(a) In addition to other powers granted in the general statutes, authority and responsibility for the operation of the state’s public institutions of higher education shall be vested in (1) the Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut which shall have exclusive responsibility for programs leading to research doctoral, doctor of medicine, doctor of dental medicine and juris doctor degrees, (2) the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System which shall have special responsibility for the preparation of personnel for the public schools of the state including master’s degree programs, education doctoral degree programs, including an education doctoral degree program in nursing education, and other graduate study in education, and authority for providing (A) liberal arts and career programs at the bachelors, masters and sixth year level, and (B) professional doctoral degree programs, except programs leading to research doctoral, doctor of medicine, doctor of dental medicine and juris doctor degrees, (3) the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges which shall have responsibility for providing programs, as enumerated in § 10a-80, leading, where appropriate, to an associate degree or occupational certificate and programs leading to the degree of associate in applied science and such other appropriate degrees or certificates as are approved by the Board of Regents for Higher Education and for such terminal vocational retraining and continuing education programs leading to occupational certificates as are appropriate, and (4) the Board of Regents for Higher Education which shall have responsibility for the award of external degrees and credits earned at Charter Oak State College by examination and by other forms of validation and by evaluation of learning, including transfer of credit, provided the authority of the Boards of Trustees of The University of Connecticut, the Connecticut State University System and the Community-Technical Colleges to award degrees of the respective institutions shall not be affected.

(b) In approving programs provided under subparagraph (B) of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University System shall consider (1) the effect a proposed professional doctoral degree program would have on the budget of the state university seeking to offer such program, (2) whether expertise in the subject matter of such program currently exists at the state university, (3) the current and projected accreditation standards governing such program, and (4) the current and projected professional standards in the occupational field for which students would qualify for employment upon graduation from such program.