The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board on Friday approved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Italian for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The state panel's decision, which the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas system had approved earlier this year, comes after a recent decision by a separate campus -- the University of Arkansas at Little Rock -- to drop a French language degree program.

The Higher Education Coordinating Board approved several new degree offerings at the state's colleges and universities -- from the Bachelor of Arts in Italian to 100% online degrees in subjects ranging from organizational leadership and interdisciplinary studies -- during a meeting Friday at Henderson State University.