ORONO — The University of Maine System is trying to make it easier for adults to go back to school and get their degree.

Monday, the UMS Board of Trustees approved the university system piloting five 90-credit applied bachelor’s programs. These programs are specifically geared toward adult learners who have not yet completed a degree and have been out of higher education for at least two years.

“This initiative reflects the commitment of our public universities to be nimble and responsive to changing educational and workforce needs,” said Chair Trish Riley. “By providing an innovative approach to help those many adults who need to complete degrees but are balancing work and family responsibilities a new and easier way to do so.”

According to UMS, trustees approved 90-credit bachelor’s degree programs in Applied Public Administration at the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA), Applied Business Management at the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK), Applied College Studies at the University of Maine at Machias and Applied Psychology and Applied Liberal Studies at the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI). 

According to UMS, a traditional bachelor’s degree requires at least 120 credit hours of college coursework and typically takes four years of full-time study.

The school system said the 90-credit pilot programs have emerged as a way for students to “develop the core competencies necessary to secure a professional position in their desired field or advance in their career” for less time and money. 

According to UMS, the programs will be held entirely online and help to address the state’s workforce needs. 

“These new high-quality, accelerated degree programs build on our tradition of academic innovation that meets the market and enable our students to realize an earlier return on their investment in their postsecondary education, while getting Maine employers more of the qualified employees they so urgently need,” said UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy.

According to UMS, all of the new programs were approved as pilots and both “applied” and “90-credit” will be in the degree name. 

“While participants can receive credit for prior learning and work experience, they must earn at least 30 credits through the UMS university that will confer their degree,” the UMS announcement reads.

Also according to the UMS, the authorization comes after more than a year of leaders working with faculty, staff, students and employers and multiple “deliberative sessions” by the board.

Enrollment is limited to “students with prior college credit who will join the program after being away from postsecondary education for at least two years.”

“These safeguards ensure the new high-quality programs meet student and workforce needs without diverting existing enrollment from the System’s 120-credit degree programs,” said Malloy. “At any time, a 90-credit student may transfer into a 120-credit aligned degree program, and UMS leaders expect the new offerings to eventually boost attainment of the traditional bachelor’s and advanced degrees.”

UMS will now seek approval from the New England Commission of Higher Education, with the hope that students will start as early as next summer.

According to UMS, the University of Maine System will become the first institution in the state to seek accreditor approval to pilot a new kind of applied degree program.