Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, the North Carolina School of the Arts opened in Winston-Salem in 1965 as America’s first public arts conservatory. The school became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972 and its mission is to train students for professional careers in the arts.

UNC School of the Arts is located on 78 acres near Old Salem Museum & Gardens, a national tourist attraction. Its college programs are accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the four-year arts certificate, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and the professional artists certificate.