(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch This story was originally published by Iowa Capital Dispatch and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Iowa Board of Regents approves accelerated degree programs • Iowa Capital Dispatch [1] ['Kadin Luhmann', 'Brooklyn Draisey', 'More From Author', 'June', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img'] Date: 2026-06-15 Iowa’s public universities received preliminary approval Monday from the Iowa Board of Regents to launch an accelerated degree program for students hoping to complete their education with fewer credits. The Bachelor of Applied Professional Studies, presented at the board’s June 15 meeting, wouldn’t replace any other degree programs at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. It would act as a “new degree path that will enhance educational access and career training opportunities,” according to board documents. Rachel Boon, chief academic officer of the board of regents, said the accelerated program is connected to House File 440, which formed new degree programs in Iowa. The new program is not currently offered at the three public Iowa universities, but when implemented, it will be tailored to the specific needs of the schools. “This is not about any specific program right now, this is sort of saying here’s how the university gives them a structure to move forward consistently with the specific programmatic areas of interest for their campuses,” Boon said. Boon added that the accelerated program would require students to earn 90-95 credits in order to receive their degree. “This would set up the structure to be a minimum of 90, but really kind of cap it around the 95 range,” Boon said. “We really want to emphasize this idea of this being something that is reduced.” Boon said the accelerated program would heavily focus on bringing students into the workforce more efficiently, especially in high-need areas, adding that the target date for the program’s implementation is the start of the 2027 academic year. Private universities in Iowa have also been exploring ways to accelerate degree programs, with Upper Iowa University having already opened up a 90-credit bachelor’s degree in business administration and Coe College currently seeking Higher Learning Commission approval for a reduced-credit online business degree. UNI restructures healthcare programs José Herrera, UNI provost, presented plans to restructure the university’s bachelor of arts and bachelor of science in health science programs by combining them into a single, flexible major. “The proposed bachelor of arts and bachelor of science in health science at the University of Northern Iowa brings together the existing offerings in public health and applied health sciences into a single flexible major built on a shared core curriculum and allowing students to explore health-related careers before selecting a specialization,” Herrera said. Herrera added that the program’s structure would allow UNI’s health science program to “serve multiple healthcare needs.” The board of regents approved the new program. State appropriations stagnate Officials from the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa provided updates to the Iowa board of regents on their budget development for fiscal year 2027. While state appropriations to Iowa’s public universities had not been set at the time of the board’s April meeting, university officials said at the time that if state funding remained flat like requested and costs continue to rise as predicted, institutions would see gaps in projected revenues and expenses by millions of dollars. Education appropriations from the state did, in fact, stay flat this year, with the passage of legislation allocating more than $1 billion to Iowa’s education systems. For example, ISU officials said they anticipate a $1.1 million revenue gap, while UNI said they expect a $7.7 million shortfall. Provosts of the universities said that they are working to close budget gaps, and a goal is to balance the budget. “We’re very confident that that we will be able to close this gap here in the coming weeks as we continue our work and bring a fully balanced budget back to the board for approval,” Sean Reeder, senior vice president for operations and finance at ISU, said. Regent Kurt Tjaden also updated the board on Revenue Enhancement and Productivity Study efforts. The study was launched by the board of regents to identify new revenue streams, potential cost savings and operational efficiencies across the three universities. The board’s Investment and Finance Committee has set a $35 million financial target for the study to identify in a combination of savings, investments and new revenue streams over three years, representing 5% of Iowa general fund appropriations to universities. Tjaden said at the board’s April meeting that the process to select a consulting firm to aid in the study’s second phase is beginning, and a firm should be found by the end of June. Carver-Hawkeye Arena renovations Rod Lenhertz, UI senior vice president for finance and operations, presented six capital projects to the board of regents, including a renovation of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, home to UI basketball, wrestling and gymnastics. Lenhertz said UI is the last school in the Big Ten Conference to modernize its arena, adding that Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which has a capacity of more than 15,000 spectators, has little space for food service and fan refreshments. The arena also does not have air conditioning in its main bowl. “It is time to modernize the building and also address the needs of our patrons, the fans that come and experience it, both for athletics and university events,” Lenhertz said. “We are asking for permission to advance project planning.” The board approved the request for project planning. UI Athletic Director Beth Goetz, who attended the meeting, said renovations to Carver-Hawkeye Arena are needed. “A combination of preservation is needed for the older facility, but also the opportunity to modernize it in a way that allows for revenue generation,” Goetz said. “All of those things will benefit not only our fans in athletics, but for all of our events, commencements and other opportunities we may have down the road.” Other UI capital projects that were proposed and approved by the board of regents include: A new facility for UI’s field hockey team Renovations to the Tippie College of Business building A creation of 45 new recovery beds for UI Health Care . Renovation of a UI Health Care parking ramp A new UI Health Care childcare facility — Brooklyn Draisey contributed to this report YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE. 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