The board of regents of each state college and each state teachers college shall have power and authority to confer upon students, by diploma under the common seal, such degrees as are usually granted by such colleges, and additional degrees only when authorized by the coordinating board for higher education in circumstances in which offering such degree would not unnecessarily duplicate an existing program, collaboration is not feasible or a viable means of meeting the needs of students and employers, and the institution has the academic and financial capacity to offer the program in a high-quality manner. In the case of nonresearch doctoral degrees in allied health professions, an institution may be authorized to offer such degree independently if offering it in collaboration with another institution would not increase the quality of the program or allow it to be delivered more efficiently. Such boards shall have the power and authority to confer degrees in engineering only in collaboration with the University of Missouri, provided that such collaborative agreements are approved by the governing board of each institution and that in these instances the University of Missouri will be the degree-granting institution. Should the University of Missouri decline to collaborate in the offering of such programs, one of these institutions may seek approval of the program through the coordinating board for higher education's comprehensive review process when doing so would not unnecessarily duplicate an existing program, collaboration is not feasible or a viable means of meeting the needs of students and employers, and the institution has the academic and financial capacity to offer the program in a high-quality manner.
§ 174.160, RSMo