Doctoral Degrees, Specific Requirements
Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degrees are awarded for completion of the professional practitioner program designed for entry level activity as an audiologist. Audiologists are professional practitioners responsible for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of hearing disorders in children and adults.
Doctor of Arts (D.A.) degrees are awarded for completion of content-oriented programs to prepare the candidate for a career in college or university teaching. The student is expected to specialize in a specific field of study but is not expected to specialize in a single facet of the chosen field. General components of the program include coursework in the major area, supervised practica in college teaching, and individual studies in effective teaching. Students are offered considerable flexibility in program development. While the degree is not research-oriented, the recipient will demonstrate research competence by preparing a dissertation designed to support college/university teaching. A wide range of topics is permitted for this document, and the study may develop a presentation that is unique to the discipline.
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degrees are awarded for completion of professional or practitioner programs designed to prepare candidates for positions of leadership in all fields including elementary and secondary education, higher education, business, industry, government, and the military. These doctoral programs prepare graduates for service in instructional, supervisory, and administrative capacities.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees are awarded for completion of the research degree granted to students who demonstrate 1) mastery of definite fields of knowledge to the extent they are familiar both with what has been done in their specific field and with the potentialities and opportunities for further advances, 2) a scholarly investigation or creative work in their specific field, and 3) the ability to integrate their specific field or specialization with the larger domains of knowledge and understanding.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) degrees are awarded for completion of the expert clinicians programs designed to prepare candidates for advanced practice roles in healthcare. This doctoral program prepares graduates for practice in virtually any area within the healthcare industry. These highly skilled practitioners will be the leaders in healthcare delivery and care management.
Post-Doctoral Programs of research and advanced study are available in selected areas to persons holding the Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Education, or Doctor of Philosophy degree. Work at the post-doctoral level may be taken in areas such as educational leadership and policy studies, educational technology, educational psychology, counseling psychology, elementary education, special education, applied statistics, and other disciplines.
The specific research project or program of study is planned by the post-doctoral student in conference with a faculty committee appointed to advise the student throughout the program and to assess the student's progress at the end of the program.
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. Students will be required to submit a plan of study for both the Master's and Doctoral degree. Contact the Graduate School for details.
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:
- Complete the online applications and pay the non-refundable application fee.
- 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.
- 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.