Wichita ? The first students in the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy-Wichita begin classes Monday.

The new school is located at the university’s School of Medicine in Wichita. Pharmacy School dean Ken Audus says it’s a big step toward providing much-needed pharmacy services in the state.

The university says that of the state’s 105 counties, 30 have only one pharmacy and six have none.

The pharmacy school will accept 20 new students each year through 2014. After that, the number could increase to 40. The new students are from Wichita, Great Bend, Manhattan and elsewhere in Kansas.

They’ll use various techniques in their classes, including video conferencing that will give them access to labs and lectures at the university’s campuses in Lawrence and Kansas City.