East Tennessee State University’s Geosciences Department, known for offering students valuable field experience and professors excelling in both research and teaching, has added a national recognition.
The master’s degree in geosciences, geospatial analysis concentration, received an
honorable mention for the 2022 American Association of Geographers Award for Master's
Program Excellence.
“This is a wonderful honor for ETSU,” said Dr. Ingrid Luffman, an associate professor
who helped prepare the award application. “This concentration was established in 2011
and is already helping fill a rapidly growing industry.”
Geosciences offers potential graduate students an option to concentrate in either
geospatial analysis or paleontology. A graduate certificate is also available in geographic
systems.
In a letter to the awards committee, the Southeastern Division of the American Association
of Geographers’ president noted that ETSU’s program “has made exemplary contributions.”
“The department’s vision,” noted the letter, “is to promote geosciences as a unifying
interdisciplinary science focused on earth and societal challenges and opportunities,
through education and research.”
Numerous well-paying jobs exist for those who earn a degree in geosciences, ETSU professors
said. Over the last decade, alumni have landed positions in industry and public service
with municipal, state and federal governments. Employment of geoscientists is projected
to grow, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“We are so thrilled by this national recognition,” said department chair Dr. Arpita
Nandi. “As believers in the enrollment-to-employment model, we are proud to offer
students so much in terms of classroom opportunities and hands-on learning.”