Coastal Carolina University is a comprehensive, public liberal arts institution in Conway, South Carolina. The University offers over 100 undergraduate and over 30 graduate-level (doctoral educational specialist, masters) major fields of study including specialized concentrations across six academic colleges. The University offers the Ph.D. in marine science: coastal and marine systems science, and the Ph.D. in education sciences. A diverse population of more than 10,400 students from across the country and around the world engages with a world-class faculty, and they all enjoy an inspiring cultural calendar and a tradition of community interaction fueled by 183 student clubs, organizations and honor societies. Students learn, study and interact in high-quality facilities, including the HTC Student Recreation and Convocation Center, the Bryan Information Commons, and the Lib Jackson Student Union. The 17 Coastal Carolina athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA as members of the Sun Belt Conference. The University's mascot is the Chanticleer, a proud, fierce and quick-thinking rooster derived from Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." The football, softball and baseball teams all compete in the new TD Sports Complex, which houses Springs Brooks Baseball Stadium. The University comprises 115 main buildings on 621 acres, including the Coastal Science Center and the Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies on the East Campus, and the General James Hackler Golf Course, a public 18-hole golf facility adjacent to campus. The University also offers courses and events at several satellite locations along the Carolina coast. A 1,105-acre tract, including a portion of Waties Island, provides a natural laboratory for extensive study in marine science and wetlands biology on an Atlantic coast barrier island. Coastal Carolina University was founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College and became an independent university in 1993.