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A doctorate program at Towson University has been denied due to its similarity to a program at a nearby school, Morgan State University. Eight of the nine commissioners at the Maryland Higher Education Commission decided that the Towson University proposed doctorate program in sustainability and environmental change was a duplicate of the bioenvironmental science Ph.D. at Morgan State. This is the second time that the program at Towson has been denied.
“It is the role and responsibility of the Maryland Higher Education Commission to prevent unreasonable duplication and unnecessary duplication,” wrote Kristin Clarkson, director of communications for the commission, in an email to The Baltimore Sun. “We encourage institutions to develop academic programs that are not duplicative of existing programs. Moreover, the Commission prioritizes collaboration among institutions to best serve students and the needs of the State.”
The Ph.D. program at Morgan, which focuses on the various environmental challenges that impact biological systems. Climate change and sustainability were the focus of Townson’s proposed program, which also included some science courses. It would be a unique program in the state, according to a university official, as students would also have to complete nonscience courses in subjects like geography, political science, and economics.
According to Towson University officials, the university will continue to “seek avenues for accelerating engagement with community partners and collaboration with other universities.” The university released an email on the decision.
“While TU respects the decision of the commissioners, we are disappointed in and do not concur with today’s denial of our appeal to the Maryland Higher Education Commission that would have led to the approval of a unique and critically important interdisciplinary doctoral program in Sustainability and Environmental Change,” a Towson University spokesperson wrote in an email. “The graduates of such a unique program would have helped our state to meet the critical environmental and climate-change-related challenges we all face today and increasingly will face in the future.”
Last June, Towson proposed to launch a doctoral program in business analytics but later shut down the proposal due to them believing that a duplicate program was already established at the Cold Spring Lane campus. A commission staffer initially rejected Townson’s request on the grounds that it was redundant. In a 4-3 vote, the commission's board overturned that ruling, allowing Towson to move forward. However, the state attorney general's office intervened, claiming the vote was invalid. Eventually, Towson pulled the proposal.
A legislative work group that was tasked with assessing the rules governing the approval or rejection of college degree programs presented a list of suggestions to the higher education commission in January. Avoiding program duplication was the main goal of several of these suggestions.
