Early Entry

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 GRE is waived for UNC Charlotte students enrolled in engineering technology, construction management, or engineering. 12
Athletic Training, MSAT No 10
Bioinformatics, MS GRE/MAT is waived for early-entry applicants. 12
Bioinformatics Applications, CERT

GRE/MAT is waived for early-entry applicants.

12
Bioinformatics Technology, CERT GRE/MAT is waived for early-entry applicants. 12
Biology, MS No 12
Chemistry, MS No 6
Civil Engineering, MSCE No 9
Communication Studies, MA GRE is waived for any UNCC undergraduate student who has a faculty sponsor who is a full time member of the COMS faculty and is willing to provide a recommendation to waive the test score. 6
Computer Engineering, MS GRE is waived for applicants with a 3.25 or higher GPA. 9
Computer Science, MS  GRE is waived for early-entry applicants. 12
Construction and Facilities Engineering, MS GRE is waived for UNC Charlotte students currently enrolled in engineering technology, construction managment, engineering, or architecture. 12
Criminal Justice, MS No 12
Cyber Security, MS GRE/GMAT is waived for currently enrolled UNC Charlotte undergraduate students who have completed at least three courses successfully with a GPA of 3.2 or better. 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 Yes - GRE or MAT 6
Elementary School Mathematics, CERT No 6
Engineering Management, MS  GRE is waived for applicants from an engineering program that is accredited by ABET-Engineering. 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 GRE is waived for early-entry applicants with a 3.5 or higher GPA. 12
Mechanical Engineering, MSME GRE is waived for early-entry applicants with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or above. 12

Nursing:  Advanced Clinical Nursing

  • Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, MSN
  • Family Nurse Practitioner across the Lifespan, MSN
No 10

Nursing:  Systems/Populations Nursing

  • Nurse Administrator, MSN
  • Community Public Health Nursing, MSN
  • Nurse Educator, MSN
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

*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).