UNC-Chapel Hill

Transfer Guide

UNC-Chapel Hill
Data Science, BS

Transfer Guide for Associate in Science

2024-2025

Delivery Method: On-Campus

Program Admission Notes:

Complete Your Application

Apply online through the Common Application.  Your application and application fee or fee waiver are due by February 15. Then, be sure to have your supporting materials sent to us, which will help us gain a fuller understanding of you as a student and the contributions that you make in the classroom.

Some majors and professional school programs at Carolina have additional application requirements.

What’s on the Common Application?

  • Extracurricular Activities
  • Essay and Two Short Answers
  • Application Fee or Fee Waiver

What supporting materials are required?

  • Letter of Recommendation
  • Official Transcripts (Submit transcripts by secure electronic delivery from your high school and all colleges and universities attended, regardless of whether you received credit. )
  • SAT or ACT Scores (optional for 2024 admission)

Program Specific:

Direct Admit Transfer for the School of Data Science and Society consideration is limited to students entering UNC as a junior (minimum 60 credit hrs.) and having spent two years at another 2- or 4-year institution. Students entering UNC as a sophomore or after one year at university must apply via our internal admissions process. Please visit DataScience.unc.edu for more information about that process.

To apply directly to the Data Science major as a prospective junior transfer student, you must select the B.S. in Data Science program type within your UNC transfer application to access the supplemental requirements for data science consideration, which includes an additional essay question.

Applicants are first reviewed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (see University’s requirements for admission) and successful candidates will then receive a supplemental review by the School of Data Science and Society based on progress and performance in data science prerequisites (provided below).

Capacity for the B.S. in Data Science major may be limited. Applicants not admitted directly to the Data Science major may still receive an offer of general admission for the College of Arts & Sciences and admitted for the B.A. in Data Science.

Eligibility

Plan to complete most, if not all, of the following data science prerequisites prior to your first semester at UNC with the exception of DATA 110, which will be a requirement to complete within your first semester at UNC.

  • DATA 110
  • STOR 120, COMP 110 (CSC 134 or CSC 151), or COMP 116
  • MATH 231 (MAT 271)
  • MATH 232 (MAT 272)
  • MATH 233 (MAT 273) or MATH 235
  • MATH 347 (MAT 280)
  • STOR 315, COMP 283, or MATH 381

Contact:

Undergraduate Admissions
unchelp@admissions.unc.edu

Revised: June, 2024

College Level Foreign Language Requirements:

All UNC-Chapel Hill students are required to complete the Global Language requirement, which requires students to demonstrate proficiency equivalent to at least level 3 (third semester, NCCC Foreign Language 211) of a language other than English. Some majors may require additional language levels.

Major-Specific Course Recommendations:

Students are encouraged to build the North Carolina Community College (NCCC) course recommendations below into the associate degree to best prepare for the intended university and major.

Recommended NCCC Course Credit
Hours		 University Equivalent Associate Degree
Requirement Fulfilled		 University Requirement Fulfilled
MAT 271: Calculus I 4 MATH 231: Calculus of Functions of One Variable I UGETC Math Required Course
MAT 272: Calculus II 4 MATH 232: Calculus of Functions of One Variable II Additional General Education Courses Required Course
CSC 134: C++ Programming
OR
CSC 151: JAVA Programming 		3 University Equivalencies Elective/Pre-Major Courses Required Course
MAT 273: Calculus III 4 MATH 233: Calculus of Functions of Several Variables Elective/Pre-Major Courses Required Course
MAT 280: Linear Algebra 3 MATH 347: Linear Algebra for Applications Elective/Pre-Major Courses Required Course
COM 231: Public Speaking 3 COMM 113: Public Speaking UGETC Humanities/Fine Arts Suggested Course, General Education
MAT 172: Precalculus Trigonometry 4 MATH 130: Precalculus Mathematics UGETC Math Suggested Course
PED 110: Fit and Well for Life 2 LFIT 998: Lifetime Fitness Transfer Credit Elective/Pre-Major Courses Suggested Course, General Education

Remaining Associate Degree Requirements:

In addition to major-specific course recommendations above, students should work with a community college advisor to select additional community college courses to fulfill the remaining associate degree requirements identified below.

