As Hong Kong prepares to move to a four-year undergraduate structure, Britain and the United States have been running pilot schemes to 'shrink' the degree.
In England, Anglia Ruskin was one of seven universities to pilot two-year degrees instead of the three-year norm, while in the US, Arcadia University has trialled a three-year model, one year shorter than the traditional four years it takes to complete a degree in that country.
Reducing costs for students was the key motivation in both countries, reaching out to those who might not be able to afford the time or money for longer study, the British Council's Going Global conference heard.
In opening the debate, 'Stretching or shrinking the bachelor degree: four versus three versus two - who has got it right?' Professor Malcolm Worton, vice-provost of University College London, said: 'This is much more than a numbers game. It goes to the heart of what education is about.'
He asked if duration mattered -and what could be gained with the extra time, and what would be lost if it was reduced.
Professor Edmond Ko, chairman of the Curriculum Development Council in Hong Kong and senior dviser to the vice-president for academic affairs at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, put the case for the new four-year model. He said this was linked to the wider reform of the academic structure, with secondary education reduced by one year, from seven to six years. Education, he said, had gone beyond acquiring knowledge.
