Exceptional undergraduate students attending UNC Charlotte are encouraged to apply to graduate programs and begin work toward their graduate degree before completion of their baccalaureate degree.
Benefits
- Early Entry students will have provisional acceptance to the graduate program, pending the award of the baccalaureate degree, and generally within two semesters.
- Some early-entry programs are accelerated. Under this model, up to twelve hours earned at the graduate level may be substituted for required undergraduate hours. In other words, up to twelve hours of graduate work may be “double-counted” toward both the baccalaureate and graduate degrees. In no case may more than 12 hours be double-counted.
- Early Entry students are charged undergraduate tuition and fees for all courses (graduate and undergraduate) for which they register. Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students are charged graduate tuition and fees. NOTE: Students in graduate programs that carry a tuition increment will be charged. However, this fee will be removed after the add/drop deadline.
Requirements
- To be considered for Early Entry admission, a student must complete and submit an application and including supporting documents.
- A student must submit an application for admission after completion of 75 or more hours of undergraduate course work, although it is expected that 90 hours of undergraduate course work will have been earned by the time the first graduate course is taken.
- A student must have at least a 3.2 overall GPA (on a 4.0 scale), but some programs require a higher GPA.
- A given graduate program may have more rigorous admissions criteria.
- If an early entry student has not met the normal admission requirements of a 3.0 GPA at the end of the baccalaureate degree, the student will be dismissed from the graduate program.
- Students accepted into an early entry program will be subject to the same policies that pertain to other matriculated graduate students.
- Students are restricted to 15 credit hours of graduate level coursework prior to the completion of the baccalaureate degree.
- No courses taken before admission to the graduate program may be applied to a graduate degree.
- Students must be enrolled at UNC Charlotte.
Early Entry Programs
| PROGRAM | GRE/GMAT/MAT REQUIRED? | DOUBLE-COUNTED HOURS |
|---|---|---|
| Academically or Intellectually Gifted, CERT | No | 6 |
| Anthropology, MA | No | 12 |
| Applied Energy and Electromechanical Engineering, MS | No | 12 |
| Athletic Training, MSAT | No | 10 |
| Bioinformatics, MS | No | 12 |
| Bioinformatics Technology, CERT | No | 12 |
| Biology, MS | No | 12 |
| Chemistry, MS | No | 6 |
| Civil Engineering, MSCE | No | 9 |
| Communication Studies, MA | No | 6 |
| Computer Engineering, MS | GRE is waived for applicants with a 3.25 or higher GPA. | 9 |
| Computer Science, MS | No | 12 |
| Construction and Facilities Engineering, MS | No | 12 |
| Criminal Justice, MS | No | 12 |
| Cyber Security, MS | No | 12 |
| Data Science and Business Analytics, CERT | No | 12 |
| Data Science and Business Analytics, MS | GRE is waived for early-entry applicants. | 12 |
| Earth Sciences, MS | No | 9 |
| Economics, MS | GRE is waived for early-entry applicants with A's and B's in Economics, Math, and Statistics courses. | 12 |
| Electrical Engineering, MSEE | GRE is waived for early-entry applicants with a minimum GPA of 3.5. | 9 |
| Electrical Engineering, PHD | GRE is waived for early-entry applicants with a minimum GPA of 3.5. | 9 |
| Elementary Education, MED | No | 6 |
| Elementary School Mathematics, CERT | No | 6 |
| Engineering Management, MS | No | 12 |
| English, MA | No | 6 |
| Ethics and Applied Philosophy, MA | No | 9 |
| Fire Protection and Safety Management, MS | No | 12 |
| Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies, Graduate Certificate | No | 12 |
| Geography, MA | No | 9 |
| Gerontology, CERT | No | 12 |
| Health Administration, MHA | No. Before applying, an interview with the Graduate Program Director is required. | 12 |
| Health Informatics & Analytics, CERT | No | 6 |
| Health Informatics & Analytics, MS | No. Before applying, an interview with the Graduate Program Director is required. | 9 |
| History, MA | No | 12 |
| Information Technology, MS | No | 12 |
| Kinesiology, MS | No | 12 |
| Languages and Culture Studies: Business Language, CERT | No | 12 |
| Languages and Culture Studies: Translating | No | 12 |
| Languages and Culture Studies: Translation & Interpreting Studies, Spanish-English, CERT | No | 12 |
| Latin American Studies, MA | No | 12 |
| Learning Design & Technology, CERT | No | 12 |
| Mathematical Finance, MS | GRE is waived for early-entry applicants with a 3.2 or higher GPA with A's and B's in Economics, Math, Statistics, and/or Finance courses. | 12 |
| Mathematics, MS | No | 12 |
| Mechanical Engineering, MSME | No | 12 |
|
Nursing: Advanced Clinical Nursing
|
No | 10 |
|
Nursing: Systems/Populations Nursing
|
No | 10 |
| Optical Science and Engineering, MS | GRE is waived for early-entry applicants who have a 3.4 or higher GPA in major. | 12 |
| Optical Science and Engineering, PHD | GRE is waived for early-entry applicants who have a 3.4 or higher GPA in major. | 12 |
| Physics (Applied), MS | GRE is waived for early-entry applicants who are Physics Majors. | 12 |
| Public Administration, MPA | No | 12 |
| Public Health, MPH | No. Before applying, an interview with the Graduate Program Director is required. | 12 |
| *Reading Education, MED | No | 12 |
| Religious Studies, MA | No | 12 |
| Respiratory Care, MS | No | 12 |
| Sociology, MA | No | 6 |
| Spanish, MA | No | 12 |
| Teaching – Elementary Education, CERT | No | 6 |
| Teaching – Foreign Language Education, CERT | No | 12 |
| Teaching – Middle and Secondary Education, CERT | No | 6 |
*The MED in Reading Education early entry program allows applicants to apply after 60 hours of undergraduate credit (although it is expected that close to 75 credit hours will have been earned by the time the first graduate course is taken).