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Home > Higher Education & Research |
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Several
higher-education institutions are accessible to Crystal Coast residents
interested in pursuing additional education or seeking enrichment. The
area is also home to many well-known and respected research
laboratories. Many residents of the Crystal Coast commute to Greenville
to earn degrees from East Carolina University. (For more information
about ECU, see our
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Higher EducationCarteret Community College (CCC) Carteret Community College is located on the shore of Bogue Sound off U.S. Highway 70 in Morehead City. The college offers the latest vocational-technological training and features programs that prepare students for the skills they need in the fast-paced information age, where computers and the Internet have changed the way business is done. Students can pursue Associate in Science, Associate in Arts and Associate in Fine Arts degrees as well as associate degrees in programs for business and computer technologies, health sciences, vocational licensure fields, and public and legal services. In addition, a variety of shorter diploma and certificate programs also enable Carteret Community College to provide students with the training needed to find employment in a changing workforce. With programs like aquaculture technology, cosmetology technology, Internet technologies, paralegal technology, culinary technology, hotel and restaurant management, marine propulsion systems, and boat manufacturing and related marine trades, CCC students have a wide range of options. Additionally, students can work toward careers in interior design and a variety of health science related fields, including the new associate's degree in nursing program. As an authorized academic training partner of the Microsoft Corporation, the college has the Microsoft seal of approval to teach students how to use its software products. Students can also test for Microsoft and Cisco certifications, which tell prospective employers they have mastered their technical specialties. In the Corporate and Community Education Division, the college provides businesses and industries with training opportunities for employees in a variety of subjects. Supervision, leadership and customer-service training can be customized to meet an organization's needs. Seminars addressing the needs of small business and entrepreneurs are available to the public. With occupational training courses such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC and carpentry, students are taking advantage of the flexible training opportunities available at the college. Furthermore, the Basic Skills Department provides students with an opportunity to obtain their GED, attend Adult High School or improve their English if it is their second language. The Corporate and Community Education Division also offers pre-licensing courses for insurance, real estate, general contractor and marine captain. From a public safety training standpoint, students can enter the six-month Basic Law Enforcement Training Program or participate in shorter emergency medical training and fire-fighting programs. Construction on three new job-training facilities was recently completed, allowing expanded training opportunities in aquaculture, business technologies, health sciences and marine trades. The college's library is open to the public
and has one of the fastest Internet connections in the region. CCC was the
first community college in North Carolina to be connected to the University
System's North Carolina Research and Educational Network. From audio books
and best sellers to an interlibrary loan program with colleges and
universities throughout the state, the college's library is an excellent
research facility as well as quiet place to get away. Coastal Carolina Community College Coastal Carolina Community College is a fully accredited state institution with more than 50 curricular programs in college transfer, general education and vocational and technical training programs. Many of these programs are available during the daytime, evening, at specially scheduled times and online at www.coastalcarolina.edu. While the main campus is located on Western
Boulevard in Jacksonville, the college also offers classes at Camp Lejeune
and Marine Corps Air Station New River. More than half of the college's
students are enrolled in the college transfer curriculum. Business and
marketing, education and engineering are just a few of the many areas of
study available to transfer students. Military family members, regardless of
their state of residency, receive in-state tuition rates. Active-duty
military are eligible for tuition assistance from the
military. Many students enroll in the college's continuing education
courses. These practical academic and technical programs are designed to
increase an individual's employment opportunities and performance. Craven Community College Like Carteret and Coastal Carolina
Community Colleges, Craven Community College offers a variety of
two-year degrees at its New Bern and Havelock campuses. (For more
information, see our
New Bern Schools and Child Care chapter.) Mount Olive College at New Bern Mount Olive College (MOC) at New Bern offers convenient, flexible programs for working adults. Mount Olive College is geographically distributed in six eastern North Carolina communities, including Mount Olive, Research Triangle Park, Goldsboro, New Bern, Washington and Wilmington. The college provides degree programs in locations, times and formats that fit the busy lifestyles of working adults. Through MOC’s innovative approach to education, working adults have the opportunity to earn a degree while continuing their employment. Students enter a class (called a cohort), meet four hours one night a week and complete a sequence of courses that lead to an associate's or bachelor's degree. Mount Olive College at New Bern offers both associate's and bachelor's degree options. The Heritage Plus Program, designed specifically for working adults who have little or no college experience, leads to an associate's degree and provides the core courses for admission to the bachelor’s degree programs. Mount Olive College at New Bern offers the following bachelor's degree programs: criminal justice and criminology, early childhood education, healthcare management, management and organizational development, and modular religion major. Mount Olive College at New Bern has a
tradition of student-focused, supportive programming and teaching styles.
Courses are experiential, emphasizing self-directed study, critical thinking
and writing skills. Classes are small, allowing students and faculty the
opportunity for personal interaction. Students pre-register a semester at a
time. Classes meet from 6 to 10 PM one night a week and are guaranteed to be
the same night throughout the program’s duration. Books are delivered to the
student. Financial aid is available.
