JWU Providence
Three-Year Bachelor’s Degree
Three-Year Career-Focused Bachelor’s Degree
JWU’s new three-year career-focused bachelor’s degree programs offer a faster path to graduation, helping you save on tuition and enter your career sooner. Designed for career-focused students and families, these 90-96-credit in-person programs launch at our Providence Campus in Fall 2025. Taught by the same industry-experienced faculty who teach our traditional four-year programs, they deliver the same rigorous academics, outstanding value and specialized career pathways as our four-year programs.
At JWU, career preparation is woven into every aspect of our coursework. Through our Work-Integrated Learning requirement, you’ll gain real-world experience through options such as relevant part-time roles, summer internships and other opportunities. If you’re eager to earn your degree and start your career, our three-year bachelor’s programs could be the right choice for you.
Our Three-Year Bachelor’s Programs
Computer Science (B.S.)
Accelerate your Tech Career and Unleash Your Potential
Are you ready to make your mark in the world of technology? At JWU, you’ll gain the skills and knowledge to solve problems in business, science and social contexts. You’ll also develop a strong understanding of software design, development and analysis. To prepare you for the ever-evolving tech industry, our faculty use their expertise to teach you real-world problem-solving and demonstrate how the principles you learn in class apply in the workforce. The three-year computer science bachelor’s degree is also available online through JWU’s College of Professional Studies.
Criminal Justice (B.S.)
From Crime Lab to Career: Community Justice and Forensic Science
Our three-year Criminal Justice bachelor’s degree program includes courses in science, psychology and sociology for a holistic view of criminal justice. In our Crime Lab and Crime Scene Room, you’ll learn how to analyze forensic evidence including fingerprints, blood spatter and bullet trajectories. Learn from faculty who have experience as policy experts, legislators, police captains and detectives. They’ll become your mentors and share valuable connections within the industry to help you grow your professional network.
Graphic Design (B.S.)
Turn Creativity into a Career: Hands-On Experience in Design and Branding
Learn by doing — create visuals including branding elements, packaging, logos, typography and websites. In our specialized labs and studios, you’ll learn to solve visual communication problems with design and digital tools including the latest software and hardware. By graduation, you’ll build a professional portfolio of your own work to showcase to potential employers. Students also have the opportunity to create, manage and present design projects for actual clients from the community.
Hospitality Management (B.S.)
Master Hospitality: Choose Your Path and Gain Real-World Experience
Hone your management and leadership skills while staying at the forefront of hospitality trends. You’ll benefit from JWU’s network of hospitality industry connections and learn from faculty who bring real-world expertise into the classroom. Through our state-of-the-art facilities such as Bistro 61 and the Bigelow Beverage Lab, you’ll experience hands-on learning in spaces that will prepare you to step into leadership positions after graduation. Can’t make it to campus? This career-focused bachelor’s degree is also offered online through JWU’s College of Professional Studies.
Johnson & Wales University (JWU) has launched an innovative option for students to obtain their Baccalaureate Degrees in three years/six semesters with just 90 credits. The university’s accreditor, the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), has approved these “Career-Focused” reduced-time and reduced-credit programs in lieu of the standard program that takes four years/eight semesters with 120 credits.
Given the novel nature of the programs, students should be aware of the following:
- While JWU is not the only NECHE-accredited program to receive approval to offer a three-year/six-semester 90-credit program for students to earn their Baccalaureate Degree, the norm for a Baccalaureate Degree remains a four-year/eight-semester 120-credit program.
- Career-Focused programs are best suited to students committed to a particular field or discipline, students who have a clear career objective, and/or students who are focused on pursing near-term employment in their chosen industry as practitioners.
- To enable students to complete the Career-Focused programs in less time and with fewer credits, these programs will be highly structured with limited or no elective credits.
- JWU’s Career-Focused baccalaureate programs are eligible for Title IV federal financial aid. However, students who leave JWU having completed a Career-Focused baccalaureate degree but later choose to return to JWU or attend another institution to complete additional undergraduate credits, either to earn a Certificate of Post-baccalaureate Studies or to earn a second baccalaureate degree, will not be eligible for federal grant aid and may have limited eligibility for other federal aid programs. For more details, see Federal Subsidized & Unsubsidized Loans and Federal Pell Grants.
