Elizabeth City State University was founded in 1891 as a Normal School for the purpose of "teaching and training teachers of the colored race to teach in the common schools of North Carolina." In 1939, the school's name was officially changed to Elizabeth State Teachers College and in 1969 to Elizabeth City State University. Today, ECSU is a public university offering baccalaureate degree programs in the basic arts and sciences, professional and pre-professional areas, selected master's degree programs, and a doctor of pharmacy in collaboration with UNC-Chapel Hill.

Elizabeth City State University's heritage provides a rich background for serving its increasingly multi-cultural student body. The university provides a challenging and supportive environment that prepares its students for knowledgeable, responsible participation and leadership in an ever-changing, technologically advanced society.

Located in the historic Albemarle area in northeastern North Carolina, ECSU is near the world-renowned Outer Banks beaches and recreation areas of North Carolina and the Hampton Roads area of southeastern Virginia, which includes the resort cities of Virginia Beach, Colonial Williamsburg, and historic Jamestown and Yorktown. U.S. Highways 17 and 158 as well as the Norfolk International Airport (VA) make the city and university easily accessible.

As a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina, Elizabeth City State University promotes excellence in teaching as its primary responsibility to meet the needs of the students. The university also seeks to identify and address the needs of northeastern North Carolina with particular attention to supporting its environmentally sensitive economic development.

Highlights

• ECSU recently received a $750,000 grant from the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation (North Carolina) to enhance experiential training for students enrolled in the UNC-Chapel Hill/ECSU Doctor of Pharmacy Partnership Program. Experiential training is a central component of the UNC-Chapel Hill/ECSU Doctor of Pharmacy Partnership Program because it prepares pharmacy students to become comprehensive pharmacist professionals who are drug information experts. 

• ECSU received a $400,000 grant from the Wachovia Foundation in support of the UNC-Chapel Hill/ECSU Doctor of Pharmacy Partnership Program. This donation will be used to cover training, recruitment and retention costs for prospective pharmacy applicants from north eastern North Carolina.

• The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded ECSU $3 million under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for the Africa Education Initiative Textbook and Learning Materials Program. Under the leadership of Dr. Johnny Houston, a senior research professor in the ECSU Mathematics and Computer Science Department, participating faculty and staff completed over 1 million instructional materials for Senegalese school children before the 2008 deadline.

• America’s Best Colleges ranked Elizabeth City State University #3 in the category of Top Public Baccalaureate Colleges in the South; #12 among Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and #26 in the Best Baccalaureate Colleges the South category in 2008.

Welcome to Elizabeth City State University’s School of Education and Psychology where we are “On Time and On Task to Destination Success.”

Mission:
The ECSU School of Education & Psychology promotes excellence in teaching as its primary responsibility to meet the needs of the students & citizens of the state. Through its teaching, research, and community outreach, the university seeks to identify and address the needs of northeastern North Carolina with particular attention to supporting its environmentally sensitive economic development.

Originally founded as a “normal school for the specific purpose of teaching and training teachers of the colored race to teach in the common schools of North Carolina” we continue this heritage having expanded our scope and mission to prepare teachers and related service personnel for meaningful careers in a global and richly diverse society.  In concert with the University’s mission, the faculty is committed to excellence in teaching, leadership and community service, embracing diversity and positively impacting outcomes for P-12 students.

The School of Education and Psychology is committed to preparing “Teachers as Educators” who have the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be reflective practitioners, competent evaluators, advocators of diversity, effective facilitators, critical thinkers and literate technology users. We offer different avenues of licensure or certification to help our students become positive change agents for P-12 Education.  

Our Department of Psychology prepares persons who desire to become related service personnel to understand how social, economic, behavioral, family and community issues influence children’s overall development and achievement.  The program also prepares students to enter graduate programs to pursue careers in clinical, educational, or social psychology.  Moreover, candidates in the Teacher Education Program are shown the connection of psychology to education by studying the impact of societal events which may significantly change how children and families react to their existing environments.

Elizabeth City State University’s School of Education and Psychology continually seeks ways to meet the needs of its statewide and international constituents at any stage of their learning. From our University Laboratory Preschool to our Graduate Programs, we are the “lighthouse of the northeast” bringing a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, continuing education, and professional development to our students and life long learners via face to face, distance learning, real-time video conferencing and offsite programming.  

So take a moment to review our website and consider a career in education or psychology. We encourage you to contact any of our faculty or staff or visit our campus to learn more about the opportunities that await you.  Elizabeth City State University is your place to succeed.

For more information about ECSU Teacher Education, click here.

Distance Education at Elizabeth City State University offers students the option to achieve educational goals without attending traditional on-campus classes. Elizabeth City State University offers courses both at off-campus sites and online.

Mission

The Distance Education program supports and encourages collaborative efforts involving faculty, staff, and administrators working to serve as a model for change and growth at ECSU via distance education delivery methods. Distance education at Elizabeth City State University extends availability and access to convenient course offerings to students who are isolated from campus due to time and/or geographic location, utilizing existing, new, and emerging technological strategies.

Goals

1. To offer an academically sound alternative to traditional face-to-face instruction via distance education technologies to meet the needs of non-traditional students.  
2. To provide administrators, faculty, and staff with professional development opportunities and resources essential for teaching and learning in online distance education courses.
3. To increase student enrollment and retention by offering convenient and accessible online course and support services to address the needs of online students which supports the current and future workforce needs of the State of North Carolina. 
4. To continuously maintain and upgrade the technologies necessary to deliver quality online courses and to review current and emerging trends in online distance education in an effort to integrate best practices. 

ECSU currently offers online courses towards degrees. ECSU does not offer a complete degree completion program online at this time.

For more information about Distance Education at ECSU:

Distance Education
Elizabeth City State University
Campus Box 924
1704 Weeksville Road
Elizabeth City, NC 27909

Toll-Free: (877) 432-7662

Click here to email ECSU's Distance Education office.