How Executive Education Is Being Affected by Degree Inflation

Degree inflation is a trend in which more and more jobs require a four-year college degree than did previously. 
Research from Harvard Business School highlights the negative effect degree inflation has on the middle class by increasing underemployment and keeping millions of qualified, but less-credentialed people from reaching their potential.
Degree inflation also hurts the employers who practice it by increasing the turnover rate, lengthening the time to hire, and increasing labor costs unnecessarily.
As more companies require a four-year college degree and fewer people are able to afford one, more employees are participating in executive education.
Executive Education and Disruption Theory
The cost of a four-year degree continues to skyrocket. And as it does, the return on the investment weakens. At the same time a bachelor’s degree is becoming less attainable, it is also becoming less of a true indicator of what an employer needs.
Disruption theory teaches students and employees using different metrics than those used by traditional universities. This new model, known as competency-based education, helps people master specific skills as they seek employment.
Given the increase in tuition costs, job-oriented learners are becoming overserved, which means they are paying for more than what they need and would prefer to pay less for a class with a more targeted subject matter. 
Employees and other “non-traditional” students who are looking to increase their job skills are opting for executive education courses instead of classes at a four-year university.
Businesses are also looking for cheaper and faster ways of teaching their employees specific skills for specific jobs. They are now enrolling their employees in alternative education courses that offer credentials other than a bachelor’s degree and allow them to sidestep traditional post-secondary degrees.
Not all degrees will equip students with the skills they’ll need to be productive members of the workforce. Degree inflation indicates that many jobs which normally require a bachelor’s degree can be performed by those without one.