Admission Requirements

ECE Admission Requirements

For students gaining 300-level ECE course admission:

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 the following courses with a C or above (a letter grade is required):
  • Mth 251, Mth 252, Mth 253, Mth 261
  • Ph 211 or Ph 221, Ph 214
  • ECE 101, 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
• Students who are missing a required class are encouraged to talk to the department advisor, they might still be eligible to apply

Application Recommendations

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

• Mth 256
• Ch 221, Ch 227
• Ph 212 or Ph 222, Ph 215
• ECE 172, ECE 222
• The 15 credits of UNST 1xx Freshman Inquiry
• Students should try to complete all of their lower division math, science, and engineering courses prior to beginning upper division courses in order to meet the prerequisite requirements of upper division courses. Not completing their lower division courses may limit the 300-level courses they can take.
• NOTE: Ph 211/Ph 212/Ph 213 is equivalent to Ph 221/Ph 222/Ph 223

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. 
• 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.

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.

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.