Admission requirements

Students who are intending to graduate with an undergraduate degree in computer science must be admitted to Portland State University and file the Application to the Computer Science Program with the Department of Computer Science after completing the lower-division requirements. Students should check with the Computer Science Department for deadlines and other details. No more than 8 upper-division computer science credits (including any approved upper-division transfer credits) taken prior to admission to the program will be counted toward the student’s departmental requirement of 48 upper-division computer science credits (CS 300, CS 305, CS 311, CS 321, CS 322, CS 333, CS 350, CS 486, CS 469, CS 470 and 12 credits of upper-division computer science electives). Students also must be in admitted status during the term they intend to graduate.

Eligibility for Admission

To be eligible for initial undergraduate admission, each student should meet the following requirements:

1. Have completed each of the following lower division core Computer Science courses: CS 162, CS 163, CS 201, CS 202, CS 250, and CS 251 with a grade of C or better.
2. Have an overall average grade point of 2.0 or better in all required CS courses, computed over all graded attempts to take these courses. For example, if a student receives a D in CS 250, retakes it and receives a C, the student average grade point over these two attempts would be 1.5. However, a B in another required CS course, such as CS 202, would raise the average grade point to 2.0 over these three graded attempts. X’s and W’s are not counted as graded attempts.
3. Have successfully completed a programming proficiency demonstration (consult with the CS Department for details).
4. Have completed these required courses from outside the Computer Science Department with a grade of C- or better: Mth 251; Mth 252; an approved laboratory science sequence; Wr 227; Comm 220; and Freshman Inquiry or Wr 121.
5. Have completed a minimum of 90 credits.
6. Be in Good Academic Standing.

Students not meeting these requirements may petition the CS Appeals Committee for special admission.

Selective Admission

If the number of eligible applicants for admission to the Computer Science program exceeds that for which resources are available, acceptance will be competitive.  In the event selective admission becomes necessary, the All Attempts GPA computed for the required lower division CS core will be used.  Students denied admission may petition the CS Appeals Committee for special admission.

Continuation Criteria

Admitted CS undergraduate students who are not making acceptable progress towards their degree requirements will be dropped from the program and required to reapply for admission. Acceptable progress is defined as completion of at least 8 credits of coursework with acceptable grades (C or better for required CS courses, C- or better for required non-CS courses), satisfying departmental requirements, over the preceding 12 months. Readmission will be determined by the CS Appeals Committee.

Prerequisite policy

Before enrolling in any Computer Science course, students should read the course description and ensure that they have completed all prerequisites with a grade of C or better for undergraduate courses, or a grade of B or better for graduate courses. Students who have not met this requirement or who do not meet applicable admission requirements may be administratively dropped from the course.