East Tennessee State University began on Oct. 2, 1911 as East Tennessee State Normal School, which provided teacher preparation. In 1941, a broadened curriculum brought a name change to East Tennessee State College. The first graduate programs began in 1949. By 1963, ETSC had become a university and the name changed to East Tennessee State University.
Most people consider ETSU to be the main campus area in Johnson City bordered by University Parkway, State of Franklin Road, J. L. Seehorn Drive, and South Greenwood Dr. However, the ETSU campus also includes Mountain Home Veteran’s Administration, which houses Quillen College of Medicine, Gatton College of Pharmacy, as well as some programs in the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences. We have off campus sites in Kingsport, TN, Sevierville, TN, Abingdon, VA, and Asheville, NC. Our campus also extends online, as several of our programs are offered exclusively online.