The U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service announced Monday that the university is receiving an African American Civil Rights Grant for the project.

The bill has already been approved by the House. It now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

The organization said it changed its stance because the university would be less likely than the state-appointed emergency manager to cut art, music and other classes.

The bill now goes to the Senate side of the General Assembly for consideration.

Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns says the school hopes to offer the new degree by fall 2019.

Just this year academic year, Ball State enrolled 22,513 students - the largest in the school's 99-year history. Mearns iterated that the new brand is a tool to help Ball State communicate growth and relevance to stakeholders.

According to the school, tuition and fees for a Hoosier resident student will be $9,774.

The research found that since the recession, it's been easier for Hoosiers with at least a bachelor's degree to find full-time work.

The university began offering an online-only master's degree in applied behavioral analysis with an emphasis in autism six years ago.

Geoff Mearns, who is currently president of Northern Kentucky University, was appointed the 17th president of the university.