The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a large, public, research university on 1,000 acres. Every year, more than 25,000 students are enrolled. At the undergraduate level, 90 degrees are available, ranging from accounting to women's and gender studies. Graduate programs are similarly diverse. Eighty of these are offered. The university has two art galleries: The Storrs Gallery and the Rowe Arts Gallery. It is also home to the Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts. Over 300 student organizations have been formed, allowing students to socialize, network and further their academic careers. In addition, there are 16 varsity sports teams at the university, including baseball, basketball and football.
Johnson C. Smith is an independent liberal arts university in downtown Charlotte. There are four colleges within the university. The College of Arts and Letters offers degrees in such subjects as history and social science. The College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics includes programs in biology and computer engineering. The College of professional studies has programs in sport management and social work. Finally, there is the Metropolitan College, with has programs for students age 25 and older in subjects that include criminology and business administration. There are 10 residence halls, where 75 percent of students live. Each student also takes part in small classes and are issued free a free laptop when they start classes.
The Charlotte School of Law is the only law school in the city and received its provisional approval by the American Bar Association in 2008. It offers both a full-time and part-time program with start dates in the fall and spring. The curriculum includes mandatory orientation courses, advanced writing courses and many upper division legal seminars and courses that include civil procedure, criminal law, contracts and torts. A library with over 125,000 volumes of legal cases, journals and monographs is available for use by all students. The school also provides assistance with studying for the bar exam and even with finding study abroad programs, which the school encourages in the summer.
The Art Institute of Charlotte was founded in 1973 and has grown to provide undergraduate programs in a number of design- and art-related fields. These include fashion design, culinary arts, graphic design and photography. These programs offer bachelor degrees, associate degrees and undergraduate certificates. A number of student organizations are available. They include a soccer club, a gay-straight alliance organization and a group for those interested in fashion marketing. Graduates of the art institute can take advantage of the career services department, which will help find them entry-level jobs in their field.