East Carolina University Graduate School

What East Carolina University Graduate School does

East Carolina University Graduate School is the central administrative unit overseeing graduate education at East Carolina University, a public R1 research university within the University of North Carolina System. Located in Greenville, NC, the school administers over 70 master's degree programs, 13 research doctoral programs, 6 professional doctoral programs (AuD, DMD, DNP, DPT, EdD, MD), and 77 graduate certificates across 11 colleges and schools. It serves master's and doctoral candidates, international students, military-affiliated students, and non-degree learners, with service functions spanning admissions processing, orientation, professional development, assistantship administration, and thesis/dissertation submission oversight. The Graduate School coordinates with over 1,100 full-time graduate faculty, who teach in both on-campus and online modalities.

The Graduate School operates on a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core platforms include Canvas (LMS) for orientation delivery, Banner as the student information system, TargetX for admissions CRM, Vireo for electronic thesis/dissertation submission, and DocuSign for digital signature collection on committee approval pages. Career development modules include Beyond Graduate School (for master's students) and Beyond the Professoriate (for doctoral students), both accessed via ECU PirateID credentials. Student experience programs include the Three-Minute Thesis competition, Research and Creative Achievement Week, Grad PIRATE Talks, and structured orientation through in-person sessions, virtual sessions via Microsoft Teams, and Canvas-based asynchronous courses. Administrative staff total approximately 11, led by Dean Dr. Debra L. Jackson (joined 2024) and Associate Dean Dr. Kathleen Cox (since Fall 2015).

As a state government entity, the Graduate School is funded through North Carolina state appropriations, tuition and fees (per-credit-hour rates differentiated by residency and delivery mode), a $75 application fee, and external research funding. Over the past five years, ECU has secured more than $215 million in external research funding and was recognized by the Milken Institute and Chronicle of Higher Education as a top-10 institution for inventions, patents, and new companies formed from university research. ECU achieved R1 Carnegie Classification in 2024, two of its online programs rank in the top 20 nationally by US News & World Report, and two PhD programs rank in the top ten for faculty scholarly productivity. Distribution channels include on-campus programs at the main Greenville and Health Sciences campuses, distance education/online programs, and accelerated pathways for ECU undergraduates.

Name

East Carolina University Graduate School

Legal name

East Carolina University Graduate School

Website

https://gradschool.ecu.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

East Carolina University Graduate School is the central administrative unit overseeing graduate education at ECU, a public R1 research university within the UNC System. It coordinates admissions, funding, and degree progress across 70+ master's, 13 research doctoral, and 6 professional doctoral programs serving domestic and international students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education / Graduate Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Graduate Schools (Master’s & Doctoral Programs) (EDAHALAD), Graduate & Professional School Preparation (EDALABAI)

Keywords

• Graduate education services
• Master's degree programs
• Doctoral degree programs
• Research university
• Graduate certificates

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Graduate Tuition and Fees: Graduate students pay tuition and fees per credit hour, with different rates for in-state and out-of-state residents. Costs vary by delivery method (on-campus vs. distance education) and program.
2. Application Fees: $75 application fee charged to prospective graduate students submitting applications
3. Campus-Based Fees: Fees for campus services including Student Health Center access, recreation centers, and parking

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

East Carolina University Graduate School delivers graduate-level education through more than 70 master's degree programs, 13 research doctoral programs, 6 professional doctoral programs (AuD, DMD, DNP, DPT, EdD, MD), and 77 graduate certificates across 11 colleges and schools. It provides centralized admissions, orientation, thesis/dissertation submission, professional development, graduate assistantships, and career services to a student body at an R1 public research university.

Product overview

East Carolina University Graduate School is a higher education institution offering comprehensive graduate education services through a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings include over 70 master's degree programs, 13 research doctoral programs, 6 professional doctoral programs, and over 60 graduate certificate programs across 11 colleges and schools. Supporting modules include career development platforms (Beyond Graduate School and Beyond the Professoriate), thesis/dissertation submission services (Vireo), research presentation events (Research and Creative Achievement Week and Three-Minute Thesis Competition), graduate assistantships, student orientation programming, and admissions application processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beyond Graduate School: Free online career training platform for master's students to assist with career exploration, application materials, interviewing, and job search strategies.
• Beyond the Professoriate
• Three Minute Thesis (3MT)
• Research and Creative Achievement Week (RCAW)
• Grad PIRATE Talks
• Paul and Margaret Gemperline Scholarship

