Private Colleges Challenge Plan for U of Iowa Degree

Several private colleges near Dubuque, Iowa, are challenging the University of Iowa's plan to offer a master's degree in business administration in the city at the request of a major company there, The Gazette reported. An Iowa agency that considers new programs is scheduled today to consider the plan by Iowa's Tippie College of Business to offer a master's degree requested by officials at John Deere, the manufacturing company.

But the presidents of Clark University, Loras College and the University of Dubuque -- all of which offer business master's degrees -- questioned whether the area needs yet another, and one that is subsidized by state funds, the newspaper reported.