If you have been considering pursuing your college degree in North Carolina, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte may be the right school for you.
Charlotte is the second largest banking center in the country. Even if you are not interested in a business degree, that fact points to a strong economy and opportunities in many disciplines. The school, which was founded in 1946, is ranked #194 of National Universities by the U.S. News and World Report.
There are nine colleges which offer twenty-one doctoral level degrees, sixty-four master’s degrees and 90 bachelor’s programs.
The Charlotte campus is one of three campuses in the University of North Carolina system; the others are the Center City Campus and the Main campus in Universal City. If you choose to pursue your degree at this school, you will find that the student-to-faculty ratio is 19:1 and most of your classes will have between 20 and 49 students.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Accreditation Details
• Southern Association of the Higher Learning Commission
• American Psychological Association
University of North Carolina Admission Requirements
If you are seeking admission as a freshman, you should complete the online application and submit it, along with your non-refundable application fee of $60 along with other required documents.
You should request that your high school send your official transcript to the university, and that your official ACT or SAT scores be sent by the testing agency. The minimum ACT acceptable is a composite score of 17. Those who took the SAT should have an 800 composite score.
If you want to enroll in the graduate school, the process is more involved. The online application consists of multiple sections, but it can be completes in several sessions. You will also need to arrange to have your college transcripts sent to the university and also the scores of the GRE or MAT or other tests you may have taken. You will need letters of recommendation, a resume and a “statement of purpose” as well.
Individual programs may have other requisites, so it is advisable to talk to a faculty member of the college you wish to enter.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergraduate tuition, fees and room and board for in-state students is $19, 645, and for non-resident students, the amount is $32,816. Room and board costs $9,840 and books and supplies are estimated at $1,200. There are also other expenses associated with study at any university.
Graduate tuition is $6,014 for residents and $19,505 for non-residents.
If you think you will need help paying this expense, you are in the company of most students at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The first step in applying for financial aid is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The financial information you enter on the form is used to calculate how much money you and your family are able to contribute to your education costs. That amount is subtracted from the actual university charges and the resulting figure is your financial need. The federal government will award you any of their grants and loans for which you qualify at that time. The ones you may be familiar with are the Stafford Loan and the Pell Grant as well as the Student Educational Opportunity Grant, but there are also work-study opportunities.
The state of North Carolina offers the North Carolina Education Lottery Scholarship, of which the amount is dependent upon available funds, and the University of North Carolina Need-Based Grant. The university also offers the Levine Scholarship, which awards full tuition, room and board plus a stipend for a personal service project and funding for summer opportunity experiences. The Crown Scholarship Program awards various amounts to honor students.
In addition, there are more than 500 other needs-or merit-based scholarships available at the university. Some of these are funded by departments for students in select programs of study. Private endowments also fund scholarships for students involved in community service, or those associated with a particular religious organization or civic group like the Lion Clubs. You must apply for these opportunities separately, and they all have different deadlines, so you should check with the university or research these programs online.
If you have exhausted all the possibilities for grants or scholarships, you may want to consider taking out a student loan. These are special loans tailored to have low interest rates and to allow you to begin repayment after you graduate and get a job.
Psychology, a Special Program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
This program is the seventh most popular at the school. There is only one undergraduate degree offered, and the program does not allow for concentrations. You declare an undergraduate major, and there are 1200 of them, after attending school for six weeks. The university website urges you to talk to your assigned advisor and to seek out a peer counselor as well in making this decision.
The learning outcomes include a basic knowledge of psychology, oral and written competency in communicating psychology concepts and a grasp of research methodology. Students who have taken statistics and research methods are encouraged to assist the faculty in research.
The bachelor’s degree contains 120 credit hours. The program addresses five areas of study: research methods; critical thinking; the knowledge base; application of psychology; psychology electives and a capstone project. There is also a foreign language requisite.
If you enter the psychology graduate school, you will find a diverse and flexible program and 130 majors in master’s and doctoral programs. You can earn a Master’s Degree in Psychology or in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. You can also earn a PhD in many areas, including Health Psychology; Organizational Science and Cognitive science. The Master’s program contains 30 credit hours and consists of 18 core courses including methodology, ethics, health and theory. There is no clinical training at the master’s level; however there is a clinical component of the doctoral degree. Students do perform community service projects by applying research results to solving community problems.
All of the degree programs at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte are exceptional, but if you earn your psychology degree here, you will find many opportunities for learning in state-of-the art facilities and among research-oriented faculty.