AUSTIN, Texas, April 23 (UPI) -- Texas officials are considering a proposal by a Dallas group that wants to offer a master's degree program in creationist thought for teachers, officials said.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is set to vote Thursday whether to allow the non-profit Institute for Creation Research to offer Internet-based training for science teachers, the Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday.

Although the school says it teaches both sides of the evolution debate, critics say the institute is attempting to undermine the teaching of science in public schools.

In December, an advisory group from the coordinating board visited the school and approved the plan.

The newspaper reported that the board has received hundreds of e-mails from people around the world weighing in on the controversial proposal.