Coastal Carolina University is making plans to offer credit courses in the Waccamaw Neck area of Georgetown County by summer 2002. Coastal will continue to offer classes and maintain administrative support in the Georgetown Higher Education Center, located south of Georgetown.

Courses in education will continue to be offered at the Georgetown Center. Additional courses supporting business majors, the general core, the interdisciplinary studies program, as well as education, will be offered at the soon-to-be-announced location on Waccamaw Neck, according to Coastal President Ronald R. Ingle.

The addition of a new Higher Education Center supporting the northern Georgetown County and southern Horry County areas is being made in response to market analysis, budget considerations and shifting enrollment trends in the Georgetown Center's program offerings. Enrollment data show that most students taking education courses at the center are from Georgetown, while students taking other courses are primarily from the Waccamaw Neck and areas farther north along the coast.

At the Waccamaw Neck location, Coastal will offer both lower and upper level courses. Previously, according to a prior agreement with Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Coastal offered only upper-level courses at the Georgetown Center and HGTC provided introductory and core level courses.

Coastal will continue to support the Georgetown County Schools' APPLE program at the Georgetown Higher Education Center. The APPLE program assists employees of the school district who are interested in becoming teachers.

The Coastal Carolina University Georgetown Campus Advisory Board will continue in its role as the primary consultative organization for all Coastal endeavors in Georgetown County.

Coastal also offers credit courses through the Coastal Carolina University Higher Education Center, located in Myrtle Square Mall. All off-campus course offerings are coordinated through Coastal's School of Continuing Studies.