ECSC was established in 1995 to cater for the training needs of the Ethiopian civil service system, to conduct research and to provide consultancy services. The college has three faculties:
- the faculty of law
- the faculty of urban development studies
- the faculty of business and economics
As well as offering short term and undergraduate courses, the faculty of business and economics also carries out research, workshops and seminars on different topical socio-economic issues in the fields of economics, management, accounting and development administration. The college also has an institute of distance education.
The website has information about the departments, courses and learning facilities.