Welcome to the ETSU Undergraduate Catalog

Accreditation   Memberships   Vision Statement   Mission and Values   The University

Degree requirements for programs of study initiated under provisions of this bulletin shall remain in effect for six years. Students not completing requirements within the six-year period may be required to meet subsequent criteria; it is further provided, however, that the six-year limitation may be extended for interruption by military service when enrollment is resumed immediately upon release from service.

Some policies may have been updated. Consult the most recent catalog.

Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
 

East Tennessee State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master’s, education specialist, and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, telephone 404-679-4500, or https://www.sacscoc.org/ for questions about the accreditation of East Tennessee State University.

  Memberships

 The American Council on Education
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities
The Tennessee College Association
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education
The Council of Graduate Schools in the United States
The Council of Southern Graduate Schools
The Council on Undergraduate Research
The Tennessee Conference of Graduate Schools
Association of Academic Health Centers
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Institute of International Education
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The Southern Conference

 East Tennessee State University is fully in accord with the belief that educational and employment opportunities should be available to all eligible persons without regard to age, gender, color, race, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

Created in 1967 by the Tennessee General Assembly, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission develops, implements, and evaluates postsecondary education policies and programs in Tennessee while coordinating the state’s systems of higher education.   

ETSU Vision Statement

Developing a world-class environment to enhance student success and improve the quality of life in the region and beyond.

ETSU Mission and Values

ETSU provides a student-centered community of learning, reflecting high standards and promoting a balance of liberal arts and professional preparation, and continuous improvement. The university conducts a wide array of educational and research programs and clinical services including a comprehensive Academic Health Sciences Center. Education is the university’s highest priority, and the institution is committed to increasing the level of educational attainment in the state and region based on core values where:

PEOPLE come first, are treated with dignity and respect, and are encouraged to achieve their full potential; RELATIONSHIPS are built on honesty, integrity, and trust; DIVERSITY of people and thought is respected; EXCELLENCE is achieved through teamwork, leadership, creativity, and a strong work ethic; EFFICIENCY is achieved through wise use of human and financial resources; and COMMITMENT to intellectual achievement is embraced.

ETSU endorses the value of liberal education and provides enriching experiences in honors education, student research and creative activity, study abroad, service learning, and community-based education.

ETSU honors and preserves the rich heritage of Southern Appalachia through distinctive education, research, and service programs and is actively engaged in regional stewardship.

ETSU affirms the contributions of diverse people, cultures, and thought to intellectual, social, and economic development.

ETSU offers students a total university experience that includes cultural and artistic programs, diverse student activities, a variety of residential opportunities, and outstanding recreational and intercollegiate athletic programs.

ETSU awards degrees in over one hundred baccalaureate, master, and doctoral programs, including distinctive interdisciplinary programs and distance education offerings that serve students from the region and beyond. (Approved by the ETSU Board of Trustees 3/24/17)

  The University

East Tennessee State University is governed by its Board of Trustees. Since opening in 1911 as a two-year normal school educating teachers, ETSU has grown into a major, diversified university. It serves more than 13,000 students, many of them from the Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia region and surrounding areas. Students from all 50 states and from numerous other countries also attend ETSU.

ETSU is comprised of 11 colleges and schools: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Technology, College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences, Clemmer College, Honors College, James H. Quillen College of Medicine, College of Nursing, Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, and College of Graduate and Continuing Studies.

ETSU nurtures an educational environment which respects individuality and stimulates creativity. It expands educational opportunities for all who desire and need university preparation while maintaining a setting conducive to intellectual curiosity that produces an enjoyable campus life.

The university is committed to the needs of all of its students - from those who have emerging potential for university-level coursework to the gifted. ETSU also serves the region’s citizens by providing a number of opportunities to continue lifelong learning.

ETSU has expanded to include baccalaureate degree programs in many fields and graduate programs leading to the master’s degree, educational specialist degree, and doctorate degrees. For undergraduates, the university offers broad programming which embraces the philosophy of a liberal education for all with special programs providing a primary level of expertise in the arts and sciences disciplines and selected professional fields. Its master’s studies provide advanced and increasingly specialized preparation in academic, technical, and professional fields that meet the needs of our student population and promote regional development. Doctoral programs are available in a number of fields.

The university offers all programs and degrees during its regular day schedule; extensive evening programs and online course offerings are also provided. With a 350-acre main campus in Johnson City along with centers in Kingsport and Elizabethton, ETSU maintains a semester enrollment of more than 13,000 students and serves 5,000-10,000 persons annually through continuing education and extended service programs.

A statewide leader in transfer articulation, ETSU shares over 280 agreements with 15 state and regional colleges and universities, allowing students to transfer credit hours easily.

Affirming a commitment to the fundamental values of higher education, ETSU presents programs of study that promote curiosity, stimulate thought, encourage reflection and the free interchange of ideas, and foster a genuine desire for learning. Undergraduate and graduate education at ETSU broaden the students’ view of the world and encourage students to participate actively in creating a responsible, ethical society.

Through scholarship, research, and creative activity, the ETSU faculty both critically review and add to humanity’s knowledge and cultural achievements. Faculty and staff apply their knowledge and expertise in the service of the region and the world beyond.

Throughout its history, ETSU has played a vital role in meeting the health care needs of the region. Programs in health education, public and environmental health, and nursing, some dating from the institution’s earliest days, have evolved into formal colleges. The expansion of ETSU’s Division of Health Sciences in the 1980s created still greater opportunities to serve the region, state, and nation through the development of a comprehensive academic health sciences center in Northeast Tennessee. The creation of the College of Pharmacy in 2005 further enhanced this aspect of the university’s mission, as did the 2007 division of the College of Public and Allied Health into the College of Public Health (the first of its kind in Tennessee) and the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences.

The university’s vision of education, scholarship, and service extends into the future, as outlined in “Turning Toward 2011: A Report by the Commission on the Future of ETSU.” The more than 100 faculty, staff, community leaders, alumni, and students who spent two years envisioning what ETSU might be like on the way to its centennial in 2011 described a university that continues to build alliances beyond its walls, exerting strong leadership in health care and health promotion, economic development, education, environmental concerns, crime and violence issues, and public administration. In doing so, ETSU seeks to balance the innovations of the 21st century with the need to preserve the human contact that has characterized education at ETSU since 1911.