IHL approves new degree paths, changes to ACT scoring

• Thursday’s meeting also saw the passing of the gavel to the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees’ new president, Gee Ogletree.

Several new degree paths and a change to the way ACT scores are used for college admissions were approved by the Mississippi State Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees during last week’s meeting. 

ACT and college admissions

An amendment setting new regulations concerning college admissions using the ACT was approved Thursday.

Dr. Casey Prestwood, Associate Commissioner for Academic and Student Affairs at Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, said the amendment went into effect this month. 

“So, beginning April 2025, the ACT composite score will be based on performance in English, math, and the reading section,” Prestwood said. “The science and writing sections will be optional and reported separately with the science section no longer included in the composite score calculation.”

The amendment will apply to all incoming freshmen seeking an undergraduate degree. Tests taken prior to the change will not be recalculated.

IMPACT Center at Ole Miss

The creation of a new center at Ole Miss was approved by the IHL Board.

Officials said it will be established at the Oxford and Jackson campuses of the University of Mississippi and will be called the IMPACT Center for Pharmacy Transformation.

Prestwood clarified that the first year of the center’s funding will be covered by existing agreements, with subsequent funding to be provided by future grants. 

She added that the purpose of the center will be to create a unique angle on how pharmacy can impact the profession through transformational service delivery and innovation “by utilizing pharmacists as a touch point for care beyond dispensing.”

New degree programs

Jackson State

Jackson State University will soon offer the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering as a degree path. The 126-hour requirement is an increase to allow the institution to obtain accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

The anticipated five-year cost of implementation is nearly $3.5 million with an anticipated five-year revenue of $6.1 million.

The degree path will prepare students to seek careers in aerospace, automotive, renewable energy, manufacturing and robotics with potential salaries starting at $99,500.

“Jackson State seeks to expand its engineering offerings and meet regional and national demand for mechanical engineers,” Prestwood added.

JSU will also now offer the Master of Science in Public Health Informatics and Analysis. The degree program will require a $3.4 million five-year cost of implementation and is projected to generate $2.3 million in that same timeframe.

The new degree aims to equip graduates to seek roles in analytics, business intelligence, and data science, with a median pay close to $100,000 within applicable fields. 

“This 36-hour degree program will be housed in the Department of Health Policy Management and will focus on leveraging technology to streamline industry processes,” Prestwood explained.

Mississippi State

Mississippi State, with the IHL Board’s approval, will now offer the Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership. It’s a 120-hour program that will build upon the related associate’s degree.

The emphasis will be on practical, applied learning, preparing graduates to assume leadership roles across sectors that include industry, sports, non-profits, and government agencies.

“The major is designed to provide a thrive-in-five combined baccalaureate-master’s program pathway for students who want to pursue a masters of applied science in organizational leadership,” Prestwood added.

Salary ranges for applicable career paths range from $68,000 to $86,000.

MSU also has been approved to offer the Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Teaching to be housed under the College of Education at the Meridian campus.

The program will require up to 122 hours and will build upon the Associate’s in Early Childhood Technology, along with other early childhood majors. Graduates will prepare to start a career in education in the earliest grade levels.

“Students who successfully complete the program of study and a residency at a local school district and earning passing scores on the required licensure exams will exit the program with a Pre-K through third grade Mississippi teaching license pending MDE (Mississippi Department of Education) approval,” Prestwood said.

Southern Miss

At the University of Southern Mississippi, students will now have the option to enroll in the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Religion and Law, housed under the School of Humanities. By using the existing faculty and teaching loads, there will be no cost to implement the 120-hour program. 

Additionally, several programs that are currently offered at USM will now be offered as stand-alone degree programs to increase visibility in hopes of increasing enrollment.

Prestwood said Southern Miss requested to split out three programs and place them under the Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication for that reason. The degrees include Digital Advertising, Digital Media Sales and Public Relations.

“These three degree programs currently exist as tracks of the Strategic Communication degree and USM wants to make each of them a stand-alone degree program in an attempt to make them more visible to address declining enrollment and based on feedback that parents, students and counselors were not aware these existed as tracks,” Prestwood said.

Each program will require 120 hours of instruction time and will be located under the School of Media and Communication. Use of existing faculty and staff will negate a cost of implementation.

USM was also approved to move the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design to a stand-alone program. The 120-hour program exists currently under the Bachelor of Fine Art.

Another program that is being moved to a stand-alone program at USM is the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood. Also a 120-hour program, it will be located under the School of Child and Family Studies. Since it currently exists as part of the Bachelor of Child and Family Sciences, there will be no cost of implementation. 

The IHL Board also approved USM to break out the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Biology and the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Chemistry into stand-alone programs. Both degree paths will be housed under the School of Criminal Justice, Forensic Science and Security and each will require 120-hours of instruction. These are currently offered in the Forensic Bachelor of Science program, but by breaking them out as stand-alone programs, USM can seek accreditation through the American Academy of Forensic Science and Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Committee.

Southern Miss will also now offer a program that can help address the ongoing teacher shortage in the state with the Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education. It will cost about $250,000 to implement over five years and potentially generate roughly $510,000 in revenue.

The 120-hour program will equip graduates to become an educator in grades 6 through 12 within Mississippi, or in other states that offer reciprocity, Prestwood told the Board.

Blue Mountain

The IHL Board also granted Stage III approval for Blue Mountain Christian University’s baccalaureate nursing program to seek accreditation. Now that the university has approval, and has completed the third stage of the process, the university can apply for full accreditation for its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, said Dr. Melissa Temple, Director of Nursing Education for the IHL. 

“Submission of program outcomes to include degree completion rate, licensure exam pass rate, graduate employment information and stage III application,” Temple described.

Health insurance policy

In addition, the Board approved a request to renew IHL’s student health insurance policy.

Dr. John Pearce, Senior Associate Commissioner for Finance for the IHL, said the renewal will be with United Healthcare and is an effort to find a more affordable policy that still meets regulations established under the Affordable Care Act.

The health insurance program was utilized by about 3,000 students last fiscal year. Annual premiums under this policy are $2,314 per student. The estimated total cost is $6.9 million for an anticipated enrollment of 3,050 students. Students can purchase the policy directly, or it can be offered as a benefit to specific classes of student workers and employees.

“The program has been used primarily by students at Mississippi State, Ole Miss and USM, although is available to all system students,” Pearce described.

At the end of the meeting, IHL Board President Bruce Martin yielded the gavel to incoming Board President Gee Ogletree.