Enrollment
enrollment status
The Data Science Ph.D. program in the School of Data Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) welcomes full-time and part-time students. Full-time students must enroll in at least 9 credit hours per semester and are expected to devote significant time on a weekly basis to academic work, research, and departmental responsibilities. In contrast, part-time students enroll in less than 9 credit hours and typically balance their studies with professional or personal commitments.
funding
Full-time students are eligible to apply for school-funded graduate assistantships that provide tuition support, monthly living stipends, and health insurance coverage. Full-time students may also receive research assistantships from the mentors of their dissertation research. All students are required to be actively engaged in required coursework, research, and program activities.
Part-time students are ineligible for school-funded graduate assistantships. They are generally expected to be self-funded or supported by their employers, although there might be opportunities for them to receive research assistantships from the mentors of their dissertation research.
milestones
Earning a Ph.D. in Data Science as a full-time student typically takes 4-5 years and involves mastering advanced topics like data analysis and machine learning, and conducting original research. Students are expected to graduate within 5 years; beyond this period, students must adhere to the Graduate School’s time limit guidelines.
This chart summarizes the suggested milestones for each track, highlighting the differences in the timeline and requirements for Standard Curriculum Students and Advanced Standing Students.