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Research FacilitiesThe Crystal Coast is home to numerous research facilities
and has one of the largest concentrations of marine scientists on the East
Coast at the North Carolina State University Center of Marine Sciences and
Technology. All of the research facilities discussed here have something to
do with the surrounding water and water-related resources. They offer
research, product development and personnel training for corporations around
the world. Area laboratories have been involved in developing many products.
Contract research has included work with companies such as Strohs Brewery,
W. R. Grace, Hercules Chemical, Biosponge Aquaculture Products,
International Paint, Allied Chemical, Sunshine Makers, Aquanautics, Mann
Bait Company, 3M Corporation and General Dynamics. North Carolina State University
Seafood Laboratory Established in 1970, the N.C. State University Seafood
Laboratory is an applied research and extension education unit of the
Department of Food, Bio-Processing and Nutrition Sciences. Located in the
Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, the Seafood Lab focuses on
seafood safety and technology, seafood product development, and seafood
marketing. Personnel work with seafood-related industries, public health
professionals and consumer groups on seafood quality and safety issues,
nutrition and utilization, innovative processing technologies and
value-added fishery products. Support is provided through the N.C.
Cooperative Extension Service, N.C. Agricultural Research Service and N.C.
Sea Grant Program. Duke University Marine Laboratory This inter-disciplinary facility has three objectives — research, teaching and the translation of sound science into effective environmental policy. The laboratory's large resident academic staff and visiting professors and researchers from throughout the United States and abroad have contributed to its worldwide reputation. The laboratory maintains a full-service campus, two large research vessels and a fleet of smaller boats. The largest is the R/V Cape Hatteras, a 135-foot ship owned by the National Science Foundation and run by Duke on behalf of the Duke University-University of North Carolina Oceanography Consortium. This 70-year-old lab, located adjacent to the Rachel Carson
Estuarine Research Reserve and Cape Lookout National Seashore, has a long
and productive relationship with the Town of Beaufort and surrounding areas,
and the faculty serve on many local, state and national scientific and
environmental boards and commissions. Founded by zoology professor A. S.
Pearse in 1937, the laboratory began with seven cottages and two six-week
terms for college seniors and graduate students. Now the lab consists of 23
buildings — research facilities, dormitories, shore installations to support
research vessels, a library and an auditorium with year-round classes for
undergraduate, professional masters and Ph.D. students. Tele-video links
connect the lab to learning centers and collaborators worldwide.
University of North Carolina Institute of Marine
Sciences The Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) is an
off-campus research, training and service unit of the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. Its mission is to serve the state and nation by
conducting high-quality basic and applied marine sciences research, by
training young scientists to continue this tradition and by providing
professional expertise and leadership in marine issues ranging from local to
global scale. Resident faculty are actively involved in addressing important
scientific questions related to the nature, use, development, protection and
enhancements of marine resources, as well as communicating research results
and information about new technologies to professional and public audiences. North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries This large facility is charged with stewardship of marine and estuarine resources in coastal creeks, bays, rivers, sounds and the ocean within 3 miles of land. This state agency carries out the policies set by the nine-member Marine Fisheries Commission and the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The DMF has a marine patrol section that works in law-enforcement districts along the North Carolina coast. Their job is to protect the state's fisheries resources and to make sure people comply with conservation regulations. Officers also inspect seafood houses, fish dealers and restaurants that buy or sell North Carolina seafood. Artificial reefs have gained popular support in recent years — artificial reef organizations, sport-fishing clubs, local governments and civic organizations are all interested in their construction, management and evaluation. The DMF is in charge of the state's Artificial Reef Program, which has 40 ocean sites and seven estuarine sites ranging from a half-mile to 38 miles from shore. It is one of the most active artificial reef programs in the country and receives funding from the groups noted above as well as from the state legislature. Other sections of the DMF conduct fisheries
and gear research, collect and process the catch statistics of all
commercial and recreational fisheries and do shellfish mapping, shellfish
leasing and shellfish disease work. The DMF also administers the popular
North Carolina Saltwater Tournament and the Governor's Cup Conservation
Billfish Tournament series. Rachel Carson Reserve The Rachel Carson Reserve, part of the four-component North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve, is just across Taylor's Creek from Beaufort. It may look like just a collection of small marshy islands — including Town Marsh, Bird Shoals, Carrot Island, Middle Marshes — but the reserve is an active field research and classroom site. The program is a joint program through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and North Carolina State Division of Coastal Management. The reserve system was created to maintain undisturbed estuaries for research on the natural and human processes that affect the coast, and the Rachel Carson site serves that purpose well. Field trips by foot and by boat are offered Memorial Day
through Labor Day. Insiders recommend a visit; there are many fascinating
things to be observed while touring the reserve's 2,600 acres of uplands,
marshes and intertidal/subtidal flats. The site is always open to the public
and is accessible only by boat. Trail brochures are available. For more
information about the Rachel Carson component, call the number above and
also see our
Attractions chapter. |
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