In addition to the general requirements for admission to the UNC Charlotte Graduate School, the following are required for study to the M.A. in Geography:
Under most circumstances, students admitted to the program must have: a B.A. or B.S. degree in Geography or field related to the primary emphases of the program.
Grade Point Average (GPA): in general, the department would prefer an overall undergraduate GPA above 3.1 (or a 3.1 for the last 2 years) and a GPA of 3.2 in the major. However, averages less than these do not exclude applicants if the other elements of the application are strong.
Transcripts of College Coursework: transcripts are evaluated on the basis of types of courses attempted, range of geography, statistical, and computer coursework attempted. Not only is the applicant evaluated on the strength of the performance in these areas, but also on the range, depth and suitability of the applicant's preparation for graduate level coursework.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with minimum scores of 150 on both the verbal and quantitative sections and a 3.5 or above on the analytical portions. Applicants must have taken the GRE, no other test is accepted in its place. Scores less than these suggested minimums do not automatically exclude applicants if the remainder of the applicant's file is strong.
TOEFL exam scores of at least 84 on the Internet-based test for applicants whose native language is not English. The program expects a minimum score in the low to mid 20s on each of the components of the TOEFL. In addition, international students who are supported through a teaching assistantship (TA) are required to undergo evaluation by the English Language Training Institute (ELTI) at UNC Charlotte prior to beginning their assistantship.
Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of reference are required. Letters from college or university teachers who have worked with and/or taught applicants are preferred. These letters are evaluated on the basis of how well the applicant is suited in terms of intellect, motivation and temperament to do graduate coursework.
Personal Essay: Applicants must write a personal essay which directly addresses why they wish to do graduate work in geography and why they wish to participate in the M.A. program at UNC Charlotte. They should address directly how the program at UNC Charlotte fits their career and/or professional goals and how they would benefit from and contribute to the M.A. in Geography at UNC Charlotte. This essay is very important in determining the applicant's commitment to graduate education and to a professional career in geography or a related field. Careful consideration of what goes into this essay is time well spent.

A minimum score of 83 on the Internet-based TOEFL or a minimum overall band score of 6.5 on the IELTS is required.