Products and services

• Master's Degree Programs Over 70 master's degree programs spanning 11 colleges and schools at ECU, providing graduate-level education across diverse academic disciplines for prospective master's students.
• Graduate Certificate Programs Over 60 graduate certificate programs available either standalone or as add-ons to degree programs, providing focused study in specific professional areas.
• Research Doctoral Programs 13 research doctoral programs classified among Doctoral/Research Universities by the Carnegie Foundation, focusing on advanced scholarly research and PhD-level training.
• Professional Doctoral Programs 6 first-professional doctoral programs (AuD, DMD, DNP, DPT, EdD, MD) preparing students for professional practice in their respective fields.
• Beyond Graduate School Online career training platform for master's students providing video lessons on career exploration, writing application materials, interviewing, and negotiating. Accessible with ECU PirateID credentials.
• Beyond the Professoriate Career training platform for postdocs and doctoral students to explore career options and learn job search strategies through Academic Careers and Professional Careers programs of study.
• Thesis/Dissertation Submission System (Vireo) Electronic thesis and dissertation submission platform enabling graduate students to upload documents, track review status, and manage formatting requirements for graduation.
• Three-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) Annual oral presentation competition where graduate students summarize their research in three minutes or less using a single slide, developing academic, presentation, and research communication skills.
• Research and Creative Achievement Week (RCAW) Annual celebratory week of student presentations (undergraduate and graduate) highlighting research and creative works through podium talks, posters, exhibits, dances, shows, and performances.
• Graduate Assistantships and Research Assistantships Financial award programs providing opportunities for graduate students to gain academic or research experience while earning their degree, including teaching, research, and professional tasks with stipends and tuition remission.
• Grad PIRATE Talks Forum providing graduate student research and teaching assistants a platform to network, share research, and improve teaching skills through 30-40 minute presentations followed by moderated discussions.
• Graduate Student Orientation On-boarding activities for new graduate students including in-person campus orientation, virtual orientation sessions via Microsoft Teams, a Canvas orientation course, and international student orientation programming.
• Graduate Admissions Application Processing Online application system for prospective graduate students including account creation, application submission, supplemental document uploads, and application status tracking via the TargetX portal, with a $75 application fee.

Quantifiable outcome

• ECU Graduate programs ranked among the best nationally in new rankings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Coastal Studies InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECU-led partnership with the Coastal Studies Institute offering multiple integrated coastal sciences research assistantships. These research opportunities explore ecological impact locally and throughout the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Appalachian State University Graduate School: UNC-System public university Graduate School focused on master's-level and select doctoral programs; competes with ECU for in-state graduate applicants and online learners.
• University of South Carolina Graduate School: Regional public R1 Graduate School with similar Carnegie classification and program breadth, competing for graduate enrollment and research talent across the Carolinas.
• Clemson University Graduate School: Another Southeastern public R1 Graduate School with comparable master's and doctoral breadth, online rankings, and overlap in engineering, health sciences, and education programs.
• Virginia Tech Graduate School: Southeastern public R1 Graduate School with similar doctoral portfolio, online program presence, and regional applicant competition in Virginia and the Carolinas.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School: Fellow UNC-System public R1 Graduate School; flagship-brand competitor for top graduate applicants, faculty recruits, and external research funding within North Carolina.
• Western Carolina University Graduate School: UNC-System public university Graduate School with similar master's and selected doctoral offerings, sharing in-state recruitment channels and online program competition with ECU.
• James Madison University Graduate School: Virginia public university Graduate School with comparable master's portfolio, online offerings, and overlap in education and health-related graduate programs.
• NC State University Graduate School: Same-state public R1 Graduate School within the UNC System offering comparable master's, doctoral, and online graduate programs to overlapping in-state and regional applicant pools.
• Old Dominion University Graduate School: Mid-Atlantic public university Graduate School with comparable master's/doctoral mix and online program offerings, serving a partially overlapping applicant base.

Emerging players

• Southern New Hampshire University (Graduate Programs): Online-first nonprofit university with large graduate portfolio and aggressive tuition; competes with ECU's online graduate programs for working adults and out-of-state students in many of the same master's-level disciplines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EastCarolina
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ECU
• Facebookfacebook.com/EastCarolina
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/east-carolina-univ-graduate-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/eastcarolinauniv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about East Carolina University Graduate School