Charlotte’s Partnership in Higher Education

In 1771, the first institution of higher learning that was established south of Virginia, was located right here in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Today, higher education is as important in the affairs of the Charlotte Metro Region as business and government. This is especially visible in the partnership between the city’s colleges and universities and the community. The Charlotte Area Educational Consortium, formed in 1969, provides an opportunity for students to pursue courses within any of the member institutions for full credit and lists 23 member colleges and universities.

Over 175,000 students are enrolled in college programs within the 34 colleges, universities, community colleges and technical institutes which are located within the 13-county Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury CSA. Many of the regional Carolina colleges and universities have been recognized for their excellence, both nationally and internationally. Numerous North Carolina Schools are frequently cited in U.S. News & World Report’s “Survey of America’s Best Colleges.”

The region boasts unmatched diversity and excellence in a variety of learning environments including the following programs:

18 public and private secondary institutions offer a wide range of baccalaureate degrees.
15 junior colleges, community colleges and technical institutes confer two-year associate degrees.
12 institutions offer graduate opportunities — master or doctoral programs — in a variety of disciplines.

In the North Carolina portion of the Charlotte Metro Region, there are seven community colleges that are within the state system of community colleges.

Students may select anything from large, diverse campuses to small, denominational settings. Tuition for four-year degree programs ranges from $4,250 annually for a North Carolina resident living off campus at a public school to $38,784 for a private college student living on campus.

Nationally Ranked College Programs in the Region:

Central Piedmont Community College

(CPCC): The largest of the 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community College System, serving approximately 70,000 students each year. CPCC offers six area campuses and the recent inception of an online Virtual Campus, making the college very accessible to students and employers who want to take advantage of CPCC’s exceptional and varied offerings. Central Piedmont Community College was selected as Community College of the Year by the National Alliance of Business as well as being named a best-practice college for exemplary performance in student retention by the MetLife Foundation.

Davidson College

One that exemplifies the dynamic nature of the liberal arts, educating leaders and training creative, critially thinking minds. Davidson College was founded in 1837 by ministers of the Concord Presbytery and currently meets the challenges of a technology-driven, interdependent global community. Davidson College was ranked as the nation’s eighth best Liberal Arts College by U.S. News and World Report.

Johnson and Wales University

Johnson & Wales University Charlotte Campus offers three colleges: the College of Business, College of Culinary Arts and the Hospitality College. Ninety-eight percent of J&W University graduates from the U.S. are employed within 60 days of graduation. Associate and bachelor degrees are offered.

Johnson C. Smith University

A private, four-year liberal arts institution located on a gorgeous 100-acre campus within blocks of Uptown Charlotte. With a student to faculty ratio of 13:1, assuring students receive individual attention, JCSU is known as one of the oldest and strongest African-American institutions in the country. JCSU is nationally acclaimed for their technology initiative where every student receives an IBM laptop computer and has complete access to the campus-wide network and Internet services.

Pfeiffer University

Located in Misenheimer, N.C., Pfeiffer is home to the institution’s Undergraduate College (a residential program with about 900 students located 40 minutes northeast of Charlotte). Pfeiffer’s Charlotte campus offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees and consists of three academic divisions: the Undergraduate University, the Graduate School and the School of Adult Studies. Pfeiffer’s offers a growing online program with the largest majors being in business administration, education and criminal justice, as well as programs for all traditional areas of study.

Queens University of Charlotte

Queens University of Charlotte, founded in 1857, is a private liberal arts university, with close ties to the Presbyterian Church. The University is located near uptown Charlotte in Myers Park, a beautiful, historic residential area. Queens is home to College of Arts & Sciences, Pauline Lewis Hayworth College and The McColl Graduate School of Business. The College of Arts and Sciences also offers a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. The Pauline Lewis Hayworth College includes programs for graduate and undergraduate students as well as offering a master’s degree programs in nursing, teaching and organizational communication. The McColl Graduate School of Business offers a professional MBA and an executive MBA as well as non-degree executive leadership training programs.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

With 25,500 students, UNC-Charlotte is the fourth largest of the 16 member institutions of The University of North Carolina. The university offers a broad array of 90 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees, 62 leading to master’s degrees and 18 leading to doctoral degrees. UNC-Charlotte is comprised of seven colleges — Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, Education, Information Technology, Health and Human Services — and a School of Nursing. A university-wide graduate school serves 4,975 students. UNCC offers an Honors College for approximately 250 undergraduates, as well as disciplinary honors programs in most majors to engage students in research and service with the faculty. Over 70 percent of the undergraduates participate in internships through the Career Center. The Office of Adult Students and Evening Services meets the needs of nontraditional students. Each year, UNC Charlotte grants about 4,500 degrees and now has more than 75,000 alumni.

Wingate University

Wingate University ranks among the top Southern liberal arts institutions, and U.S. News and World Report has consistently listed it as one of the best small colleges in America. The student to faculty ratio is 13:1, a co-ed student body of 2,154 — 90 percent of the faculty holding doctorate degrees. With 34 majors on the undergraduate level including pre-professional programs and graduate programs in business (MBA) and education (MAT, MAEd), students may complete their bachelor’s degrees at either of Wingate’s University’s convenient Metro College locations in Matthews or Wingate. Wingate University is also home to the Wingate University School of Pharmacy, one of three schools of pharmacy in North Carolina.

Winthrop University

Founded in 1886, Winthrop is also a national-caliber, comprehensive learning university with a distinctive mission to offer challenging academic programs to a high achieving, culturally diverse and socially responsible student body. Winthrop offers 41 undergraduate and 24 graduate degree programs with options available in the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, and Visual and Performing Arts — all of which are supported by Winthrop’s newest academic division, University College. The gorgeous 100-acre central campus, is complemented by its east campus’ 325-acre athletics and recreational area and is located in Rock Hill, S.C.