(CNN) Students on Colorado State University's Pueblo campus will have the option to study cannabis beginning this fall.

State officials on Friday approved a bachelor's of science degree program in Cannabis Biology and Chemistry, according to the Colorado Department of Higher Education , which said it was one of the first such programs in the country.

"The new major is a pro-active response to a rapidly changing national scene regarding the cannabis plant," a proposal for the program by CSU-Pueblo officials says, citing shifting attitudes toward cannabis and its legalization for recreational use in numerous states, including Colorado.

The program will be part of CSU-Pueblo's department of chemistry and consist mainly of chemistry and biology coursework with some classes in math and physics, the proposal says.

Students could choose one of two tracks -- either a natural products track focused on biology, or an analytical track that focuses on chemistry.

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