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IHL board approves multiple new degree programs, updates Title IV documentation policy
Summary
The Institutions of Higher Learning board approved an amendment to a Title IV aid documentation policy and approved new centers, degree elevations and new degree programs across several state universities.
The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees on June 18 approved changes to board policy and multiple academic program requests from system universities, board staff said.
Board staff presented a proposed amendment to board policy 602.d to align with U.S. Department of Education documentation requirements for Title IV federal aid eligibility. Under the change, transfer students who have 30–60 transferable hours but lack an associate or bachelor's degree must provide proof of high school completion for federal Title IV aid. Board staff said students may be awarded federal aid for their first semester while providing documentation, but subsequent federal awards require the documentation or completion of 60 credit hours applicable to a degree.
The board also approved the University of Southern Mississippi's request to add the Mississippi Early Childhood Inclusion Center as a formal center housed in the College of Education and Human Sciences. That center, funded since 2016 by the Mississippi Department of Human Services Division of Early Childcare and Development, provides statewide professional development and classroom support for early childhood inclusion.
Trustees approved a slate of program changes and new programs across institutions. Actions included elevating several existing emphasis areas at USM to standalone degree programs (including paralegal studies and medical laboratory science), approvals for new bachelor's programs (for example, Delta State's Bachelor of Arts in Arts Entrepreneurship and USM's Bachelor of Arts in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry), a new online Master of Science in Business Analytics at USM, and a hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy delivery model proposed by Mississippi State University that combines online coursework, short-term on-campus labs and community clinical experiences. Board staff noted objections filed by the University of Mississippi Medical Center and William Carey University to the DPT proposal; staff nevertheless recommended approval.
Board staff recommended waiver of the second reading and final approval on multiple items; trustees voted to adopt the recommendations during the meeting.
