The so-called STARS program will allow students to complete a bachelor's degree in education in three years, instead of the usual four.

The University of Maine at Fort Kent has announced a new program that will allow students to get a bachelor's degree in education in three years, instead of the usual four.

The school says the offering was prompted by efforts to shore up enrollments as the system tries to cope with a financial shortfall, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The Student Teachers Aspiring to meet the Real challenges of Schools -- or STARS -- program is for academically gifted and talented students who have their sights set on teaching, school officials told the paper. Students will carry about 16 to 18 credit hours per semester and take summer school classes, and likely a winter semester as well.

UMaine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude has called on leaders of the system's seven campuses to offer some options for three-year bachelor's degrees. The Fort Kent program is the first to be announced, according to the paper.