All applicants seeking admission into the Optical Science and Engineering Ph.D. program must fulfill the university's general requirements for graduate admission at the Ph.D. level. Additional requirements for admission into the program are:

A baccalaureate or master's degree in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Engineering, Optics, or a related field
Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.2 (on a scale of 4.0) in the major (if a candidate presents a master's degree at application, a minimum graduate GPA of 3.2 on all graduate work is required)
A minimum combined score of 301 on the verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE General Test (no subject test is required)
Positive letters of recommendation
Students may be required to take undergraduate courses determined by the Interdisciplinary Optics Program Committee on an individual basis, such courses will be specified at the time of admission into the program
GRE Waiver
The GRE General Test requirement is waived for applicants who have graduated from UNC Charlotte within the past three years and earned a minimum 3.4 GPA in the major. The GRE General Test is also waived for applicants who are currently enrolled in the M.S. in Optical Science and Engineering or M.S. in Applied Physics at UNC Charlotte.

Documents to Submit for Admission
UNC Charlotte online application for graduate admission
Official GRE scores
Official TOEFL or IELTS score from international applicants whose native language is not English, unless the previous degree was from a country where English is the official language
Unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended should be uploaded to the application (Applicants offered admission will be required to submit official transcripts)
A minimum of three letters of reference
A Statement of Purpose essay detailing the applicant's motivation and career goals

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