  We present a method for creating a quantum degenerate gas of metastable
alkaline-earth atoms. This has yet to be achieved due to inelastic collisions
that limit evaporative cooling in the metastable states. Quantum degenerate
samples prepared in the $^{1}S_{0}$ ground state can be rapidly transferred to
either the $^{3}P_{2}$ or $^{3}P_{0}$ state via a coherent 3-photon process.
Numerical integration of the density matrix evolution for the fine structure of
bosonic alkaline-earth atoms shows that transfer efficiencies of $\simeq90\%$
can be achieved with experimentally feasible laser parameters in both Sr and
Yb. Importantly, the 3-photon process can be set up such that it imparts no net
momentum to the degenerate gas during the excitation, which will allow for
studies of metastable samples outside the Lamb-Dicke regime. We discuss several
experimental challenges to successfully realizing our scheme, including the
minimization of differential AC Stark shifts between the four states connected
by the 3-photon transition.
