UNC Charlotte is one of a generation of universities founded in metropolitan areas of the United States immediately after World War II in response to rising education demands generated by the war and its technology.
To serve returning veterans, North Carolina opened 14 evening college centers in communities across the state. The Charlotte Center opened Sept. 23, 1946, offering evening classes to 278 freshmen and sophomore students in the facilities of Charlotte’s Central High School.
Six decades later, UNC Charlotte is now a research intensive university and is the fourth largest of the 16 institutions within the University of North Carolina system.
The university comprises seven professional colleges and currently offers 18 doctoral programs, 62 master’s degree programs and 90 bachelor’s degrees. More than 900 full-time faculty comprise the university’s academic departments and the 2008 fall enrollment exceeded 23,300 students. UNC Charlotte boasts more than 80,000 living alumni and adds 4,000 to 4,500 new alumni each year.
Updated March 2009