Dallas, USA - A religious institute has sued the state's college board over being denied permission to offer a master's degree in science education.
The Dallas-based Institute for Creation Research Graduate School alleges the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board violated its civil rights.
The institute filed a lawsuit last week in federal court. The suit contends the coordinating board discriminated against the institute because it doesn't support evolution.
Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes has said the institute did not demonstrate it met acceptable standards of science. When the board denied the master's program request last year, he said the institute's proposed program would not prepare future educators to teach to public school standards.
Institute leaders have said they would teach both creationist and evolutionist views, despite favoring creationism.