Higher Education
With more than a dozen campuses region wide, residents and businesses have access to a range of educational opportunities, from the liberal arts to the bio-informatics. Each year, more than 34,000 students take advantage of the region's comprehensive mix of higher education options.
Additionally, the Charleston region is within reasonable proximity to several top-tier research universities, including those in Atlanta, Georgia and Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Recognizing that talent is critical to the growth and development of high impact companies, the Charleston Digital Corridor is playing an increasing role with academia to bridge high quality talent with relevant professional and technical opportunities.
C of C, rich with tradition, is ranked 11th in Top Southern Universities according to U.S. News and World Report. America's Best College Buys applauds C of C's "enduring commitment to the liberal arts" while "at the same time, expanding its offerings to include new and emerging fields of study." The Graduate School at the College of Charleston offers graduate level studies including a Masters in Computer Science, Marine Biology, Public Administration and Environmental Studies. Undergraduate offerings include a wide variety of programs applicable to the technology world.
The Tate Center for Entrepreneurship facilitates the creation of Business School classes focused on entrepreneurship, offers community outreach, and strives to provide management assistance to local business owners. Contact the Tate Center for more information at tatecenter@cofc.edu or 843.953.6596.
Trident Tech, with an enrollment of over 11,000 credit students, is one of the largest two-year technical colleges in South Carolina. Opportunities include a computer technology associates degree program and a new Masters Degree in a variety of engineering fields offered in conjunction with Lehigh University. In addition to its degree programs, TTC provides hundreds of professional and skill-based courses to over 20,000 Trident area residents a year. Trident Tech offers a variety of programs in Computers and Information Systems. Vendor certification opportunities include Microsoft, CIW, Cisco, Novell, and A+. A variety of internal certificate courses are also available, such as Webmaster, e-commerce, Basic Network Operations, and Leadership Development. TTC emphasizes practical, marketable job skills by providing diversified, comprehensive and updated technical programs.
The Citadel is a unique educational opportunity, combining classroom requirements with a military environment. Its academic offerings include 20 graduate programs ranging from a Master of Science in Computer Science, Master of Business Administration, to over 15 undergraduate degrees including a number of undergraduate technology programs such as civil, environmental, electrical and computer engineering, biochemistry and physics. In the latest US News and World Report, The Citadel ranked 21st in Best Undergraduate Engineering Program at a school with only Bachelors and Masters Programs.
Charleston Southern University offers 35 undergraduate degrees, a master's program in business administration and various specialties in education. Charleston Southern is the second largest private university in South Carolina, offering 35 undergraduate degrees and a Masters in Business Administration. A variety of computer degrees are offered. Founded in 1964 and affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, the university's mission is promoting academic excellence in a Christian environment to all faiths. Enrollment is approximately 2900 students.
MUSC offers a variety of graduate degrees: dental medicine, health professionals, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, biomedical science and a Doctorate in Philosophy. Over 2300 students are enrolled at MUSC currently. Graduate training programs include biochemistry and molecular biology, biometry and epidemiology, cell and molecular pharmacology and experimental therapeutics, cell biology and anatomy, microbiology and immunology, pathology and laboratory medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, and physiology and neuroscience.
Research Funding for fiscal year 2009 - approximately $210 million.
The Charleston School of Law offers students the unique opportunity to study the practice of law in one of the South's oldest and most prestigious cities -- Charleston, S.C. Tracing its origins to the 1825 formation of The Forensic Club, the Charleston School of Law is reinvigorating the study of law in Charleston by offering a rich, comprehensive three-year program.
The Art Institute of Charleston, founded in 2007, is a member of The Art Institutes system of schools, a system of more than 40 educational institutions located across North America. The Art Institutes educate and train thousands of students with educational offerings in culinary, design, fashion and media arts.
(ACBA) is dedicated to educating the next generation of building artisans. ACBA offers programs leading to the degrees of Associate of Applied Science in Building Arts and Bachelor of Applied Science in Building Arts.
ECPI is a private educational institution with campuses in Virginia, North Carolina and South Corolina. ecpi offers programs in Computer Electronics Engineering Technology, Medical Assisting, Medical Administration and Information Technology. ecpi offers enrolees flexible class schedules, online classes, financial assistance and an industry- driven curriculum.
Webster University is a private educational institution with its main campus in St. Louis, MO. In Charleston, Webster's offerings include masters programs in business administration and computer resources/information management.
The Lowcountry Graduate Center is an exciting cooperative effort between the three major universities in Charleston (College of Charleston, Medical University of South Carolina, and the Citadel) to expand graduate education opportunities in the Lowcountry.
Other South Carolina Higher Education Institutions
In addition to the graduates from local colleges and universities, the Charleston region is a destination of choice for many graduates of Clemson University (approximately 200 miles away) and the University of South Carolina at Columbia (approximately 100 miles away).
