Early Entry
Early Entry Program
Exceptional undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte may be accepted into the Master’s or Graduate Certificate program in Data Science & Health Analytics can begin work toward a graduate degree before completing their bachelor’s degree.
Benefits
- Early Entry students may be accepted into the graduate program, pending the award of their baccalaureate degree, typically within two semesters.
- This early entry program is also accelerated in which up to 9 hours earned at the graduate level may be substituted for required undergraduate hours. In other words, up to 9 hours of graduate work may be “double counted” toward both the baccalaureate and master’s degree, and up to 6 hours for the Graduate Certificate
- Early Entry students will be charged undergraduate tuition and fees for all courses (graduate and undergraduate) for which they register. Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students will be charged graduate tuition and fees.
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
- Submit application online at https://gradadmissions.charlotte.edu/apply and provide supporting documents
- Recommendation by the Graduate Program Director and approved by The Graduate School
Note: the GRE is NOT required of Early Entry applicants to the Data Science & Health Analytics program.
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
- Graduate School policy limits undergraduate students to 15 hours of graduate credit before completing their baccalaureate degree.
- Our early entry certificate students are limited to 6 graduate credits
- Our early entry master’s students are limited to 12 graduate credits
Approved Substitution Courses:
| Undergraduate Course | Graduate Substitution |
| HSMT 2104 Intro to US Healthcare System | HADM 6100 Intro to US Healthcare System |
| HSMT 3104 Health Information Systems | HCIP 6102 Healthcare Data Analysis |
| HSMT 3000 Special Topics | HCIP 6396 Business Intelligence in Healthcare |
| INFO 3233 Business Database Systems | DSBA 6160 Databases for Data Scientists |
| INFO 3236 Business Analytics | DSBA 6201 Business Intelligence and Analytics |
| INFO 3237 Business Analytics II | DSBA 6211 Advanced Business Analytics |
| ECON 3112 Econometrics | DSBA 6112 Econometrics |
| OPER 3203 Data and Information Management | DSBA 6122 Decision Modeling and Analysis |
| OPER 3208 Supply Chain Management | DSBA 6208 Supply Chain Management |
| MKTG 3228 Marketing Analytics | DSBA 6276 Strategic Business Analytics |
| ITSC 3160 Data Base Design and Implementation | DSBA 6160 Databases for Data Scientists |
| ITCS 3162 Introduction to Data Mining | DSBA 6162 Data Mining |
| ITCS 3190 Cloud Computing for Data Analysis | DSBA 6190 Cloud Computing for Data Analysis |
| ITCS 4122 Visual Analytics | DSBA 5122 Visual Analytics and Storytelling |
| ITSC 4156 Machine Learning | DSBA 6156 Applied Machine Learning |
Timetable for Gaining Admission to the Early Entry Program
- First semester of junior year: meet with a Graduate Faculty Director or SDS Director of Student Services to receive advising about the Early Entry program..
- Second semester of junior year: complete and submit an early-entry application for graduate study to the Graduate School.
- End of senior year: successfully complete requirements for an undergraduate degree, up to 9 hours of undergraduate coursework can be substituted with corresponding graduate courses (and these graduate courses can also be applied to the master’s degree).