Distance Education

Some people graduate from high school, spend the prescribed four years in college, and then head off into the working world. Some of us take a different path. For you, it might mean finding a way to finish a degree while balancing family, work, or military service responsibilities.That’s our commitment to you.

At the School of Communication at East Carolina University, you can earn an accredited bachelor of science degree online. We’ve taken our Interpersonal/Organizational Communication concentration and made it possible to complete this degree online. Our online bachelor’s degree is as close as your home or library, and it’s the same degree our resident students earn. An online education is no shortcut—it’s a degree worthy of your time.

The online BS degree program in Communication is designed for students completing their first undergraduate degree. A student who currently holds a baccalaureate degree may not enroll in the online BS degree program in Communication. Students who currently hold a baccalaureate degree are encouraged to consider applying for our online MA degree program in Communication.

Visit ECU’s Division of Continuing Studies site for more information about online options at ECU.

Important Note to Residents Outside of North Carolina:

Admission of applicants outside the state of North Carolina to an online degree, certificate or individual online course offered by East Carolina University, is dependent on ECU’s ability to secure authorization from the applicant’s state of residence, if such authorization is required.

East Carolina University delivers online education programs and courses throughout the United States and internationally. All programs have been approved by the University of North Carolina General Administration. Many states have prescribed an authorization process for out-of-state institutions delivering online programs to its state residents to ensure quality post-secondary education, to preserve the integrity of an academic degree, and to instill greater consumer protection for its student citizens.

East Carolina University has taken steps to protect its students and programs through nationwide compliance by: participating in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA); obtaining authorization, approval, exemptions and waivers; or confirming that East Carolina University can operate without such authorization because the state’s laws do not pertain to a public institution, to an accredited institution, or to the ECU’s activities in that state.

On November 14, 2016, East Carolina University was approved by to participate in NC-SARA which is a voluntary, regional/national approach to state oversight of post-secondary distance education. Institutions that participate in SARA are authorized to provide online education to students from all SARA member states. States and institutions that choose to become members of or participate in SARA operate under a set of policies and standards overseen by SARA and administered by the four nationally-recognized regional higher education compacts.