{"id":13526,"date":"2012-12-12T12:11:02","date_gmt":"2012-12-12T19:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/?p=13526"},"modified":"2012-12-17T15:54:18","modified_gmt":"2012-12-17T22:54:18","slug":"phds-mds-and-jds-among-idaho-lawmakers-diverse-educational-backgrounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2012\/12\/12\/phds-mds-and-jds-among-idaho-lawmakers-diverse-educational-backgrounds\/","title":{"rendered":"PhDs, MDs And JDs Among Idaho Lawmakers’ Diverse Educational Backgrounds"},"content":{"rendered":"

The vast majority of Idaho legislators have a college degree. Seventy percent of Idaho’s 2013 Legislature has a bachelor’s degree or higher. U.S. Census data show 24 percent of Idaho’s general population has a bachelor’s degree or higher.
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Data Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Project Vote Smart, Idaho Legislators<\/p>\n

Over the last month, StateImpact Idaho<\/em> collected basic demographic information on Idaho’s incoming Legislature. We’ve looked at lawmakers’ ages<\/a> compared with the population they represent, their occupations<\/a>, and the male-female<\/a> split. We want to better understand the make-up of Idaho’s Legislature and how it compares with the general population.<\/p>\n

Idaho’s Constitution says<\/a> the only two requirements for becoming a legislator are that you must be a U.S. citizen, and you must live in your county or district for at least a year before being elected.\u00a0 <\/strong>Unlike many civilian jobs, a certain level of education isn’t required.<\/p>\n

There are 25 people in Idaho’s incoming Legislature who don’t have a college degree.\u00a0 Thirty-seven Idaho lawmakers, or 35 percent, have advanced degrees, that includes 12 JDs, two MBAs, three PhDs and three MDs.\u00a0 Just 7.6 percent of Idahoans hold advanced degrees.
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A large number of Idaho lawmakers attended college within the state.\u00a0 There’s also a fair number of legislators who graduated from Utah’s Brigham Young University.<\/p>\n

Their degrees or areas of study cover a broad spectrum.\u00a0 Here’s a sampling:<\/p>\n