ing a wage

For the most part, a tra­di­tion­al pro­gram is rec­om­mend­ed for stu­dents who don’t mind the wait and mere­ly want to enjoy uni­ver­si­ty life.

Comparison to Fast-Track IT Education

Get­ting an accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s degree also comes with a few advan­tages, includ­ing the following:

• Low­er tuition costs, as the pro­gram only takes around 2 years
• Quick­er entry into the work­force due to the short­er timeline
• Flex­i­ble sched­ul­ing, with class­es being avail­able in the evening or on weekends
• Abil­i­ty to choose between hybrid or online IT pro­grams, reduc­ing the need for commuting
• Focused and inten­sive course­work that relies on the tar­get key concepts 

Despite the numer­ous advan­tages, cer­tain draw­backs should be kept in mind, such as:

• It requires high­er moti­va­tion levels
• The stress asso­ci­at­ed with keep­ing up can lead to burnout
• Dif­fi­cul­ty in keep­ing a bal­ance with your pri­vate life
• Few­er net­work­ing opportunities

For the most part, flex­i­ble IT degrees are rec­om­mend­ed for those who want to pur­sue career advance­ment and don’t have the time to attend a full-time program.

How to Choose the Right Program

Com­par­ing full-time vs part-time IT degrees can be quite chal­leng­ing, espe­cial­ly when you don’t know what to look for. The most impor­tant thing is to ana­lyze your needs and the program’s fea­tures before mak­ing your choice.

Important Factors to Consider

Here are some aspects to think about before choos­ing a program:

1. Consider Your Learning Style

Think about how you retain infor­ma­tion best. Do you pre­fer to learn in a class­room at a leisure­ly pace, fol­low­ing a set struc­ture? In that case, tra­di­tion­al pro­grams might be best for you. On the oth­er hand, if you work well under pres­sure and pre­fer the flex­i­bil­i­ty brought by online class­es, then accel­er­at­ed pro­grams might suit you better.

2. Know Your Career Goals

This is a cru­cial fac­tor. If you are just out of high school, don’t mind delay­ing your entrance into the work­force, and wish to gain deep­er knowl­edge, a tra­di­tion­al pro­gram might work well for you. On the oth­er hand, if you want to start work­ing as soon as pos­si­ble or have a goal to advance in your career, an accel­er­at­ed pro­gram could help you reach your objec­tives faster.

3. Understand Your Financial Situation

Ana­lyz­ing your finan­cial sit­u­a­tion is one of the great­est hur­dles when choos­ing the best pro­gram for your needs. For exam­ple, only around 64 per­cent of the stu­dents enrolling for a full-time pro­gram actu­al­ly obtain their degree, accord­ing to NCES. Some drop out because they find dif­fer­ent oppor­tu­ni­ties, but oth­ers do so because it is too expen­sive. Before enrolling, you should con­sid­er your finances, thus deter­min­ing which option you can handle.

4. Weigh Down Personal Circumstances

Per­son­al cir­cum­stances might also affect the choic­es that you make. If you can com­mit to a 4‑year pro­gram that requires you to attend class through­out the day, tra­di­tion­al pro­grams might work for you. How­ev­er, if you have a job or oth­er respon­si­bil­i­ties, an accel­er­at­ed pro­gram might be a bet­ter option for your situation.

Things to Look into When Comparing Accelerated IT Degrees and Traditional IT Degrees

Even though there are not many IT cur­ricu­lum dif­fer­ences between the 2 pro­grams, not all degrees are the same. Con­sid­er look­ing into the fol­low­ing aspects:

1. Accreditation

Both tra­di­tion­al and accel­er­at­ed pro­grams need to be rec­og­nized by rep­utable accred­it­ing bod­ies through the U.S. Depart­ment of Edu­ca­tion. There are plen­ty of those all across the U.S., so you should choose the accred­i­ta­tion based on your niche.

2. Alumni Success

You are get­ting your bachelor’s degree to open career oppor­tu­ni­ties, and alum­ni suc­cess can offer some insight into that. Check the job employ­ment rate for the spe­cial­iza­tion you are fol­low­ing and see the aver­age salary lev­els for those who have already graduated.

3. Faculty Expertise

Fac­ul­ty mem­bers can offer valu­able insight, telling you whether or not the pro­gram is qual­i­ta­tive. Before apply­ing, you should do some research into their pro­fes­sion­al cre­den­tials, along with the expe­ri­ence they have in your industry.

The Bottom Line

Tra­di­tion­al and accel­er­at­ed degrees are not much dif­fer­ent once you get your diplo­ma. One focus­es on detail, the oth­er on speed, but both are rec­og­nized and will open plen­ty of oppor­tu­ni­ties. The dif­fer­ence lies in their pace and edu­ca­tion style, which means the choice depends on your lifestyle and pro­fes­sion­al goals.

Sources:

• NCES