Admissions Process & Funding

To be considered for admission to the Graduate Certificate (AIG licensure) Program, applicants must hold or be eligible for a North Carolina teaching license or its equivalent from another state. Applicants will need to hold a teaching position before enrolling in SPED 6124 and SPED 6224 in order to meet course requirements.

Admission Requirements for Graduate Certificate in AIG

  1. A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university
  2. An Application for Admission to the Graduate School
  3. Original transcripts that indicate a minimum overall GPA of at least 3.0.
  4. A teaching license from North Carolina or its equivalent from another state.
  5. Recommendation letters and GRE or MAT scores are not required for applications to the Graduate Certificate in AIG, but are required for admission to the M.Ed. program.

For application materials for the Graduate Certificate in AIG program, please visit http://distanceed.uncc.edu/programs/academically-or-intellectually-gifted

Notes: If accepted into the Master’s degree program, a maximum of twelve (12) Graduate Certificate hours may be applied toward the M.Ed. AIG degree, to elective requirements in other Special Education M.Ed. majors, or to other UNC Charlotte M.Ed. programs, with the permission of the program’s Graduate Program Director and the student’s academic advisor. Admission to the Graduate Certificate program does not ensure admission into a Master’s degree program. Applicants must take the GRE or MAT before applying to the Special Education Master’s degree program in AIG. Applicants who previously have received a grade of A in three (if the fourth course is in progress at the time of application) or all four of the 4 Graduate Certificate courses in AIG at UNC Charlotte may waive the GRE/MAT score requirement. Students who have received one or more course grades below A in UNC Charlotte graduate certificate courses in AIG are not eligible for this waiver and must provide GRE or MAT scores with their application to the M.Ed.

For further information about the M.Ed. in AIG, please see http://distanceed.uncc.edu/programs/med-special-education-academically-or-intellectually-gifted or contact Dr. Michael Matthews at 704-687-8623 or michael.matthews@uncc.edu.

Funding for the Graduate Certificate in AIG Program

Please see the following link for financial aid information through the UNC Charlotte Office of Financial Aid:

http://finaid.uncc.edu/applying-financial-aid/graduate-students

  • UNC Charlotte awards priority financial aid to those who submit the FAFSA by March 1.
  • However, we encourage you to submit your FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1.

Additional Funding Opportunity
The Mensa Foundation is accepting applications for their Gifted Education Fellowship which supports candidates pursing graduate studies in the area of gifted education. If awarded, candidates can receive $5,000 per year. Please go to this link to learn more and apply:

https://www.mensafoundation.org/what-we-do/awards-and-recognition/gifted-education-fellowship/

Financial aid office contact info:

OFFICE HOURS:

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST
Monday – Friday

PHONE:

704-687-5504
Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST

FAX:

704-687-1461**
704-687-1425 (Verification Information Only)

MAILING ADDRESS:

Office of Financial Aid
UNC Charlotte
122 Reese Building
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001