Winston-Salem State University of Winston-Salem, North Carolina is among the region's oldest historically black universities. The first African-American institution in the nation to grant degrees in teacher education in 1892, Winston-Salem State University has since evolved to reflect the changing demands of the 21st-century economy. Today, the university offers master's-level degrees in such high-demand fields as health services, financial services, information technology, and information technology. Another mark of the institution's flexibility is its breadth of offerings for continuing education students. Working adults take advantage of special applied education programs designed for career advancement. Winston-Salem State University also offers distance learning options using state-of-the-art educational technology. Despite this evolution, however, the university stays true to its core commitment to educating socially responsible students in an ethnically diverse, accessible educational environment.