Recommended NCCC Course Credit
Hours		 University Equivalent Associate Degree
Requirement Fulfilled		 University Requirement Fulfilled
ENG 111: Writing and Inquiry 3 ENGL 100: Basic Writing English Composition General Education
ENG 112: Writing/Research in the Disc 3 ENGL 105: English Composition and Rhetoric English Composition General Education
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 3 University Equivalencies UGETC Humanities/Fine Arts General Education
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 6 University Equivalencies UGETC Social/Behavioral Sciences General Education
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 8 University Equivalencies UGETC Natural Sciences General Education
Foreign Lang. 111: Elementary Level I 3 University Equivalencies Additional General Education Courses General Education
Foreign Lang. 112: Elementary Level II 3 University Equivalencies Additional General Education Courses General Education
Foreign Lang. 211: Intermediate Level I 3 University Equivalencies Additional General Education Courses General Education
ACA 122: College Transfer Success 1 GENR ----: GENR GENERAL ELECTIVE Academic Transition Elective
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 3 University Equivalencies Elective/Pre-Major Courses Elective

Additional Information From UNC-Chapel Hill:

This is a suggested course plan. It is highly recommended that you meet regularly with your academic advisor to determine your course selection and progress toward graduation.

Students who transfer to UNC under the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) have all lower-level General Education requirements completed, but must complete these requirements through transfer or UNC coursework: Global Language, Research and Discovery, Lifetime Fitness, Communication Beyond Carolina, Campus Life Experience, and, where applicable, Supplemental General Education. Students who do not transfer in under the CAA should work closely with their advisor to determine which requirements apply to them for the IDEAs in Action General Education curriculum.

IDEAs In Action General Education Requirements not covered by the North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement that could be completed at the Community College:

COM 231 (UNC COMM 113) can fulfill COMMBEYOND; COM 120 (UNC COMM 120), CHM 251 (UNC CHEM 261 + CHEM 262L) or CHM 252 (UNC CHEM 262 + CHEM 262L) can fulfill RESEARCH, and PED 110 (LFIT 998) can fulfill LIFE-FIT.

Advising and Community College Course Selection 

For UGETC, Pre-Major, Elective, or GEC course options, please refer to the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement transfer course list.

Students should work with their community college academic advisor to ensure appropriate course selection for AA/AS degree completion.

Additional Resources 

To find out how your N.C. community college coursework will transfer to UNC, please view the transfer credit list for your community college campus.

Program Notes:   

A complete list of requirements for the Data Science major B.S. degree can be found in the UNC Chapel Hill Undergraduate Catalog.  Students are encouraged to complete the LIFE-FIT requirement at the community college.

University Notes:

In addition to the program requirements, students must

  1. Earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
  2. Complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
  3. Take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
  4. Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.

For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.

Remaining Bachelor’s Degree Requirements at University:

University Course Credit
Hours		 University Course Notes
RESEARCH 3

If requirement not fulfilled through transfer of an NCCC course.
DATA 110: Introduction to Data Science 3
DATA 120: Ethics of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence 3
Core Course: Communications 0

See the Academic Catalog for a complete list of core courses.  Students are encouraged to select a course that completes the COMMBEYOND requirement. This requirement can be fulfilled by taking COM 231 at the community college (equivalent to UNC COMM 113). 
Core Course: Mathematical and Statistical Foundations 3

See the Academic Catalog for a complete list of core courses.
Core Course: Optimization and Multivariate Thinking 3

See the Academic Catalog for a complete list of core courses.
Coure Course: Machine Learning and AI 3

See the Academic Catalog for a complete list of core courses.
Core Course: Computational Thinking 3-4

See the Academic Catalog for a complete list of core courses.
Upper-Division Major Electives 18

See the Academic Catalog for a complete list of upper-division elective courses.
Discrete Mathematics 3-4

One of:

  • STOR 315: Discrete Mathematics for Data Science
  • COMP 283: Discrete Structures
  • MATH 381: Discrete Mathematics
Additional hours needed for graduation 15

Additional hours can be made up of second major courses, minor courses, IDEAs in Action General Education courses and/or elective courses.