University of North Carolina at Charlotte: Degree Programs and Campus Life
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte, or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1946, UNC Charlotte has grown into a comprehensive institution offering a wide array of degree programs and a vibrant campus environment.
A Brief History
Prior to UNC Charlotte's founding, Charlotte had long sought a public university. In 1946, to handle the expected surge of applicants resulting from the G.I. Bill, the Consolidated University of North Carolina (now the University of North Carolina) opened 12 "extension centers" across North Carolina. On September 23, 1946, the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina opened with an enrollment of 278 students. The Charlotte city school system was tasked with running the center, and it named doctoral student Charles Bernard director of the center. The center held night classes at Central High School in present-day Uptown Charlotte.
Bonnie Ethel Cone (1907-2003), or Miss Bonnie as she was known to students, was chosen to be director of the Charlotte Center in 1947. By 1957, enrollment increased to 492, and the school's leaders began searching for a permanent site for the campus. They decided on a 250-acre (100 ha) tract of land northeast of the city. The college became state-supported in 1958 upon joining the newly formed North Carolina Community College System and moved to its current location in 1961. On March 3, 1965, the North Carolina General Assembly designated Charlotte College the fourth campus of the University of North Carolina, under its current name, effective July 1. On May 29, 1966, 81 students became the school's first graduating class as a UNC system school. In 1969, the school opened its first dormitory, housing approximately 600 students, and also that year, the university began offering programs leading to master's degrees.
Dean W. Colvard (1913-2007) was appointed the first chancellor of the young university in 1966. At UNC Charlotte, Colvard oversaw accreditation of the university, development of University Research Park, constructed the first residence halls, created the first graduate programs, and grew the enrollment from about 1,700 to just over 8,000 students.
E.K. Fretwell (1923-2012), the second chancellor of the university, was named in 1979. Under Fretwell, campus enrollment surged from 8,000 students to over 12,000. He oversaw the creation of the Graduate School, created more graduate degrees, integrated the library's card catalog into the Internet in 1983, created the groundwork for a major business incubator, helped to develop the university's surrounding neighborhood, and increased academic grants to over $6.1 million.
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James H. Woodward succeeded Fretwell in 1989. Under Woodward, enrollment grew to over 19,000 students. Like his predecessors, he continued the growth of the Graduate School and added new doctoral programs. He oversaw the largest fundraising campaign in the school's history and its largest building boom.
Philip L. Dubois was the fifth leader and fourth chancellor of the university. Dubois assumed his duties as chancellor on July 15, 2005.
Degree Programs
UNC Charlotte offers a comprehensive range of degree programs across various disciplines. With over 170 undergraduate programs to choose from, UNC Charlotte has something for everyone. The university offers 171 majors that lead to 79 baccalaureate (bachelor's degree) degrees, 66 master's degree programs, and 24 doctoral programs.
Some of the undergraduate programs include:
Accounting, B.S.
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Africana Studies, B.A.
- Africana Studies, Health and Environment Concentration, B.A.
- Africana Studies, Popular Culture and Digital Media Concentration, B.A.
- Africana Studies, Social Justice and the Law Concentration, B.A.
Anthropology, Applied Anthropology Concentration, B.A.
The Belk College of Business offers undergraduate, graduate and executive education in five major departments: Accounting, Business Information Systems and Operations Management (BISOM), Economics, Finance, Management, and Marketing. The college offers three undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and Bachelor of Science in economics); five master's programs (Master of Business Administration, Master of Accountancy, Master of Science in Economics, Master of Science in Real Estate, and Master of Science in Mathematical Finance as well as a Professional Science Master's (PSM) program in Data Science and Business Analytics); a Doctorate in Business Administration and a Ph.D.
UNC Charlotte is known for one of its top majors: Computer Science.
Campus Environment
UNC Charlotte has two campuses: the Main Campus, located in University City, and the Center City Campus in Uptown Charlotte. The campus is self-contained, meaning that no major roads run through the campus. The campus has several man-made lakes, and is heavily wooded. Near the center of campus are two gardens that attract over 300,000 visitors a year. The architecture of the original central campus, particularly the oldest buildings, are precast concrete and utilitarian-looking because they were built with limited state funds in the 1960s and 1970s. Starting in 2014, these buildings are being renovated to today's standards. Under the campus's third chancellor, James Woodward, the campus underwent major changes which continue today. The newest buildings, funded from state bonds, are being constructed in brick with neoclassical architecture. Concrete and asphalt sidewalks have largely been replaced by brick.
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UNC Charlotte's Center City Campus is located on ninth Street in Uptown Charlotte. The second campus-named the Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City-is in the first ward of Uptown Charlotte. This campus houses the School of Professional Studies along with 23 academic programs. Formerly located in the Mint Museum of Craft+Design, the Uptown campus moved into the $50.4 million Center City building at 320 East 9th Street, on August 22, 2011. It is located one block away from the 9th Street Station of the Lynx Blue Line. CATS also offers bus services at UNC Charlotte. On campus, students can catch one of 6 bus routes on campus. Green, Silver, Red Express, and Gold are operated daily by Academy Bus Lines, while the Greek Village and Shopping Shuttles are operated by UNC Charlotte's Parking and Transportation Services. Green and Silver buses operate every day of the week, while Red Express, Gold, and the Greek Village Shuttle run Monday through Friday.
Student Life
32,207 students were enrolled in the university in the fall of 2025. The student-faculty ratio at University of North Carolina at Charlotte is 21:1, and the school has 24.8% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 85%. At University of North Carolina at Charlotte, students love their Triveni (Indian Students Association).
There are a large number of student organizations associated with the university. Their focuses include academic, graduate, honor societies, interest, international, multicultural, political, religious, service, secret societies, and sports.
Athletics
The nickname of the athletic teams are the 49ers, indicative of the fact that UNC Charlotte (then Charlotte College) was saved from permanent closure in 1949. The mascot is "Norm the Niner", a gold miner. For athletics purposes, the school is known as simply "Charlotte", a change made official by the athletic department on August 23, 2000. The athletic department sponsors nineteen varsity teams and competes in the NCAA's Division I. The university is a full member of American Athletic Conference following the 2022-23 calendar season.
Charlotte Baseball has made six NCAA Tournament appearances with the most recent coming in 2021. The 49ers have four conference tournament championships, and eight regular season conference championships. The men's soccer team reached the College Cup in 1996 and 2011. The team advanced all the way to the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, losing to UNC-Chapel Hill and finishing second in the national polls.
Resources and Support
UNC Charlotte's J. Murrey Atkins Library, named for the first chairman of the Board of Trustees of Charlotte College, has over 3.3 million volumes, including 930,000 e-books, over 400 databases, and approximately 75,000 journals, the vast majority available electronically, as well as an area for special collections. The recently renovated library includes a ten-story tower that accentuates the library's place at the heart of UNC Charlotte's campus.
Scholarships are a great way to cover your education costs-it’s free money you don’t need to pay back. In 2009, UNC Charlotte received the largest single donation from a private source, when The Leon Levine Family Foundation donated $9.3 million to the university to form the Levine Scholars program. The scholarship program, named for Leon and Sandra Levine, provides a four-year scholarship to UNC Charlotte.
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