The Ultimate Oxymoron: Obtaining an MSc in Creation Science

…more like BS(c)

The American Geophysical Union has emailed its members (via OIIFTG) regarding the recent uprooting and movement of the Institute of Creation Research (hah!) from CA to Texas. Apparently, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is in the process of accrediting the school (i.e. if you obtain an MSc from the IRC, you are certified to teach science anywhere in the US), even though, ” The graduate school does not teach modern geology, biology, astronomy, or the scientific method.”

What do you think: should a creation science school be allotted accreditation? I don’t think so, unless you’re willing to accredit all forms of mystical “research” (i.e. crystal ball gazing, fortune telling, chicken bone reading, psychotherapy, etc.). You can read the original letter below the fold.

Dear AGU member,

The Institute of Creation Research (ICR) recently relocated its graduate school program from San Diego, California to Dallas, Texas. The school is attempting to obtain accreditation from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to grant Masters of Science Education degrees in Texas. The graduate school does not teach modern geology, biology, astronomy, or the scientific method, yet graduates of the program receive a Masters of Science Education and would be able to teach science in private or public schools.
A state advisory panel already has recommended that the Board accredit ICR’s masters program; however, the Board will vote on 24 April to make a final decision on ICR’s accreditation. The Board has delayed the proceedings because of a large public outcry from both proponents and opponents of ICR. If science teachers do not receive an appropriate scientific education they would not be adequately trained to teach the critical foundations of science such as modern biology, geology, and astronomy to the next generation of students.

If you would like to take action on this issue, contact one or all of the following:
* Your Congressional representative in Texas (find their contact information here: http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=agu)
* Dr. Raymond Paredes, Commissioner of Higher Education on the THECB (512-427-6101)
* The THECB (http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Comments/ to write an email, or visit http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Board/Members.cfm for phone numbers of members of the Board)

Talking points can be based on AGU’s recently revised position statement “Biological Evolution and the History of the Earth Are Foundations of Science” that can be found online at: http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/policy/positions/evolution2.shtml.
The National Academy of Sciences recently published a report on science, evolution, and creationism that reaffirms the overwhelming scientific evidence supporting evolution and the importance of teaching evolution as part of a science curriculum. Information about the National Academies Report can be found at: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=11876. The ICR website is: http://www.icr.org/.