The Appalachian studies academic program, in partnership with the Center for Appalachian Studies, focus on teaching and academic research. These programs of study broadcast on campus and to the larger world the value of a deeper understanding of global mountain regions both as cultural and environmental settings. Academic programs in Appalachian Studies assist ASU faculty in teaching and research about the region, so that their professional development parallels their involvements as citizens and as residents. Appalachian Studies courses assist undergraduate and graduate students in critical thinking and learning key questions and research strategies for studying the Appalachian region and its communities. The academic program involves students and faculty in exploring the region with local and global perspectives, in ways that enhance their personal and professional lives.
At the graduate level, we create an interdisciplinary learning environment that encourages students to develop targeted programs of study specific to their individual educational goals. We offer internships and other training opportunities that lead to meaningful careers within and beyond the Appalachian region.
To Apply
Accelerated Master's
Accelerated Master's Program to the Appalachian studies MA program for App State students
The Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies offers an Accelerated Master's Program which recruits exceptional undergraduate students currently pursuing a degree at Appalachian State University to enroll in graduate courses during their senior year. These graduate courses may fulfill both undergraduate and graduate course requirements for both a bachelor's and a graduate degree. Using "Accelerated Master's," a graduate program director may nominate a rising senior (i.e., a student in the second semester of the junior year) or current senior to take graduate coursework during that student's senior year.
Global Curriculum in Appalachian Studies
Mountain-to-mountain pedagogy, scholarship, and exchanges are cornerstones of the Appalachian Studies Academic Program and central to its partnership with the Center for Appalachian Studies.
Recent Event
Global Roots of Appalachian Mountain Dance Symposium
The Global Roots of Appalachian Mountain Dance Symposium is a three-day event sponsored by the Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University in spring 2022. Free and open to the public, the symposium will include:
- performances,
- workshops,
- jams,
- film screenings and discussion,
- lecture demonstrations,
- a keynote panel and
- social dances of the diverse traditions that make up the global roots of Appalachian dance.
These include West African, Afro-Caribbean, Cherokee, and Irish dance traditions. Additionally, Appalachian dance traditions, such as flatfooting and buckdancing, and their close “cousins,” such as tapping and stepping, will be featured to highlight the different directions that these roots took off.
For more information or to get involved, please email Dr. Julie Shepherd-Powell at shepherdpowellja@appstate.edu.
News & Events
Dr. Beth Davison and Jesse Barber ’22 ’24 featured on Appalachian Excellence podcast
Mar 20, 2025
On this episode of Appalachian Excellence: Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity, Karen Fletcher, director of grants resources and services in t...
Appalachian Journal (vol. 52, no. 3) now available
Mar 12, 2025
BOONE, N.C. — The new issue of Appalachian Journal: A Regional Studies Review (vol. 52, no. 3) focuses on the many talented and brilliant visual art...
March 27: Blue Ridge Ballads Revisited with Apalachian Studies' Trevor McKenzie
Jan 30, 2025
This presentation and performance traces the history behind ballads from the Blue Ridge Mountains. While strongly associated with European and British...
February 21-22: 4th Annual Boone Docs Film Festival
Jan 30, 2025
BOONE, N.C. — The 2025 Boone Docs Film Festival, showcasing short documentaries focused on the people who live and work in Appalachia, expands this ...