Academic Programs

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ETSU Bluegrass Band (1991)

Since its founding, the Center’s academic offerings have been a valuable part of its contributions to the campus. In addition to collaborating on bluegrass courses in the 1980s, Center faculty and staff played key roles in establishing the Appalachian-Scottish and Irish Studies Program in 1988.  Throughout the 1990s and 2000s those offerings expanded, with the Center formally administering the vernacular music program beginning in 1999 and adding new minors in Environmental Studies and Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies in the 2000s.  In 2010 the minor expanded into a full undergraduate major in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies (now Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies) making ETSU the first university to offer such a degree.

This academic growth made it clear that the Center would benefit from the existence of a full academic department, an aspiration that was realized in 2008 with the creation of the Department of Appalachian Studies, which made ETSU the only university to offer a full academic department dedicated to study of the region.

As the academic programs have grown and the Department of Appalachian Studies has developed into a vibrant part of the campus learning community, the synergy between the Department and the Center has remained strong. Today the Department’s more-than 30 full-time and adjunct faculty experts serve hundreds of ETSU students enrolled in departmental courses each semester that support one undergraduate major, seven minors, a master’s degree, and two graduate certificate programs.  The Center has remained a key partner in supporting the Department’s robust educational offerings, ensuring that opportunities for studying Appalachia in all its depth and complexity remain a core part of the educational experience at ETSU.

Academic Programs