- Clemson University - 16,000
- University of South Carolina - 25,000
Clemson University, home of the Tigers, has received 2002 honors by Time Magazine/The Princeton Review for being The Public College of the Year and by Kaplan/Newsweek for being academically challenging, hot and trendy, and offering the best value for your tuition dollars. Clemson offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in more than 70 fields of study. Clemson matriculated over 1000 freshmen in the College of Engineering and Science this last year. Computer degrees include Masters and Ph.Ds in Computer Science, MFAC (Masters in Fine Art in Computing) and a Master of Electronic Commerce jointly administered by Computer Science and the Clemson MBA Office. The MFAC is a professional degree aimed at electronic arts, particularly special effects for entertainment and commercial video and film. Research awards exceed $34 million in the College of Engineering and Science. Research Funding for fiscal year 2006-07: $141.4 million.
USC offers 350 graduate, undergraduate and doctorial degrees, including programs in business, engineering, information technology, science and mathematics. U.S. News & World Report has ranked the school's International Business program #1 for undergraduate studies and #2 for graduate-level studies. The College of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of South Carolina (USC) offers a comprehensive distance learning program, allowing Charleston residents to pursue masters and doctoral level engineering degrees close to home. USC's main campus is in Columbia, approximately 100 miles from downtown Charleston. Research Funding for fiscal year 2007-08: $206 million.
K-12 : Public
South Carolina has adopted a "Personal Pathways to Success" program to better prepare students for the workforce and college through early career planning and industrialized curriculum. School districts must organize their high school curriculum around career clusters of study to foster creativity, critical thinking and self-discipline. Learn more by visiting the South Carolina Department of Education.
The Charleston area offers a number of the best performing schools in South Carolina. The region is divided into four public school districts, which support more than 130 schools and serve nearly 90,000 students, or nearly 90% of the school-age population.
The Charleston County School District is divided into eight Constituent Districts. All eight districts educate approximately 42,725 PK-12 students in 41 Elementary Schools, 13 Middle Schools, 8 High Schools, 12 Magnet Schools (applications are required), 8 Charter Schools, and 7 Programs.
District Superintendent: Dr. Nancy J. McGinley
Mailing Address: 75 Calhoun Street Charleston, SC 29401
Administrative Assistant: Robin King (843-937-6318)
The Berkeley County School District has 39 schools, including 18 Elementary Schools, 1 Elementary/Middle School, 3 Intermediate Schools, 8 Middle Schools, 7 High Schools, 1 Alternative School and 1 other school.
District Superintendent: Dr. J. Chester Floyd
Mailing Address: 229 Main Street P.O. Box 608 Moncks Corner, SC 29461
Administrative Assistant: Linda Brown (843-899-8602 x8602)
The Dorchester II School District is home to 22 schools. This includes 11 Elementary Schools, 6 Middle Schools, 3 High Schools, 1 alternative school and 1 other school.
District Superintendent: Joseph R. Pye
Mailing Address: 102 Green Wave Boulevard Summerville, SC 29483
The Dorchester County School District IV is home to 2 Elementary Schools, 2 Middle Schools and 1 High School.
District Superintendent: Mr. Jerry Montjoy
Mailing Address: 500 Ridge Street St. George, SC 29477
K-12 : Private + Parochial
There are over 75 independent schools that serve the three-county Charleston region, educating about 11,500 students. Some of the nationally recognized schools include Ashley Hall, Porter Gaud and Pinewood Preparatory. For a listing of private schools in the tri-county area (Charleston Berkeley and Dorchester counties, visit the South Carolina Department of Education
Job Training
Charleston area companies have access to a number of customized employee training, staff recruiting and workforce development programs to meet their needs for a highly skilled workforce.
Center for Accelerated Technology Training, South Carolina's nationally recognized workforce training program - the Center for Accelerated Technology Training specializes in custom-designed, short term, company specific employee training at little or no cost to companies that qualify. As part of their continuing efforts to prepare to meet the challenges of projected and targeted job growth in South Carolina, the Center for Accelerated Technology has formed four technology specific training teams including, Semiconductor Technology, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Technology.
To learn more about the Center for Accelerated Technology Training, please contact Elaine Yates or call 843-574-6382.
The region's technical school, Trident Technical College, is also on the cutting-edge of workforce development. Trident partners with local businesses to ensure that course offerings accurately reflect today's workplace requirements, including programs in industrial technology, engineering technology, science and mathematics. In fact, more than half of the school's 150 programs didn't exist five years ago, which illustrates how quickly the college responds to the evolving needs in the business community. Trident also provides customized training programs in partnership with area businesses.
The mission of the Miller-Motte Technical College is to educate students within an environment that will foster the interdependence between education, business, and paraprofessional enterprise. While the Nationally accredited college was founded in 1916, the Charleston location was established in 2001 and continues to train business professionals in their specified areas of interest. Miller-Motte Technical College is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), a nationally recognized agency by the United States Department of Education and is licensed by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.
To learn more about the professional opportunities offered by Miller-Motte in the Charleston region, please contact Cheryl Durand
Pre-K
The Charleston region is home to a number of high quality accredited early childhood centers offering a wide range of programs including full day, half day and mothers morning out programs. Following is a representative list of pre-k programs in the area"
