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.

All program-level Admissions and Progression Requirements are in addition to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Admission Requirements .

Admission Requirements

Current UNC Charlotte Undergraduate Students

• See University 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
• Submit application online at gradadmissions.charlotte.edu/apply and provide supporting documents
• Recommendation by the Department of Sociology and approved by the Graduate School

Note: Standardized test scores (e.g., GRE, GMAT, MAT) are optional, but not required.

Progression 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.

Special Policies or Requirements

Up to 6 credit hours earned at the graduate level may be substituted for required undergraduate hours (i.e., up to 6 credit hours of graduate coursework may be double-counted toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees). 

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.charlotte.edu/admissions/early-entry.

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