Topeka ? The Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday approved decreasing from 124 to 120 the minimum number of semester credit hours required for a bachelor’s degree.

The change takes effect immediately.

The regents staff recommended the change, noting that 39 states, including all those bordering Kansas, have a 120-hour minimum.

“Given the high degree of student mobility today and the fact that many receive bachelor’s degrees from an institution other than the one at which they began study, establishing consistency with regard to minimum baccalaureate degree requirements should benefit students by creating improved efficiency and transferability of credit,” a staff memo said.