Early Entry (4 + 1) Program
Program Description
The Computer Science Department offers a special program for high quality students who desire to pursue graduate study. By taking certain Computer Science graduate courses in their senior year in lieu of the corresponding undergraduate courses the student can obtain the B.A. or B.S. degree in Computer Science and then, with an additional year of graduate study, obtain the M.S. degree in Computer Science. Successful completion of this program cuts a year off of the standard time required to obtain an M.S. degree in Computer Science from UNC Charlotte.
According to the Summer 2020 Salary Report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average starting salary for undergraduate Computer Science graduates is $76K, and the average starting salary for Master’s degree Computer Science graduates is $95K. By spending an extra year in school, you may increase your starting salary by 25%!
ADMISSION requirements
- Completion of at least 75 undergraduate credit hours (although it is expected that close to 90 credit hours will have been earned by the time the first graduate course is taken)
- Minimum 3.2 overall undergraduate GPA
- Minimum 3.3 GPA in the Department of Computer Science
- Submit application online at https://gradadmissions.charlotte.edu/apply and provide supporting documents
- Recommendation by the Graduate Program Director and approved by the Graduate School. Generally, the GPD is going to require the following before recommending a candidate to the Early Entry Program
- Math Requirement:
- Calculus (3 hours)
- Linear Algebra or Statistics
- Discrete Mathematics (MATH 1165 or ITSC 2175)
- Computer Science Requirement:
- Introductory Computer Science Courses (ITSC 1212 and ITSC 1213)
- Data Structures (ITSC 2214)
- Candidate has taken at least one 3000 level course or above in ITSC, ITCS, or ITIS
- Math Requirement:
continued enrollment requirements
- Completion of Early Entry Program Form, and approved by the Undergraduate Coordinator, Graduate Program Director, and Graduate School, prior to registering for graduate coursework each semester
(see FAQ item ‘How does “double counting” work in the Early Entry Program‘). - Maintain a minimum 2.75 overall undergraduate GPA and 3.0 Junior/Senior GPA
- Undergraduate students are allowed to take only 15 hours of graduate credit before they have completed their baccalaureate degree
Accelerated Program/Double-Counted Courses
This Early Entry Program is also accelerated; up to 12 credit hours earned at the graduate level may be substituted for required undergraduate hours. In other words, up to 12 credit hours of graduate coursework may be “double counted” toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees. Approved course substitutions for Early Entry are listed below:
| Undergraduate Course | Graduate Substitution |
| ITCS 3153 Intro to Artificial Intelligence | ITCS 5153 Applied Artificial Intelligence |
| ITCS 3156 Intro to Machine Learning | ITCS 5154 Applied Machine Learning or ITCS 5356 Intro to Machine Learning |
| ITCS 4102 Survey of Programming Languages | ITCS 5102 Survey of Programming Languages |
| ITCS 4111 Introduction of Natural Language Processing | ITCS 6111 Introduction of Natural Language Processing |
| ITCS 4121 Information Visualization | ITCS 6121 Information Visualization |
| ITCS 4122 Visual Analytics | ITCS 5122 Visual Analytics |
| ITCS 4123 Visualization and Visual Communications | ITCS 5123 Visualization and Visual Communications |
| ITCS 4131 Communication Network Design | ITCS 6166 Computer, Communications, and Networks |
| ITCS 4141 Computer Organization and Architecture | ITCS 6141 Computer Organization and Architecture |
| ITCS 4145 Parallel Computing | ITCS 6145 Parallel Computing |
| ITCS 4150 Mobile Robotics | ITCS 5150 Mobile Robotics |
| ITCS 4152 Computer Vision | ITCS 6159 Computer Vision |
| ITCS 4180 Mobile Application Development | ITCS 5180 Mobile Application Development |
| ITCS 4230 Intro to Game Design and Development | ITCS 5230 Intro to Game Design and Development |
| ITCS 4231 Advanced Game Design and Development | ITCS 5231 Advanced Game Design and Development |
| ITCS 4235 Game Engine Construction | ITCS 5235 Game Engine Construction |
| ITCS 4236 Artificial Intelligence for Computer Game | ITCS 4236 Artificial Intelligence for Computer Game |
| ITSC 4155 Software Development Projects | ITCS 6112 Software, Systems, Design, and Implementation |
| ITIS 4011 Interaction Design Studio | ITIS 6011 Interaction Design Studio |
| ITIS 4166 Network Based Application Development | ITIS 5166 Network Based Application Development |
| ITIS 4180 Mobile Application Development | ITIS 5180 Mobile Application Development |
| ITIS 4221 Secure Programming and Penetration Testing | ITIS 5221 Secure Programming and Penetration Testing |
| ITIS 4246 Competitive Cyber Defense | ITIS 5246 Competitive Cyber Defense |
| ITIS 4250 Computer Forensics | ITIS 5250 Computer Forensics |
| ITIS 4260 Introduction to Security Analysis | ITIS 5260 Introduction to Security Analysis |
| ITIS 4420 Usable Security and Privacy | ITIS 6420 Usable Security and Privacy |
| ITIS 4510 Web Mining | ITIS 5510 Web Mining |
In order to register for graduate courses each semester, Early Entry students must submit an online Early Entry Form as described in FAQ item ‘How does “double counting” work in the Early Entry Program‘.
More information
For additional general details on Early Entry to Graduate Programs, see the Graduate Admissions website at gradadmissions.charlotte.edu/admissions/early-entry.
For additional specific details on the Computer Science Early Entry Program, see the Graduate Catalog, section Computer Science, M.S., Early Entry.