The University of Southern Indiana may soon offer a new bachelor's degree in physics next fall, school officials announced Thursday.

The school's Board of Trustees recently approved a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science in Physics. The program will be housed within the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education. The new program would be the only degree program of its kind offered by a public institution in the Southwest Indiana region.

According to the American Institute of Physics, one of the most needed positions in the field is high school physics teachers, and school districts consistently rank physics as the highest need among all academic disciplines.

This program would complete the university's offerings in the sciences, provide alignment with the needs of the workforce and prepare students for post-baccalaureate studies.

Now that the school's Board of trustees approved the program, it will next move to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education for approval, with an implementation date of the fall 2016 semester

University of Southern Indiana Board of Trustees also heard a report on the Veteran, Military and Family Resource Center and a report on 2015-16 Student Financial Aid Programs. The report contained a summary and program specific data of all student aid programs administered by Student Financial Assistance, Veterans' Support Services and Career Services and Internships.