The University of Denver on Wednesday announced a new reduced-credit bachelor’s program, which school officials said will offer a faster and less expensive path to gaining a degree.

The Accelerated Bachelor of Professional Studies will be available online for the fall semester, which DU said is the only such program in Colorado. The first course will be in Information Technology, DU said, with more options to be added next year.

Instead of the traditional 180 credits, the new program will require only 136 quarter credits. To be admitted, students must have either 24 quarter hours or 16 semester hours completed, DU said.

“We recognize that for many careers a bachelor’s degree is necessary for unlocking success. This program is designed to help those adult learners use an accelerated path to finish their degree,” Bobbie Kite, dean of DU’s College of Professional Studies, said in a news release.

DU Chancellor Jeremy Haefner said the skills that companies are looking for are evolving and students want programs that align with those changes.

“The Accelerated Bachelor of Professional Studies is a perfect opportunity for students to finish their degree as quickly as possible to help advance in their career,” he said in the news release.

The Higher Learning Commission approved the university’s request to offer the degree last month, DU said, noting the Colorado Department of Education is considering whether to allow similar programs at public schools.

Other educational institutions who have adopted similar programs include Brigham Young University, Ensign College and the University of Maine System, according to DU.

“We must be willing to think differently and continue to evolve the programming that we are offering to students,” says