The certificate program is open to all applicants who either hold a bachelor's degree from a college or university accredited by an accepted accrediting body or are enrolled and in good standing in a graduate degree program at UNC Charlotte. Applications for admission are considered as they are received, and admissions are ongoing. All students are admitted to the Graduate School in a special category for certificate programs. Students currently enrolled in the M.A. in Geography program within the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences are also eligible to apply for the certificate.

To apply for the admission to the certificate program, applicants are required to submit:
A completed Graduate Admissions application form to Graduate Admissions with a statement of professional goals
Three letters of recommendations from academic or professional sources
Scores of GRE (and TOEFL for international applicants)
GPA: In general, the department would prefer an overall undergraduate GPA above 3.0 (or a 3.0 for the last 2 years) on a 4.0 scale. However, averages less than these will not exclude applicants if the other elements of the application are strong
Official transcripts from all post-secondary educational institutions

For non-native English language speakers: official and satisfactory scores on the English language proficiency scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are required. A minimum score of 83 on the Internet-based TOEFL or a minimum overall band score of 6.5 on the IELTS is required for admissions consideration.