The University System of Georgia Board of Regents on Tuesday approved a measure to allow the University of Georgia School of Medicine to award a doctor of medicine degree, according to a UGA news release.

The UGA School of Medicine was established in February and is located on the medical campus off Prince Avenue.

“This is a historic day for both the School of Medicine and our state,” School of Medicine Dean Shelley Nuss said in a statement released by UGA on Thursday.

Nuss is the first dean of UGA’s medical school. She was appointed earlier this year after serving as dean of the Augusta University/UGA Medical Partnership.

UGA will now have to submit an application for accreditation to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education by Dec. 1, according to UGA.

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The Board of Regents’ decision was also praised by UGA President Jere W. Morehead. The Board of Regents was chaired this year by Harold Reynolds, a Greene County businessman, who is in his final year as president. The members of the Regents are appointed by the governor.

“I recognize all the hard work that our faculty, our staff and so many others have contributed to bring us to his vision, and I am excited to continue to make progress on this vitally important effort,” Morehead said in his statement .

Medical school students must receive a four-year bachelor’s degree, followed by four years of medical school, then a residency at a medical facility that can last from three to seven years, according to the website of Yale University.

The curriculum for the medical program was approved by the UGA University Council on September 18.

This article originally appeared on the Athens Banner-Herald: Board of Regents OKs awarding of medical degree at UGA School of Medicine