Welcome to the ETSU Graduate Catalog

Accreditation   Memberships   Vision Statement   Mission Statement   ETSU 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 where enrollment is resumed immediately upon release from service.

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

Accreditation
Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
 

East Tennessee State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, masters, specialist, and doctoral degrees.  Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, telephone 404-679-4500, or Website: www.sacscoc.org with any question regarding 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
Atlantic Sun Conference

East Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution and 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.

The Tennessee Board of Regents is the nation’s sixth largest higher education system, governing 45 post-secondary educational institutions. The TBR system includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges, and 26 technology centers, providing programs to over 180,000 students in 90 of Tennessee’s 95 counties.

Public higher education in Tennessee is coordinated by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and consists of two systems — The University of Tennessee campuses, governed by the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, and the state universities, community colleges, and technology centers governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The General Assembly created the Commission in 1967 to achieve coordination and unity among the programs of Tennessee’s public post-secondary institutions and to serve as a primary source of information concerning higher education in Tennessee. 

East Tennessee State University
Vision Statement
 

To become the best regional university in the country.

East Tennessee State University
Mission Statement
 

Approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents January 2010

East Tennessee State University prepares students to become productive, enlightened citizens who actively serve their communities and our world. Education is the university’s foremost goal. ETSU provides outstanding programs of study, enhanced access to education, and distinctive educational and research opportunities to attract students from around the region and the world. ETSU affirms that a diverse population is necessary for the intellectual, social, economic, and professional development of our campus and regional communities. Innovation and integration of educational programs, opportunities and scholarly activities enable ETSU to enrich the cultural and intellectual environment, advance economic development, and increase the level of educational attainment of our community and region. Innovation is advanced through entrepreneurial initiatives, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community and international partnerships. The research mission of ETSU advances scholarly and creative activity that enhances the teaching and learning environment and benefits the regional, national, and global communities we serve.

ETSU awards degrees in over one hundred baccalaureate, masters and doctoral programs, including distinctive interdisciplinary programs. The university provides strong, comprehensive educational, research, and service programs in the health sciences that advance the health and wellness of people throughout Tennessee and Southern Appalachia and of rural populations around the world. ETSU affirms the value of a liberal education and life-long learning by providing broadly enriching experiences through opportunities such as honors education, student research and creative activities, international study, community service, internships, and professional development. ETSU also affirms the importance of a total college experience by offering a rich campus life of cultural and artistic programs, diverse student activities, a variety of residential opportunities, and outstanding recreational and intercollegiate athletic programs.

ETSU Values
 

ETSU pursues its mission through a student-centered community of learning reflecting high standards and promoting a balance of liberal arts and professional preparation, continuous improvement, and based on core values where:

• PEOPLE come first, are treated with dignity and respect, and are encouraged to achieve their 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.
   

  The University

East Tennessee State University is one of the principal institutions governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents. 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, Claudius G. Clemmer College of Education, Honors College, James H. Quillen College of Medicine, College of Nursing, Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, School of Continuing Studies and Academic Outreach, and School of Graduate 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 and one that produces an enjoyable campus life.

The university is committed to the needs of all 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. 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, and 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.