Appalachian State University

appalachian state university online degree

Degree Programs at Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University appears in our ranking of 30 Great Value Online Colleges for Business (Bachelor’s).

At Appalachian State University, there are nearly a dozen separate colleges. From the Hayes School of Music to the Walker College of Business, the university provides students with dozens of degree programs from which to choose. Students may select majors as obscure and specialized as furniture design and quantitative geoscience to those more well-known, such as marketing, mathematics, and middle grades education. The graduate degree programs are no less diverse, and everyone from budding orchestral soloists to evolutionary biologists can find the right niche.

Students who study education in any form at Appalachian State University have a distinct privilege. U.S. News and World Report ranks the university No. 2 overall in the South Region for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.”

Graduate students can pursue master’s degrees in music, business administration, education, and a dozen other fields while doctoral candidates can strive for degrees in psychology and education.

The university is also ranked for its online programs. Students have the choice of more than a dozen undergraduate courses of study that include management, communication, and social work. The 17 online master’s programs include many of the same options and add items like nutrition, public administration, and business administration. The online doctoral option is an education degree.

Students may also seek graduate certificates. Certifications include autism spectrum disorders, school leadership, instructional technology facilitation, and others.

About Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University began humbly as Wautaga Academy. As with many such schools that sprouted from nothing in the late 19th century, it quickly morphed into a normal school that sought to prepare primary and secondary school teachers for the vast number of children being born as the population boom began in earnest.

The university had a half dozen different identities before its current incarnation, but they’ve all had as their core set of values those of the founder: Dr. Blanford B. Dougherty. Dr. Dougherty led the school for 56 years and put his everlasting stamp upon it.

The excellence of this rural school in the Blue Ridge Mountains is well-known. Aside from the “Best Undergraduate Teaching” classification, Appalachian State University has a bevy of superior ratings in the South Region, including “Best Colleges for Veterans,” “Most Innovative Schools, and Top Public Schools. Overall, the university is ranked No. 8.

Appalachian State University Accreditation Details

Appalachian State University has regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and has held it continuously since 1942. The separate colleges and departments of the university have also earned accreditations from different organizations, which include:

  • Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
  • American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
  • American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  • National Association of Schools of Art and Design
  • National Association of Schools of Dance
  • National Association of Schools of Music
  • National Association of Schools of Theatre
  • National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
  • American Psychological Association
  • Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
  • American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
  • Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration
  • National Recreation and Park Association
  • Council for Interior Design Accreditation
  • Council on Social Work Education Office of Social work Accreditation
  • Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc.
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Appalachian State University Application Requirements

Students applying to become freshmen at the university must meet the North Carolina requirements. These include:

  • Four years of English
  • Four years of mathematics
  • Three years of science
  • Two years of social studies
  • Two years of the same foreign language

The math classes can include Algebra I and II, Geometry, or advanced mathematics courses. The science classes must include one biological science and one physical science. One class must also involve laboratory work. The social studies classes should contain at least one unit on U.S. history. If a student doesn’t have the U.S. history component, then that student may be allowed to complete that component before the end of the student’s sophomore year.

Graduate students must have a bachelor’s degree from regionally accredited college or university and have taken whichever test is required by the department of their selected course of study. Some departments require the Graduate Record Examination. Others require the Graduate Management Admission Test. A few require the Miller Analogies Test. Letters of recommendation are also a must as are both a CV and a full set of transcripts of all places attended prior to admission at Appalachian State University. Students with questions should contact the Office of Admissions.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Appalachian State University charges tuition by the semester and not by the academic year. The rate for full-time, in-state, undergraduate students, including all fees and associated costs, is $3,692. The same cost for out-of-state students is $11,095.50. Undergraduate online costs are charged per credit hour. The in-state rate is $163.05, and the out-of-state rate is $663.55.

Graduate tuition is $3,980.50 for in-state students and $10,696.50 for out-of-state students. Certain departments have different rates, and students should check with the Bursar for further clarification. Online graduate tuition is also charged by the credit hour. The in-state rate is $266.51, and the out-of-state rate is $925.01.

In all cases, housing costs, meal plans, parking fees, and other activity-based fees vary from student to student. The website outlines all of these.

Both needs and merit-based financial aid is available in the form of grants, scholarships, and loans. Students should begin with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. The university uses this form and all of its required accompanying information to determine a student’s eligibility for the different aid programs. Work-study is a form of a grant, and students may receive additional grants beyond the work-study program. Many students avail themselves of multiple options in financial aid. Most merit-based awards come with stringent academic restrictions. If a student fails to meet those standards, that student may lose any pending awards or, worse, have to pay back money already awarded as if it were an unsubsidized loan instead. Students with questions should contact the Financial Aid Office at Appalachian State University.