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M.S. Graduate Admission Requirements
It is the policy of the Department to provide equal opportunities
to all students regardless of race, creed, color, sex, or national
origin. The Department requires applicants to demonstrate evidence
of suitability for the program. All applications for admission are
reviewed by the Earth Sciences Graduate Committee. The Department
admits applicants on a competitive basis as space in the program
allows. In order to be considered for financial aid, applications
should be complete and received before February 15 for the fall
semester. All other applications must be received by university
deadlines.
1) Grade Point Average (GPA): The Department expects an overall
GPA of at least 2.75 (3.0 for junior and senior years). However,
exceptions may be made if the other elements of the application
are strong.
2) Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of reference are required.
Letters from college or university teachers who have worked with
and/or taught applicants are preferred. These letters are evaluated
on the basis of how well the applicant is suited in terms of intellect,
preparation and motivation to perform graduate work.
3) Personal Essays: Applicants must write a personal essay which
directly addresses reasons for the desire to conduct graduate work
in earth sciences as well as the desire to participate in the M.S.
program at UNC Charlotte. Applicants should comment on their expectations
regarding the benefits of an M.S. in Earth Sciences. Lastly, applicants
should address directly how the program at UNC Charlotte fits their
career and/or professional goals and how they would benefit from
and contribute to the MS in Earth Sciences at UNC Charlotte. The
essay is very important in determining the applicant's commitment
to graduate education and to a professional career in earth sciences
or a related field. Careful preparation of the essay is time well
spent.
4) Scores on the Graduate Record Exam: In general the Department
expects minimum scores of 1000 on the combined verbal and quantitative
portions of the Graduate Record Exam. Lower scores will not automatically
exclude applicants if the remainder of the applicant's file is strong.
5) Transcripts of College Course Work: The transcripts are evaluated
on the basis of performance in a range of earth sciences, physical
sciences and mathematics courses in order to determine the applicant's
preparation for graduate level course work.
Additional Requirements for International Applicants: Applicants
whose native language is not English must score at least 550 (paper
based) or 220 (computer based) on the Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL).
Prerequisite Requirements (Minimum Requirements for Students Entering
the Program):
All prospective graduate students must demonstrate competence in
undergraduate subject matter in their area of study. While the Department
does not require that applicants have a degree in Earth Sciences,
prospective graduate students should provide evidence that they
are prepared to immediately take full advantage of graduate level
course work in Earth Sciences.
Students applying to the program should, at a minimum, be familiar
with the concepts and materials offered in courses such as: Physical
Geography, Physical Geology, Earth History, Introductory Chemistry,
Introductory Physics, and calculus-based Mathematics. These courses
or their equivalents are required for admission to the UNC Charlotte
M.S. in Earth Sciences program.
Courses in Computer Sciences are also considered important. Any
student wishing to pursue additional training in Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) should have basic cartography preparation and computer
file management and data base skills.
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