/Institutions/University-of-Northern-Colorado/json/2014-2015/Graduate-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Northern-Colorado/json/2014-2015/Graduate-Catalog.json

Doctoral Admission

Each applicant for the doctoral degree must:

• Possess a baccalaureate degree or master's degree from a regionally 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 146 on the verbal and at least 140 on the quantitative sections of the GRE-General Test with a combined score of at least 297 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.