Admission requirements

ECE Admission Requirements

For students gaining 300-level ECE course admission FALL 2021

Terms of Admission & Deadlines

Before students can begin taking 300 level ECE courses, they must be admitted to the program and satisfy the course prerequisites.

• The application deadline for admission to the program during fall term is April 15.
• If you are not a current PSU student, please apply to PSU before you apply for admission to our program.
• The application for our program is on the department web site.

Application Requirements

Only students who meet the following requirements by April 15 are eligible to apply for admission to our electrical engineering or computer engineering programs:

• Completed at least six of the following courses:
  • Mth 251, Mth 252
  • Ph 211 or Ph 221, Ph 214
  • ECE 102, ECE 103, ECE 171, ECE 221
• Selective GPA of at least 2.25
• Received a letter grade of C or above in every course required for the degree

Application Recommendations

We recommend that students complete the following courses before applying for admission:

• Mth 256, Mth 261
• Ch 221, Ch 227
• Ph 212 or Ph 222, Ph 215
• ECE 101, ECE 172, ECE 222
• Freshman Inquiry or Wr 121 and Comm 220 for transfer students

Selective GPA Calculation

• The selective GPA is calculated from all lower and upper division math, science, computer science, and engineering courses that are required for one of our undergraduate degree programs and that have been completed with a letter grade by the time of application. See the PSU Bulletin for a list of courses required for our undergraduate degree programs.
• If a student retakes a course in which they received a grade lower than a C-, the assigned grade during the first time they took the course will be excluded from the calculation. The grades in all subsequent attempts will be included in the calculation.

Admission Criteria and Process

• All students who have a selective GPA of 3.0 or higher will be admitted.
• Students who meet our admission requirements but have a selective GPA below 3.0 will be considered for admission by a committee. The committee considers each student's academic record, life experience, recent academic performance in engineering courses, extenuating circumstances, and leadership qualities.
• We do not give preference to any group of students. Students with transfer credits are treated the same as students who complete their courses at PSU.

Continuation Criteria

After admission to the Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering undergraduate program, students will be expected to:

1. Maintain a cumulative major GPA of 2.00 or higher;
2. Attain a grade of C or better in all required lower division courses;
3. Attain a grade of C or better in all required upper division courses (numbered 300 or higher) within two attempts for each course;
4. Receive no more than one student code of conduct violation. 

Appeals

Students denied admission to or suspended from the degree program may request reconsideration by submitting a petition. The petition and supporting materials will be reviewed by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Committee. The appeal must be made within 30 days of notice to the student of denial of admission or suspension.

Pass/No Pass Grading Policy

All courses specifically required by the University or by the Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering programs must be taken for a letter grade unless a required course is only offered with a pass/no pass option.