Frequently Asked Questions
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Is the program a full-time program or can I attend part time?
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Can I do the program online as opposed to in person?
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Can I keep my full time job and be a part of your program?
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What would I be doing in my assistantship?
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When do classes meet?
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What jobs will graduates typically seek?
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What are the biggest strengths of the program?
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Are students from an interdisciplinary program desirable to employers?
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Will I be engaged in research?
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How long will it take me to finish the program?
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Do I have to have a master’s degree to get into the program?
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My GRE/GMAT scores are very low, will I get in?
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Do you have admissions for a Spring start date?
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Will I work with just one faculty member?
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I have an interest in one of the four disciplines. Should I still apply to the Organizational Science (interdisciplinary) program?
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Can I earn a master's degree (MA) while completing the Organizational Science program?
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I understand I get an assistantship, tuition waiver and health insurance. Are there other expenses I have to pay outside of those?
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What resources are availble for graduate students at UNC, Charlotte?
1. Is the program a full-time program or can I attend part time?
It is a full-time program. Students are fully engaged in the pursuit of their Organizational Science degree. We also expect to be fully funding all of our doctoral students with a graduate assistantship or practicum, including tuition remission and health insurance.
2. Can I do the program online as opposed to in person?
No, the program can not be completed online. Students get a very personal educational experience in an on-campus setting. The faculty student ratio is nearly 1:1.
3. Can I keep my full time job and be a part of your program?
No, students will work very hard and full-time on their doctoral studies. Also, we expect to be fully funding our students, so they do not have to work outside of the university.
4. What would I be doing in my assistantship?
It could be a lot of different things ranging from being a research assistant, teaching a course, helping administer a program, advising undergraduate students, teaching assistant, and assisting with consulting projects. Assistantships are 20 hours a week. If you'd like more details about assistantships, please email Janet Opel, Program Executive Administrator, at jopel@uncc.edu
Almost exclusively during the day time, with some evening classes beginning at 5pm.
6. What jobs will graduates typically seek?
Half of our graduates to go into practice (internal organizational consulting, external organizational consulting, government, HR, Organizational Development) and half of our graduates go into academia (business, communication studies, sociology, psychology).
7. What are the biggest strengths of the program?
The excellent faculty/student ratio, the science/practitioner balance in our curriculum, abundant research opportunities, the large size and quality of our faculty, and our consulting unit to promote student development. Certainly our greatest strength is our interdisciplinary nature. We are a truly integrated and interdisciplinary program capitalizing on the tremendous strengths of I/O psychology, management, organizational sociology, and organizational communication.
8. Are students from an interdisciplinary program desirable to employers?
Yes, most definitely. Our students have had fantastic success getting jobs. Click here to visit the alumni page and get a clear idea where and for whom our students are working now.
9. Will I be engaged in research?
Yes, that is the core part of the graduate experience. We have extensive laboratory and computer facilities available for a variety of organizational science research studies. Plus, we engage in a great deal of field research.
10. How long will it take me to finish the program?
We expect the program to take 4 to 5 years.
11. Do I have to have a master’s degree to get into the program?
No.
12. My GRE/GMAT scores are very low, will I get in?
We do not require GRE / GMAT scores for admissions to our program.
13. Do you have admissions for a Spring start date?
No, admissions occur late Winter and early Spring for a Fall start date.
14. Will I work with just one faculty member?
We do not operate on an ownership model. We have 19 full-time faculty. We strongly encourage students to take advantage of this terrific array of talent and expertise by working on projects with many different faculty members over the course of their education. To ease a student's transition into graduate school, however, we do assign everyone an initial faculty and peer mentor. This most certainly is not a permanent match - many students opt to work with multiple faculty throughout their time in the program.
Absolutely. We are an interdisciplinary doctoral program dedicated to the study of organizations from both micro and macro perspectives. Some OS students choose to pursue career paths directly in one of the four disciplines (Psychology, Sociology, Management or Communications). A number of our students choose to co-enroll in a more specific or concentrated MA program (i.e. I/O Psychology, Communications, or Sociology) as well. So, if you have interests in examining topics core to one discipline but in a unique interdisciplinary way, we are a great fit for you.
16. Can I earn a master's degree (MA) while completing the Organizational Science program?
Yes. In addition to earning an interdisciplinary doctoral degree in Organizational Science, students can choose to co-enroll in an MA program in I/O Psychology, Communications Studies, or Sociology. This co-enrollment option allows students to earn a master's degree in one of these three areas of their choosing by simply taking a few extra courses, several of which can also be used as Organizational Science electives which are required for graduation. The decision to co-enroll can be made at any point in the student's first year in the program..
Upon enrollment in the Organizational Science Ph.D. program you will receive a full tuition waiver, health care benefits, and a large stipend. In addition, the Organizational Science program offers financial support to Ph.D. students to cover professional development activities (i.e. travel to professional conferences). Graduate students should expect to pay student fees to UNC Charlotte on a per semester basis (the Graduate College website has the most up-to-date info on costs). Finally, students planning to park in the student lots on UNC Charlotte's campus will need to purchase a parking permit
18. What resources are availble for graduate students at UNC, Charlotte?
We greatly value the health and wellbeing of our students in the Organizational Science program; the physical, mental, spiritual and intellectual health of our students is of critical importance. The University offers a variety of academic resources, campus services, health and wellness opportunities, and social events for graduate students. View a comprehensve list of the various resources offered for Graduate students here.