- Given that JWU’s Career-Focused programs are designed to be completed within three years/six semesters, students can expect to save a full year of tuition fees and related costs, including room and board, assuming they complete the program within the expected time frame.
- JWU’s Career-Focused programs will be sufficient to meet admission requirements for JWU master’s degree programs. However, other institutions may have different admission requirements, and such institutions may not accept JWU’s Career-Focused program as an undergraduate credential sufficient for admission. It is critical that students confirm specific requirements with their institutions of choice.
- JWU’s Career-Focused programs will be available for the following degrees and at the following campuses or online where indicated:
- Career-Focused Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (PVD, CPS)
- Career-Focused Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (PVD)
- Career-Focused Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design (PVD)
- Career-Focused Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (PVD, CPS)
Throughout Johnson & Wales’s history, we have prided ourselves in being responsive to students’ and their families’ needs and interests, always seeking to be ahead of demand and changing times rather than following. Higher education is facing one of its most challenging times: a generational decline in the pool of prospective students, rising sentiment questioning the value of higher education, and increasing cost of delivery. As the cost of college continues to rise, many students are looking for ways to save money on their education. Johnson & Wales is pleased to continue to find new ways for students to gain access to higher education and to reduce their financial burden.
To complete their bachelor’s degree, students will take 90-96 credits instead of the traditionally required 120. The three-year bachelor’s degree programs will not require summer classes and are designed to fit industry needs. JWU’s three-year, 90-credit bachelor’s degree maintains a core academic foundation while creating a focused pathway to a bachelor’s level education and, ultimately, to career success.
All students enrolled in the three-year bachelor’s degree program will still be required to complete 42 credits of the Arts and Sciences Core Experience, building a well-rounded educational foundation. They will no longer take electives outside of the core general education requirements, allowing for a stronger focus on degree-specific classes. Internships, a core part of JWU’s focus on experiential learning, will be further integrated into coursework, or can be completed during the summers.
No. Johnson & Wales will continue to offer more than 40 bachelor’s degrees for students interested in the traditional 120-credit degree program, usually achieved in four years. The addition of the three-year bachelor’s degree option provides students with another path to graduation.
The majors identified for the launch are four programs where there is high demand for talented graduates and where we have strong experience with industry partners. The programs are:
- Career-Focused B.S. in Computer Science
- Career-Focused B.S. in Criminal Justice
- Career-Focused B.S. in Graphic Design
- Career-Focused B.S. in Hospitality Management
Applying is straightforward — just select the three-year version of your major on either the Common Application or the JWU Application. There are no extra requirements, and you retain the option to change your preference at any point in the application process.
Begin your application at apply.jwu.edu.
Our industry partners have affirmed that they would strongly consider candidates holding a three-year bachelor’s degree with resounding confidence. These employers, many of whom have worked with JWU students and alumni, are confident that our three-year bachelor’s degree programs will effectively prepare graduates for the workforce.
No, the annual tuition remains consistent across all bachelor’s degree types, including the three-year programs. Financial aid eligibility and scholarship opportunities are also unaffected by the choice of a three-year bachelor’s degree, with the same support offered to eligible students in both three- and four-year programs based on candidate’s eligibility.
The three-year bachelor’s degree option is designed to streamline the path to graduation, offering flexibility for motivated students to achieve their goals more quickly. While semester-based study abroad programs and minors are not included within the three-year bachelor’s degree curriculum, students still have the opportunity to explore these experiences during summer terms or by adding time to their course of study.
All extracurricular offerings — such as athletics, clubs and organizations — are available to all students. Upon graduation, all JWU alumni enjoy equal access to the university’s robust alumni network and career connections.
Currently, all four three-year bachelor’s degree programs are approved and accredited for in-person study at the Providence Campus. The Computer Science and Hospitality Management three-year bachelor’s degree programs are also available online through the College of Professional Studies. Currently, three-year bachelor’s degree programs are not available at the Charlotte Campus.
