“The program Towson is proposing is unreasonably and unnecessarily duplicative of the Morgan program,” Morgan State’s president David Wilson said, according to The Baltimore Banner. “Morgan State University takes very, very seriously the whole notion of program duplication.”

Towson had planned to create a doctoral program in sustainability and environmental change, which it said was unique and would provide more workers to the job market.

“It will prepare our graduates for the immense challenge of our lifetime,” Towson President Mark Ginsberg said. “That is something that’s dramatically distinct from Morgan State.”

The institution said it respects the decision but noted its disappointment.

“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,” a Towson spokesperson said.

The Higher Education Commission said too many similarities were found, while it rejected the idea that the Towson program would boost the economy.

“I did find duplication in terms of the degree, the specialization area, and the curriculum,” Commissioner Janet Wormack said. “The purposes may differ, but the larger portion definitely overlaps.”

They also noted that Maryland needs more workers with bachelor’s degrees rather than doctoral degrees.

“That’s where we are struggling with this proposal and how it leads to workforce outcomes,” Emily Dow, the assistant secretary for academic affairs for the commission, said. “There’s a need for expansion in this field, there’s evidence for more jobs, but not necessarily at the doctoral level.”

This isn’t the first time the Maryland Higher Education Commission has ruled in favor of Morgan State over a similar case. Last year, rejected Towson’s request for a business analytics administration program, which was considered to be a replica of a program at the HBCU. The commission also denied requests from Johns Hopkins University and Stevenson University to create a doctoral program in physical therapy, which was ruled to be a copy of a program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.