Application Deadlines
Spring 2025 start: Oct. 8, 2024
Fall 2025 start: April 8, 2025
Applicants are encouraged to complete their applications by these dates to receive an admissions decision before course registration begins.
Admission Requirements
- 2.5 GPA
- Essay
- Resume
GPA Requirement
Students may apply after they’ve established a UNC-Chapel Hill cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. We take a holistic approach to admissions and recognize that a GPA reflects only one facet of a candidate’s preparation for acceptance into the HOLD program.
Personal Essay
Why are you interested in pursuing a degree in Human and Organizational Leadership Development (HOLD)? You may include educational, professional, volunteer, and personal experiences that contributed to your interest in learning about how to understand organizations, develop leadership skills, and collaborate with diverse stakeholders to effectively lead change and strategize in organizational settings. Describe how these experiences expanded your knowledge of how people lead and engage in groups, organizations, and communities. Discuss your professional goals and describe how a degree in HOLD will prepare you for accomplishing those goals.
Resume
A standard resume is required. Career services can assist you with preparing a resume. Please be sure to include your experiences working with and leading organizations, either through work, volunteer efforts, and co-curricular activities, along with the duration of each experience. For extra-curricular activities at UNC-Chapel Hill, describe any special roles you have fulfilled, such as being an officer or heading a committee. Some of this information could be included in your essay.
How to Apply
Transfer Applicants
The program is accepting transfer applicants from other institutions.
Internal Applicants
Students may apply after they’ve established a UNC cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
To apply to the HOLD major, you must first request a major change within ConnectCarolina.
Once you have submitted the request to change your major in ConnectCarolina, you will receive an email from UNC’s application system, Slate, that includes a link to the online application. Please note that it may take 24-72 hours to receive the application email.
All application materials are submitted electronically. No hard copy materials are accepted. By submitting an application to the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education, consent is granted to university staff to obtain any additional or missing information as needed, including Campus Safety Information.
Review Process
Admissions decisions are made by the HOLD faculty on the basis of review of each applicant’s particular profile of strengths in relation to the program’s needs and capacity. Admitted students have different profiles. Some, for example, have extremely high grade point averages, whereas others have strong service and professional interests related to HOLD, or strong potential for leading organizations, businesses, and communities.
Upon Admission
Students who are accepted, must accept their offer of admission in ConnectCarolina in order to officially declare the HOLD major. Students have until August of the admission year to accept their offer of admissions. We encourage students to accept or deny admissions with 14 days of notification. Early acceptance allows you to enroll in courses that are reserved for HOLD majors only.
Note: Only potential applicants with three or more semesters remaining before their anticipated graduation date are considered.