ECPI University, or East Coast Polytechnic Institute, is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

for-profit university Proprietary colleges are for-profit colleges and universities generally operated by their owners, investors, or shareholders in a manner prioritizing shareholder primacy as opposed to education provided by non-profit institution (such as non-sec ...

based in

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. It provides undergraduate- and graduate-level education in an accelerated format. ECPI University has six colleges with thirteen campus locations in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and online. Campuses are located in

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...

Manassas Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Prince William County, although the two are separate jurisdi ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, Roanoke, Charlotte,

Greensboro Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, Greenville, Columbia, Charleston, Lake Mary, and

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

. The university is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

Commission on Colleges.

History

ECPI University was founded in Norfolk, Virginia, by Alfred Dreyfus in 1966 as Electronic Computer Programming Institute. Initially formed as an institution offering accelerated education in computer science and programming, ECPI University later expanded its offerings to include electronics engineering technology,

health sciences The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences – those sciences that focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple a ...

nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

, and

culinary arts Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

. In 2012, ECPI University was the subject of a U.S. Senate report by the

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to these issues. Its jurisdiction also extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by Sena ...

investigating the misuse of federal funds by for-profit education companies. The report concluded that while ECPI's student withdrawal rates at its physical campuses were significantly lower than many other for-profit universities examined, its withdrawal rates for its smaller online programs, as well as its student-loan default rates, were troubling. ECPI University was previously known as ECPI College of Technology, but it changed its name on June 1, 2011, and began offering master's degrees in the field of

computer and information science Computer and information science (CIS; also known as information and computer science) is a field that emphasizes ''both'' computing and informatics, upholding the strong association between the fields of information sciences and computer scienc ...

Academics

ECPI University offers diploma and degree programs in information technology, electronics engineering technology, health science, nursing, business, criminal justice, and culinary arts through its five colleges. Students take two courses per session from a year-round curriculum, and the university offers 30-month bachelor's degrees and 15-month associate degrees.

Licensure and accreditation

ECPI University has been

by the Commission on Colleges of the

(SACSCOC) since 1998 to award associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees. The university received approval at the December 2010 SACSCOC annual meeting to advance to a Level III institution with the approval of the Master of Science in information systems program. Additional regional and state licensure has been awarded based on location and program.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:ECPI College Of Technology Private universities and colleges in Virginia Private universities and colleges in North Carolina Private universities and colleges in South Carolina For-profit universities and colleges in the United States Education in Virginia Beach, Virginia Education in Newport News, Virginia Education in Prince William County, Virginia Education in Charlotte, North Carolina Universities and colleges in Greensboro, North Carolina Education in Raleigh, North Carolina Education in Columbia, South Carolina Education in Charleston, South Carolina Education in Greenville, South Carolina 1966 establishments in Virginia Education in Seminole County, Florida Universities and colleges established in 1966