Admissions

Highest consideration for assistantships and tuition funding for fall term admission is given to applications completed before March 1st.

Ph.D. Program Admission Requirements

All applicants seeking admission into the Optical Science and Engineering Ph.D. program must fulfill the University’s general requirements for Ph.D. program admission. Additional requirements for admission into the program are:

  • A Baccalaureate or Master’s degree in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Engineering, Optics, or a related field with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.2 (A= 4.0) in the major. In the case a candidate presents a Master’s degree at application, a minimum graduate GPA of 3.2 (A = 4.0) on all graduate work is required.
  • A minimum combined score of 301 on the verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE revised General Test.
  • Three positive letters of recommendation.
  • Students may be required to take undergraduate courses determined by the Graduate Program Director on an individual basis. Such courses will be specified at the time of admission into the program.

MS Program Admission Requirements

All applicants seeking admission into the Optical Science and Engineering M.S. program must fulfill the University’s general requirements for Master’s level admission. Additional requirements for admission into the program are:

  • A Baccalaureate or Master’s degree in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Engineering, Optics, Computer Science, or a related field with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.0 (A = 4.0) in the major.
  • A minimum combined score of 293 on the verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE revised General Test.
  • Three positive letters of recommendation.
  • Students may be required to take undergraduate courses determined by the Graduate Program Director on an individual basis. Such courses will be specified at the time of admission into the program.

Documents to Submit for Admission

  • UNC Charlotte online application for graduate admission
  • Official GRE scores
  • Official TOEFL, Duolingo, or IELTS score from international applicants whose native language is not English, unless the previous degree was from a country where English is the official language
  • Unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended should be uploaded to the application (Applicants offered admission will be required to submit official transcripts)
  • A minimum of three letters of reference
  • A Statement of Purpose essay detailing the applicant’s motivation and career goals

GRE Waiver

The GRE General Test requirement is waived for applicants who have graduated from UNC Charlotte within the past three years and earned a minimum 3.4 GPA in the major.  The GRE General Test is also waived for applicants who are currently enrolled in the M.S. in Optical Science and Engineering or M.S. in Applied Physics at UNC Charlotte.