Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is a public, historically black college located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in the United States. ECSU enrolls nearly 2,500 students in 37 baccalaureate programs and three masters degree programs, a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, as well as a member-institution of the University of North Carolina system. Elizabeth City State University was established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1891 in response to a bill calling for the creation of a two-year Normal School for the "teaching and training [of] teachers of the colored race to teach in the common schools of North Carolina." This was to provide training for more teachers of primary grades. In 1937, the school made the transformation into a full four-year teachers college and was officially named Elizabeth City State Teachers College, while expanding its role to include the training of principals as well. In 1939, the college awarded its first Bachelor of Science degrees in its program of Elementary Education.