Overview
East Carolina University, North Carolina's largest institution of higher learning, was founded in 1907 as a state-supported teacher training school and became a liberal arts college in 1941. Developing and growing rapidly, ECU became a state university in 1967 and a constituent member of the University of North Carolina System in 1972. The University serves as a focal point in eastern North Carolina for higher education in many fields, including Allied Health Sciences, Art, Business, Computer Science and Communication, Education, Health and Human Performance, Human Environmental Sciences, Industry and Technology, Medicine, Music, Nursing, and Social Work. The Division of Academic Affairs includes the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, with twenty one departments; the Colleges of Business, Education, Health and Human Performance, Human Ecology, Technology and Computer Science, Fine Arts and Communications. The division of Health Science comprises the Brody School of Medicine and the College of Nursing and the College of Health Sciences and the School of Dentistry.

The University faculty of 2,054 provided instruction for 27,386 students in the fall of 2011, including 5,489 graduate students and 308 students in the School of Medicine. In addition, 2,942 graduate students were enrolled in distance education courses. There are more than 123,000 living alumni who reside in all fifty states and some thirty other countries. Out-of-state students make up 10 percent of the student body.

The Location and Community
The main campus is adjacent to the downtown area of Greenville, a city of more than 81,000 people. Greenville, the hub of the eastern North Carolina coastal plain and a business, medical, and university center, is located 80 miles east of Raleigh and is accessible by highway and nearby airports. It is within easy driving distance of coastal resorts and the Outer Banks. The campus of the School of Medicine is adjacent to Vidant Medical Center, a 734-bed facility that serves as the teaching hospital for the School of Medicine.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
East Carolina University offers a wide range of graduate programs. There are seventy-six master's degree programs (60 online programs), fifty-eight graduate certificate programs, seventeen doctoral degrees and four first-professional degrees offered by the eleven colleges and schools. Post-master's programs leading to the Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) and Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) are also offered.

The minimum requirement for all master's, C.A.S., and Ed.S. programs is successful completion of 30 semester hours and a comprehensive examination. A thesis and demonstrated proficiency in research skills are required in most M.A. and M.S. programs. Ph.D. programs in the biomedical sciences require completion of a minimum of 58 semester hours, candidacy examinations, and a dissertation. The Ed.D. program requires 60 semester hours, including an internship and a dissertation, and full-time residency for one year. Most master's, C.A.S., and Ed.S. programs can be completed in one calendar year of full-time study; part-time students can take up to six calendar years to complete their programs. Ph.D. students must complete all requirements no later than the end of the twelfth semester, including summers, following initial enrollment.

Facilities & Resources
Joyner Library holds approximately 1.43 million titles, 455,000 e-books, 71,000 online and print periodicals, 17,800 films and videos, and 6,040 linear feet if manuscript collections. It subscribes to Dialog Information Retrieval Service, with access to 600 databases. The map collection contains 112,000 maps and charts. The Music Library, a branch of Joyner, houses some 80,000 items, including books, periodicals, scores, and video and sound recordings. The Laupus Library is located at the Brody Medical Sciences Building and houses about 123,000 bound volumes, 7,600 units of microfilm, and 331 print publications and 13,000 e-journals.

The Computing and Information Systems Center serves as an instructional laboratory facility in direct support of computer-related course work. The Academic Computing unit maintains various instructional and research software packages and provides technical assistance to faculty and graduate research users. A remote link to the Research Triangle Park provides access to a wide variety of instructional software and supercomputing capabilities. The campus has received national recognition for its computer networking infrastructure.

East Carolina University has renewed and strengthened its commitment to research, scholarship, and creative activity for both faculty and students. Extramural support for University activities has gone from $9.6 million to more than $40 million in the last ten years. The faculty have particular strengths in biomedical sciences, coastal studies, the fine arts, education, maritime history, and exercise physiology. The University continues to develop educational programs in response to regional needs in human service and health professions; endeavors draw on such cross-disciplinary research efforts as the Center on Aging and the Institute for Coastal and Marine Resources.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition and fees for a North Carolina resident for full-time graduate study were $2,786.50 per semester; for a nonresident, the total was $8,183.50. Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Financial Aid:
A limited number of graduate assistantships and fellowships are available. These are awarded through the departments and schools. A limited number of waivers are available for nonresident students that allow these students to pay the resident tuition rate. Inquiries about assistantships, fellowships, and fee waivers should be addressed to academic units. Information on loans, work-study programs, and other work opportunities is available from the Financial Aid Office.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Housing and board are available on campus for unmarried students at a cost of approximately $2,325 per semester for room and board. All charges are subject to change. There are no University residences for married students, but rental accommodations are available in Greenville.

How to Apply / Application
Applications must be received by June 1 for fall enrollment and by October 15 for enrollment in the spring. Some academic units have earlier deadlines. All applications must include a completed application form, official transcripts of all prior academic work, letters of recommendation, appropriate standardized test scores, and a nonrefundable application fee of $70.

International Students
If you are an international student, you’ll want to become acquainted with East Carolina University’s Office of International Affairs. This office deals exclusively with matters relating to admission to the university, such as information on visas, transcripts, TOEFL and all other general inquiries.

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