Appalachian State University

Overview

Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University (App State, ASU, or App) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It is the leading public undergraduate institution in the state. The university was founded in 1899 as a teachers' college. In 1967, it started expanding its offerings. Today, these include programs in fine arts, business, and the health sciences. Since 1971, it has been part of the University of North Carolina System.

Appalachian State University Key Statistics

App offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate programs through its seven schools and colleges. These include the Reich College of Education, College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Fine and Applied Arts, and the Hayes School of Music. Top courses are in the fields of environmental science, energy, and economics.

In fall 2021, Appalachian State University key statistics indicate a total of 21,641 students, of whom 18,555 are undergraduates and 2,086 are graduate students. These figures count both on-campus and App State Online enrollees. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the single App State campus has many activities and amenities on offer.

The campus runs the Belk Library that features study rooms, public-use computers, assistive technology room, print and digital collections, e-journals, and electronic databases, and audio-video resources. As well, it is home to such special collections as the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Stock Car Racing Collection, and rare books and manuscripts.

Appalachian State University Research

Research at Appalachian State University is recognized for its notable contributions to environmental sciences, medicine, and energy. A substantial $133.2 million endowment allows it to provide internal funding for research, but it also generates huge grants from external sources. For example, the university has so far received $1.5 billion in research grants and sponsored programs.

Publication-wise, Appalachian State University research is strongest in psychology, medicine, and environmental science. With expertise in a wide variety of areas, university research output has been presented in prestigious conferences. These include the Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education in 2009, the Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages in 2014, and the Americas Conference on Information Systems in 2015.

The most-cited work that the university was involved in is Le Quéré et al.’s (2014) “Global carbon budget 2013,” published in Earth System Science Data. It has 2,608 citations so far. This is followed by Le Quéré et al.’s (2015) article update, “Global carbon budget 2014,” published again in the Earthly System Science Data and has been cited 2,595 times.

The third most-cited research output associated with the App State is Merchant et al.’s (2007) “The Chlamydomonas genome reveals the evolution of key animal and plant functions,” published in Science. It was cited 2,581 times up to this time.

App State is also famous for its Appalachian research, ranging from its ecology to its culture. Also, it has a strong background in energy research. Efforts are spearheaded by research organizations, such as North Carolina Wind Energy, the Solar Research and Teaching Lab, and the Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics. In 2021, an App State student team, Team Sunergy, joined the US solar racing challenge and finished first in Cruiser Class.

You can also learn more about the educational performance of Appalachian State University in our ranking of US universities & colleges.