The Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia has been approved to launch Tennessee’s first Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice degree next fall.

Officials at the Madison-based school say the program will include a big distance-learning component and will lean heavily on a newly built teleconferencing center. MTSA, which was founded in 1960, plans to have 12 students in its inaugural class — only certified registered nurse anesthetists can apply — with plans to grow in subsequent years.

“The field of anesthesia is evolving, and MTSA is preparing now for important transitions we’ll see in the future,” said Dr. Kenneth Schwab, president of MTSA. “The DNAP program will produce higher-quality graduates with a deeper understanding of anesthesia, not simply more graduates.”

MTSA administrators plan to build a new lecture hall, an atrium and a learning resource center to further expand their campus.