New Academic Programs Approved

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission held its quarterly Commission meeting last Friday, during which commissioners approved six new academic programs across Tennessee public institutions and established the tuition and fee range for the 2026-27 academic year.

The approved academic programs are...

 University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Bioinformatics, Bachelor of Science (BS)
 University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management, Master of Science (MS)
East Tennessee State University: Hospitality and Tourism Management, Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
East Tennessee State University: Environment, Health, and Disaster Science, Master of Science (MS)
Middle Tennessee State University: Mechatronic Systems Engineering, Master of Science (MS)
Tennessee Technological University: Integrative Biology, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The Commission also approved a binding tuition and mandatory fee increase range of 4.5 percent for the 2026-27 academic year.