Doctoral Admission

Possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university,

Submit three letters of recommendation confirming that the applicant has the ability to do doctoral work in the proposed discipline(s),

Have a minimum level of achievement combining GPA and GRE performance.

GRE scores must be less than five years old.

Doctoral applicants meet the Graduate School minimum criteria for admission if they have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on the most recently completed degree, scores of at least 400 on both the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE-General Test with a combined score of at least 1000 and an analytical writing score of at least 3.5. A higher GRE score can compensate for a lower GPA and a higher GPA can compensate for a lower test score. For doctoral applicants who do not meet Graduate School requirements, the Graduate School will consider school recommendation for admission. A written explanation must accompany the recommendation explaining circumstances and factors considered justifying acceptance of the applicant.

The doctoral programs at UNC do not utilize quantitative rating systems and standard criteria weightings as sole determining factors for decisions concerning the acceptance of doctoral applicants. Quantitative information such as GPA or GRE scores is considered in combination with qualitative information derived from letters of recommendation, applicant goal statements, as well as past academic and professional accomplishments. Because of the specialized nature of doctoral work, it is incumbent on the faculty to utilize their professional judgment in determining to what extent a student is qualified for entry into a particular program. The information requested by each school upon which their decision is to be based, gives the faculty the opportunity to thoroughly and carefully evaluate the strengths and potential of each applicant.

Each application introduces a unique combination of qualifications for a program of doctoral study. Decisions to accept or not accept a potential doctoral student must thoroughly consider all of the information pertinent to the applicant's qualifications including sensitivity to diverse applicant backgrounds. Only in this way can strict adherence to and consideration of affirmative action policies be maintained. The doctoral student selection process thus avoids undesirable, restrictive, and potentially capricious decisions that can arise from over-reliance on purely quantitative selection criteria.

Schools offering doctoral programs may recommend admission based upon supplemental/alternate criteria that have been established by the major school and approved by the Graduate Council.

Doctoral Minor

Doctoral minors consist of a minimum of 15 semester hours of course work in a discipline different from the doctoral program. Any school with at least one approved graduate degree program (master's, specialist, or doctorate) is eligible to offer doctoral minor(s). With school and college approval to offer the doctoral minor the proposal is submitted through the university curriculum approval process. Upon approval, the doctoral minor will be listed in the university Catalog.

Graduate students admitted to doctoral programs may, upon approval of their doctoral program advisor, select a minor program of study for inclusion in their doctoral program. Completion of the doctoral minor will be indicated on the student's transcript. Doctoral students who have been approved by the school to pursue a doctoral minor will include the requirements for completion of the minor in their doctoral plan of study.

The credit hours associated with an approved doctoral minor would count toward the total doctoral degree program hours required only when they overlap with electives or research core requirements. No course would be allowed to count for double credit hours. Students would not be allowed to pursue a minor offered under the same program name as the doctoral program to which they are admitted. To complete a minor, the student must first be officially admitted to a doctoral degree program.

Master's Enroute to the Doctoral Degree

Students who have been admitted to a doctoral program may complete a master's degree in the same discipline enroute to completion of the doctoral degree if this option has been previously requested by the school and approved as a program modification for this degree program through the curriculum approval process. Students should contact the Graduate School for details concerning this policy.

Second Doctorate Guidelines

Double majors are not permitted at the doctoral level. A student may receive a second doctoral degree from UNC provided that the requirements for the first doctoral degree have been completed before initiating the second degree program and provided that no course work from the first degree is counted toward the second degree.