(For Doctoral Degrees, Master’s Degrees, and Graduate Certificates)
Early Entry to Graduate Programs
Exceptional undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte (3.2+ GPA) may be accepted into some certificate, master’s, and doctoral programs and begin work toward a graduate certificate or degree before completion of the baccalaureate degree. In those programs offering this option, an applicant may be accepted at any time after completion of 75 or more credit hours of their undergraduate coursework, although it is expected that at least 90 credit hours of undergraduate coursework will have been earned by the time the first graduate course is taken. These students will have provisional acceptance status in the graduate program, pending the award of the baccalaureate degree.
To be accepted to this program, the student must complete an application online for the given graduate program and be approved for it. In addition, the student must complete the Early Entry Graduate Academic Petition, which requires approval by the Undergraduate Advisor, the Graduate Program Director, and the Graduate School. The petition is available on the Graduate School website under Current Students.
[Note: The Early Entry Program Petition must be approved by the Graduate School before the student begins the Early Entry graduate coursework. Failure to obtain prior Graduate School approval negates the ability to “double count” courses in an accelerated Early Entry Program.]
An undergraduate student must have at least a 3.2 overall GPA and have taken the appropriate graduate standardized test and earned an acceptable score, if required by the academic program. A given program may have more rigorous admissions criteria. If an Early Entry student has not met the normal admission requirements of a 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA at the end of their baccalaureate degree, they will be dismissed from the graduate program.
Students accepted into an Early Entry Program will be considered subject to the same policies that pertain to other matriculated graduate students. However, the undergraduate program will remain the student’s primary program. Early Entry students are eligible only for undergraduate-level financial aid, grants, and tuition awards.* Early Entry 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.
Some Early Entry Programs permit students to “double count” graduate-level coursework towards outstanding requirements for the undergraduate degree. The maximum number of graduate credits which may be “double counted” towards an undergraduate degree varies by program. However, under no circumstances will more than 12 credit hours be double-counted. Students use the Early Entry Petition to detail which courses they plan to “double count” and which courses will be taken solely for graduate credit. Only those graduate-level courses which are applied towards the undergraduate degree are eligible for undergraduate-level financial aid.
Many graduate programs currently offer an Early Entry option. A list of Early Entry Programs may be found on the Graduate Admissions website. To be considered for Early Entry admission, a student must submit a completed application via the Graduate School’s admissions system and provide supporting documents.
*Note: While students admitted to an Early Entry Program are not eligible to hold a graduate assistantship since they have not completed a baccalaureate degree, they may be considered for a Student Temporary Wage position. Students admitted into an Early Entry Program pay undergraduate fees and undergraduate tuition for all courses (graduate and undergraduate) for which they register until such time that the baccalaureate degree is completed (typically within two semesters).
Accelerated Master’s Programs
Exceptional undergraduate students may be accepted into an Accelerated Master’s Program whereby they simultaneously pursue the baccalaureate and master’s degrees and gain invaluable mentoring and research experience along the way. The Accelerated Master’s Program may also be accelerated in which up to 12 credit hours earned at the graduate level may be substituted (“double counted”) for required undergraduate hours. A list of Accelerated Master’s Programs may be found on the Undergraduate Admissions website.
In the programs offering this option, an applicant may be considered for admission to the Master’s Program directly from high school with a minimum GPA 3.75 or above (on a 4.0 scale) and a minimum score of 1220 on the SAT. For details, see the Undergraduate Admissions website.
Note: Students admitted to an Accelerated Master’s Program (undergraduate + graduate degrees) are not eligible to hold a graduate assistantship until their final year of study when they are only taking graduate courses. In the Accelerated Master’s Program of study, when only graduate courses are taken (typically the final year of study), students are considered “graduate” students and are charged graduate tuition and fees.
Dual Undergraduate and Graduate Registration
First undergraduate degree students at UNC Charlotte who are required to take fewer than 12 credit hours of undergraduate work to fulfill all requirements for the bachelor’s degree may be allowed during their final semester to enroll in certain courses for the purpose of obtaining graduate credit. Dually enrolled students will continue to be considered undergraduate students and be charged for the courses taken at the undergraduate level. The total credit hours to be carried in this status shall not exceed 12 credit hours, of which no more than nine may be for graduate credit. On the basis of work attempted prior to the final semester, such students must meet the grade point criteria for admission to a graduate degree program at the University. No course for which credit is applied to an undergraduate degree may receive graduate credit. Permission to take graduate courses under dual registration does not constitute admission to any graduate degree program at the University. (Undergraduate students may also take graduate courses if admitted to an Early Entry Program or an Accelerated Master’s Program.)
Note: Only UNC Charlotte students pursuing their first undergraduate degree are eligible for dual undergraduate and graduate registration. Fifth year undergraduate students (i.e., students pursuing a second undergraduate degree) are not eligible for dual undergraduate and graduate enrollment.