Middle Georgia State College will become the state’s newest public university with a status and name change becoming effective on July 1.

The state’s Board of Regents unanimously approved the changes during its monthly meeting on Wednesday. The board also approved Middle Georgia’s first master’s degree, an information technology program, that will begin in the fall. A request is pending for a second master’s degree, a nursing program. If approved by the Regents, the program could also begin in the fall.

With Middle Georgia, the number of universities in the state public system would increase to 18.