Doctoral Degrees, Specific Requirements

Master's En Route 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 program and approved as a program modification for this degree program through the curriculum approval process.

The student must follow a plan of study that clearly specifies core requirements and identifies elective, transfer, and double numbered course work for both the Masters and Doctoral degrees. The student's Degree Works page should display the plan of study.

As of spring semester 2024, the Graduate School will no longer accept or process a Plan of Study form separate from the student's Degree Works page. Any changes or additions to the program course requirements or electives as published in the Graduate Catalog must be submitted to the Graduate School using the course adjustment form.

Students should take the responsibility to make sure any deviations from the Catalog are documented on their Degree Works audit.

Doctoral Admission

Each applicant for the doctoral degree must:

• Possess a baccalaureate degree and/or master's degree, depending on the program, 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 at least the minimum level of academic achievement of a 3.0 GPA (programs may require a higher GPA).
• GRE scores are not a Graduate School application requirement.  Specific programs may require GRE scores.  Please check the program page for more information.  If a student is applying to a doctoral program that requires the GRE, then the student must submit GRE scores electronically through Educational Testing Service (ETS) so that testing date is less than five years from the date the application is submitted. UNC's institutional code is 4074.

Doctoral applicants meet the Graduate School minimum criteria for admission if they have a grade point average of 3.00 or better, on a 4.00 point scale, from the most recent degree earned or current degree in progress. If a master’s degree is in progress, a minimum of 18 credit hours must be completed for the GPA of the master’s degree to be used, otherwise the GPA from the bachelor’s degree will be used. Applicants admitted based on the requirement to complete a degree in progress must still provide an official transcript within the first semester of enrollment at UNC showing their degree conferred and a GPA of at least 3.0. If the transcript showing degree conferred reports a cumulative GPA less than 3.0, requirements defined by the program will be added to the student’s admission, just as they are for any admit with a GPA below 3.0.

Doctoral degree applicants must take the following steps to be considered for admissions:

1. Complete the online applications and pay the non-refundable application fee.
2. Request one official transcript from any accredited college or university where a bachelor’s degree or higher was earned or is in progress (if you have earned multiple degrees, bachelor’s level or higher, an official transcript is required from each college or university where a degree was conferred). If you received a degree from UNC, you do not need to request a transcript from UNC. The Graduate School & International Admissions Office reserves the right to request that applicants provide official transcripts from other colleges or universities as needed. Applicants who have earned or are directly pursuing a higher degree from an accredited institution without receiving a bachelor’s degree (i.e., PharmD) may be eligible to apply to the Graduate School without the conferral of a bachelor’s degree. If an applicant intends to use Veteran’s Education Benefits, an official transcript from all colleges or universities attended will be required in order to maintain compliance with Veteran’s Affairs policies.
   
   Official transcripts from U.S. institutions should be sent via mail directly from the educational institution in an unopened, sealed envelope or through an electronically secure digital program from the issuing institution.
   
   Mailed transcripts should be sent to:
   University of Northern Colorado
   Office of Admissions
   Campus Box 10
   501 20th Street
   Greeley, CO 80639
   
   Electronic transcripts from U.S. institutions should be sent directly from the educational institution to: grad.applicationmaterials@unco.edu.
   
   The Graduate School and International Admissions does not accept email, scanned, or PDF transcripts directly from applicants. All official transcripts, submitted as part of the application process, are retained by UNC and not returned to applicants or admitted students.
3. Your program may require other items such as letters of recommendations, or GRE scores. Please www.unco.edu/graduate-school/degrees-and-programs/ check for specific program requirements.

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 or department 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.