Idaho State University is proposing to establish a new master’s degree program in the Wood River Valley.

    The proposal is to create an executive master’s degree in business administration. The EMBA is different from a regular master’s in business administration degree program because the classes are hosted online and during weekends.

    “It’s still pretty early at this point. Given the demands there, we’re moving forward with a program that would be headquartered there,” said Ken Smith, dean of ISU’s College of Business. “They’re trying to develop a bit more education for people in that community, and that’s within ISU’s reach of providing services.”

    The Wood River Valley is known for its tourist industry, and Smith said the establishment of an EMBA program there would in part help further educate the many business owners who live in that area. He said the program could also grab the interest of prominent out-of-state tourists who visit the Wood River Valley.

    “The ideal thing is that it’s a destination and resort area, so once we get the program up and running, people will come from other states,” he said. “It will be attractive beyond the Wood River Valley, but our immediate thing is to serve the people in that area who have (no educational opportunities) nearby.”

    If the degree program gets approved, ISU will likely share facilities with the College of Southern Idaho, which has a satellite location in the Wood River Valley. The proposed EMBA program would be ISU’s first.

    Smith expects a number of the proposed program’s enrollees to be employees of companies that have headquarters in or near the Wood River Valley.

    ISU officials are scheduled to meet with business leaders in that area Wednesday to make a presentation about the proposal.