The University of Maryland, Baltimore launched a Master of Science in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics program, the first of its kind in the country. The two-year, mostly online MS program is designed to prepare students for various aspects of the cannabis industry, including supporting patients, consulting for the medical cannabis industry, launching research investigations, and developing medical cannabis policy, according to the program website.

“There’s been a number of studies primarily with health professionals indicating that there is an educational gap related to medical cannabis, that health professionals want more education because patients are coming to them with questions about cannabis and therapeutic uses,” Dr. Leah Sera, the program’s director, told Washington, DC, public radio station WAMU.

The first class was supposed to have only 50 students, but after receiving 506 applications the university increased the class size to 150.