A measure introduced in the Idaho legislature could allow Lewis-Clark State College to offer a limited number graduate degrees.
Coeur d’Alene Republican Representative Paul Amador sponsored the measure which would also require approval from the State Board of Education.
Amador says the impetus for the bill came from Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, which sought help preparing nurses to take a national certified nurse manager and leader exam. Lewis-Clark State developed a 10-credit program to address that need.
State law currently prohibits the school from offering graduate-level courses, so the program only includes undergraduate courses. However, in a January 31st letter to the House Education Committee, Lewis-Clark State President Cynthia Pemberton said the classes could just as easily be “dual-listed” as upper-level undergraduate and lower-level graduate courses.
The move would benefit nurses who are still working toward a degree, as well as those who already have one.
Other graduate-level programs might be warranted under similar circumstances, but they would only be added after consultation with the other four-year institutions and with the approval of the state board. (Lewiston Tribune)
