MOBILE, Ala. — A small college on the Alabama coast said it will begin offering a new medical degree that will be unique to four Deep South states.

The University of Mobile’s new doctor of nurse anesthesia practice program will be the only such course of study in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, the school said in a statement.

Students earning the degree will be eligible to take a national test required to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. The field of nurse anesthetists is expected by grow by more than 30% over the next decade, school officials said.

The program will begin in August, pending initial accreditation and approval by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs this summer. Applications already are being accepted.

Located north of Mobile, the university is a liberal arts school affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention.