Admission Requirements

Admission to the program

Applicants will be reviewed for admission to INES based on their satisfying the requirements described below.

• The equivalent to a U.S. baccalaureate or master’s degree, from regionally accredited colleges or universities, in architecture, construction, engineering, earth science, energy and environmental studies, geology, management, resources economics, transportation or a related field with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.20 and a minimum graduate GPA of 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) in all graduate work. Applicants meeting these requirements will be admitted to the Advanced Standing Track.
• Applicants holding only baccalaureate degrees with an undergraduate GPA of 3.75 or above may be considered for admission into the regular track.
• Applicants working toward a master’s degree or holding a master’s degree in an unrelated field with a minimum GPA of 3.50 will be admitted into the regular track.
• Acceptable scores on the verbal, quantitative and analytical sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are expected to be in the upper 50th percentile. However, GRE is not required for applicants who earn a graduate GPA of 3.65 or above.
• An acceptable TOEFL or IELTS or Duolingo score as required by the Graduate School for international students.
• Three letters of reference, two of which must be from faculty members.
• An essay of no more than 500 words to highlight the applicant’s motivation and research issues of interest.
• A current CV.
• Refer to the UNC Graduate School for application documentation required and online application.

Students entering the program will be expected to remedy any coursework deficiencies identified by their advisory committee in the first semester after enrolling in the program. The required coursework will depend on the background of the student and will be established by the INES Director and the student’s research advisor.