MSU, UCM, SEMO, Harris-Stowe, Lincoln, MSSU, MWSU, Northwest, Truman.

It's illegal for these 9 universities to offer PhDs and many other doctorates.

We sign this petition to urge the Missouri Legislature to lift the ban!

Please share after signing.

 

BACKGROUND 

Only one public university (system) in Missouri can offer PhDs. Only one can offer first-professional degrees in law (J.D.), medicine (M.D.), and more.

That’s not fair.

The University of Missouri has a virtual monopoly on doctoral degrees. For a long time, only UM system schools could offer them.

For instance, in 2005, Missouri State University was banned from offering any doctoral, first-professional, or engineering programs unless it was in cooperation with Mizzou, which would be the degree-awarding institution. Other laws barred or scared off other universities from offering the highest degrees.

In 2018, Missouri passed a law with some good changes, some bad. Universities were finally given a pathway to offer more doctoral degrees -- like, say, a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D) -- without going through Mizzou. But it was enshrined into law that “the University of Missouri shall be the only state college or university that may offer doctor of philosophy degrees or first-professional degrees, including dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine” (H.B. 1465, page 4). Further, engineering degrees and a few others must still go through Mizzou.

This is framed as eliminating costly duplicate programs and promoting cooperation. But by that reasoning, why should multiple universities offer the same bachelor’s degrees? We know the actual reason. A monopoly on doctoral degrees means more students and $ for the UM system. At the expense of every other public university. At the expense of students, who may want to study elsewhere. And to the detriment of the state, which loses money to other states when students don’t get into Mizzou or a sister school, are priced out, or do not find the program they’re looking for -- they have no choice but to go to graduate school in another state.

This just isn’t right.

We need the Missouri Legislature to correct this unfairness.

 

KEY POINTS 

“Competition” -- Freeing our public colleges to offer PhDs and doctorates like the UM System will push all our universities to compete and offer the best programs possible for students.

“Monopoly” and “Fairness” -- Letting the UM System have a monopoly on doctoral degrees funnels it all the profits and students. That’s unfair to the 9 other public universities. Why hold back some schools while giving others a leg up?

“Losing students to other states” -- Missouri is losing doctoral students, and money, to neighbors like Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, and more. Their schools don’t have silly bans on doctorates, and can be closer and cheaper. Let’s offer our students more options in-state.

“The Coordinating Board and self-funded programs mean no budget crisis” -- Instead of a total ban determining what to do with limited higher education funds, let the Coordinating Board for Higher Education decide! That’s what it exists for! Why not let the 9 disadvantaged schools make their case for a new doctoral program to the Coordinating Board, just like the UM System? Further, why ban our public colleges from doing self-funded programs? They can’t even do inexpensive ones, like a PhD in mathematics or history. Let’s let the Board and our public universities determine how best to serve their students on a case-by-case basis. The Committee on Legislative Research concluded that the bills to end the ban are fiscally neutral. 

“Duplication is good” -- Duplication of doctoral programs better serves students from Missouri, the U.S., and the world. There’s a reason we duplicate bachelor’s and master’s programs, and why other states don’t have the ban that we do. Ending the ban means more students and money for Missouri, more competition, free choice for students, and fair treatment of all our universities. Thanks to the Coordinating Board and self-funded initiatives, it does not mean a funding disaster.  

“A U.S. enrollment crisis is coming” -- What concrete steps are we taking to attract more students to Missouri colleges from around the state, nation, and globe? Here’s an obvious one: Let 9 more schools offer PhDs and doctorates!

 

RESOURCES

Click here for a shareable article.

Click here for a background information flyer.

Click here for a rationale/arguments flyer.

Click here for an organization focused on this issue.