Trustees Approve New Degrees, Room and Board Rates

Trustees Approve New Degrees, Room and Board Rates

The University of Toledo continues to expand its academic programs to provide new and innovative degrees for students.

The UToledo Board of Trustees approved several degree programs at its Wednesday, March 18, meeting, including a master's degree in data science and AI, a bachelor's degree in constitutional studies and two accelerated degree programs - an accelerated bachelor's degree in public health and an accelerated bachelor's degree in professional studies.

The new degrees require additional approval from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. If approved, the goal would be to begin offering the degrees during the 2026-2027 academic year.

The new Master of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence is a fully online graduate program geared toward recent graduates in STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math, as well as career professionals in data and technology fields. The flexible program is built for working professionals and can be completed part time or full time in as few as four semesters.

Cloud-based computing platforms are integrated throughout the program, giving students hands-on experience with modern data infrastructure environments. Through this approach, students will have opportunities to engage with resources from Amazon Web Services (AWS) Academy and pursue AWS Academy certifications alongside their degree. Responsible artificial intelligence is embedded in the program with coursework in ethics, fairness, privacy and governance.

Another advantage of the UToledo program is its inclusion in the School of Interdisciplinary Data Science in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, created last year to integrate data-centric programs across the University, covering the entire spectrum of data science methods from the collection of data through interrogation and analysis, visualization and communication.

Aligned with the state of Ohio's promotion of 90-credit-hour degree programs, UToledo's first accelerated degree programs were also approved by Trustees.

In alignment with the University's efforts to promote a Healthy Toledo, the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Public Health will be the first such reduced-credit degree in the field, offering a workforce-aligned degree that prepares students for roles supporting population health programs, prevention initiatives and health data operations in a variety of organizations. UToledo is offering the accelerated program, which can be completed in 91 or 92 credit hours, depending on the concentration, for students interested in going directly into the workforce.

The University will continue to offer the existing 120-credit program in Public Health that is preferred for students planning to attend graduate school.

There are five specializations available in the new accelerated program, specifically community health promotion, environmental health, epidemiology, health coaching and health informatics.

The new Accelerated Bachelor of Arts in Professional Studies was created for nontraditional learners who are seeking career-focused instruction. The program can be done completely online and features competency-based education courses, which personalize learning and can further accelerate degree completion. The degree features coursework in professional studies, personal development and workforce dynamics. The new degree replaces the existing Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies degree.

The new Bachelor of Arts in Constitutional Studies will be offered through the Institute for American Constitutional Thought and Leadership at UToledo. The 120-credit-hour program features courses on constitutional principles, civic leadership, political philosophy, rhetoric and legal reasoning, and equips graduates for career paths in law, public policy, government and journalism.

In other business, the Board of Trustees approved the naming of the new welcome center currently under construction in honor of Dorothy and Georgianna Saloff. The Saloff sisters are both UToledo alumni who dedicated their careers to teaching and together served more than eight decades in elementary education. They donated their estate to UToledo providing a $3 million commitment to support the institution's education mission through enrollment and student success initiatives, scholarships and experienced-based learning.

The Dorothy and Georgianna Saloff Welcome Center in Tucker and Scott Halls will serve as the new "front door" to the University where prospective Rockets and their families will start their campus tours and current UToledo students can access support services, including financial aid, the registrar's office and the military services center. The project is planned to be completed this summer.

UToledo also continued its practice of making room and board decisions ahead of the annual budgeting process to provide students and families with more time to plan for the upcoming school year. Balancing the desire to keep the cost to attend UToledo as affordable as possible and the need to offset increased costs of operations, new housing and meal plan rates for the fall 2026 semester were approved.

Housing rates will increase an average of 2.85%, depending on the student's choice of residence hall, and meal plans will increase an average of 3.17% for students in the incoming ninth cohort of the Toledo Tuition Guarantee and will remain the same rate for their four years at UToledo. Under the new rates, a standard double room will increase $159 per semester and the Gold meal plan will be $76 more per semester.

Finally, the UToledo Board of Trustees approved an updated Memorandum of Agreement with The University of Toledo Foundation and appointed Edward P. Kinsey to serve as a national trustee.

Kinsey received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in 1979 from UToledo and went on to have a successful career as a technology entrepreneur and finance professional in high-tech firms and public service. He is the recipient of the 2025 John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation Distinguished Alumni Award.

Among his many career accomplishments, Kinsey co-founded Ariba Inc., and founded Determination Ventures. He served as a DocuSign Strategic Advisory Board member and CFO advisor to the company. Kinsey currently serves as chief financial officer of Otto Aerospace.

The national trustee position was established in 2017 to take advantage of the diverse cultural, geographic, business, professional, public service and civic backgrounds, talents and experiences of friends and alumni of the University. They serve a two-year term without voting privileges.