The year 2007 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of East Carolina University. From modest beginnings as a teacher training school, ECU has emerged as a national and global research university with an enrollment of over 27,000. With a mission of teaching, research, and service, East Carolina University is a dynamic institution connecting people and ideas, finding solutions to problems, and seeking the challenges of the future.

East Carolina University today is a much different school than it was in 1907. Although still strongly and proudly tied to the region, ECU is no longer limited to the role of a regional institution; we now count the nation’s top doctoral research universities as our peers, and our influence is felt around the world.  

Our College of Education remains nationally recognized for its teacher-preparation and educational leadership programs. Our College of Nursing is the largest producer of new nursing graduates in the state and serves as a center of excellence for leadership in nursing, professional nursing education, research, service and faculty practice in eastern North Carolina. Our College of Allied Health Sciences is the largest provider of allied health professionals to the state and offers degrees in nine departments. Anchored by the Brody School of Medicine, a nationally recognized leader in primary care and rural health, ECU offers unrivaled variety and quality in training for health-care professionals. Our offerings in the fine and performing arts are some of the best on the east coast and are the largest in the state. Our programs in business, science, and technology are growing rapidly thanks to their quality, the demand for their graduates, and the excellence of their facilities and faculties.

In 1907 there was only one course of study at East Carolina Teachers Training School. Today East Carolina University offers more than one hundred undergraduate degree programs, seventy-three master’s programs, eighteen doctoral programs, a medical doctor program, thirteen undergraduate certificate programs, and sixty graduate/advanced certificate programs. We are committed to providing the best education possible for our students.

As the university enters its second century, ECU’s value to the state and nation continues to grow as we follow our motto "To Serve." Ground has been broken for our newly approved dental school which will admit its first class in 2011. This new program will help alleviate the statewide need for dentists, particularly in eastern North Carolina where four counties currently have no dental practices. The university is committed to serving individuals and communities that are traditionally underserved by providing $150 million per year in uncompensated health care and over 8,000 student volunteers, and by assisting dozens of communities in eastern North Carolina through the Regional Development Center.  

The Brody School of Medicine continues its groundbreaking work in telemedicine and robot-assisted surgery. Construction continues on the Eastern Carolina Cardiovascular Institute, a regional center devoted to the research, treatment, and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Recently completed campus projects include the new College Hill Residence Hall, new West End Dining Hall, and new Health Sciences complex, an addition to the Fletcher Music Building, Clark-LeClair baseball stadium, and renovations to the Flanagan, Rivers, and Old Cafeteria buildings. East Carolina leads the state in Internet-based education with the largest on-line enrollment—more than 8,500 students—of any other school in the University of North Carolina system.  

We still live by the words of Robert H. Wright, the first president of East Carolina Teachers Training School, who deliniated the school’s mission, saying, “We will give to the rising generation the purest inheritance of the nation and better preparation than has ever been given to a preceding generation. This school is an expression of that determination; it was built by the people, for the people, and may it ever remain with the people, as a servant of the people.”

East Carolina University, the third largest of the 16 universities that make up the UNC system, is a regionally accredited public doctoral university committed to meeting the educational needs of North Carolina and beyond. East Carolina University has been a leader in distance education in North Carolina for over sixty years. ECU recognized the potential of online learning early and was among the first schools in the nation to develop and offer a degree completely over the Internet.  Since then, the university has created more than sixty degree and certificate programs in health, education, technology and other areas.  Chances are you will find a program that suits both your professional needs and your academic goals. To learn more, click here. Most of the people who enroll in East Carolina’s online programs are busy, working adults. We realize your needs are different and unique. The online format allows you to complete course work when it is convenient for you. These programs include structured, well-designed courses and special instructional techniques to help you succeed as an online student. Online courses offer a large degree of convenience and flexibility, but it’s important to note that these courses require the same level of commitment and effort as a class on campus. Members of the Division of Continuing Studies collaborate with academic and administrative offices across the campus to offer assistance, answer questions, and provide direction. They provide a bridge for you to access all of the services and resources at the university. Conveniently from your home, you can apply, register, seek financial aid, pay your tuition, do library research and order textbooks. From admission to graduation, a system of student support services is available to assist all adult learners. For help getting started, contact the Division of Continuing Studies for assistance. And when all is said and done, the degree you earn online is exactly the same as the degree you would earn if you came to campus. Instructors and professors who teach the university’s online programs are the same faculty members who teach on-campus programs.  The quality, requirements, and admission procedures are the same; the only difference is how the program is delivered.