Exceptional undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte may apply to this Early Entry Program to begin work toward a graduate degree before completion of the baccalaureate degree.  The Early Entry Program for the M.A. in Sociology leads to completion of all requirements for the B.A. and M.A. degrees in only five academic years and one or two summers. In this program, students complete requirements for the B.A. degree and begin graduate coursework and research for the M.A. degree in their Senior, or fourth, year.

Admission Requirements

• Completion of at least 75 undergraduate credit hours (although it is expected that close to 90 credit hours will have been earned by the time the first graduate course is taken)
• Minimum 3.2 overall undergraduate GPA
• Minimum 3.5 GPA in SOCY courses
• Acceptable scores on the appropriate graduate standardized test (e.g., GRE)
  • GRE scores are waived for students with a minimum 3.5 GPA in core undergraduate SOCY courses (SOCY Theory, SOCY Research Methods, and SOCY Quantitative Analysis)
• Submit application online at mygradschool.uncc.edu and provide supporting documents
• Recommendation by the Department of Sociology and approved by the Graduate School

Continued Enrollment Requirements

• Completion of Early Entry Program Form, and approved by the Undergraduate Coordinator, Graduate Program Director, and Graduate School, prior to registering for graduate coursework each semester
• Maintain a minimum 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA to remain in the program; minimum 3.0 Junior/Senior GPA at the end of the B.A. degree
• Undergraduate students are allowed to take only 15 hours of graduate credit before they have completed their baccalaureate degree

Accelerated Program/Double-Counted Courses

This Early Entry Program is also accelerated; up to 6 credit hours earned at the graduate level may be substituted for required undergraduate hours.  In other words, up to 6 credit hours of graduate coursework may be “double counted” toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.  Neither the Pro-Seminar in Applied Social Research nor Elective Courses may be counted toward both the B.A. and the M.A.

More Information

For additional details on Early Entry to Graduate Programs, see the “Degree Requirements and Academic Policies” section of the Graduate Catalog and the Graduate Admissions website at gradadmissions.uncc.edu/admissions/early-entry.

For details about the full requirements for this degree program, see the program listing in the Graduate Catalog.