Admission requirements

ECE Admission Requirements

For students gaining 300-level ECE course admission FALL 2018

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 or CS 162, 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 for transfer students Wr 121 and Comm 220

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

• 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.
• 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.

Selective Admission

If the number of eligible applicants for admission to the Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering exceeds that for which resources are available, acceptance will be competitive. In the event selective admission becomes necessary, the GPA computed for the required courses for eligibility for program admission will be used. Priority, within reasonable limits, will be given to resident students.

Although the primary purpose of the selective admission procedures is to limit enrollment to the number of students who can be served at a high level of quality, it is recognized that the rigid application of these procedures may eliminate applicants with high potential but who, due to circumstances beyond their control, have had limited access to the type of preparatory education that is essential to achieving the high performance level required for admission. All such applicants will be considered on the basis of their life experience and leadership qualities in addition to their academic achievement.

Continuation Criteria

After admission to the Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering undergraduate program, students will be expected to make satisfactory progress toward their declared degree and will be subject to the following rules:

1. The cumulative major GPA must be 2.00 or higher.

2. At the conclusion of each term of the academic year, full-time students are normally expected to complete a minimum of 12 credits per term applicable toward their degree program. Part-time students are expected to complete a minimum of 12 credits per year applicable toward their degree program.

3. The Electrical and Computer Engineering BS degree programs require that students receive a C or better in all required upper division courses numbered 300 or higher. If a student is unable to attain this grade after completing the course two times, the student will be suspended from the program.

4. If a student in BS EE or BS CMPE program fails the same required electrical and computer engineering course two times, they are suspended from the program. The student may reapply to the program.

5. Students will be placed on probation when their cumulative major GPA as described in (1) is below 2.00, or their progress toward the degree is less than that described in (2).

6. Students placed on probation for two consecutive terms or for a total of three terms will be suspended from specific degree programs. Students will also be suspended if not enrolled in Electrical and Computer Engineering courses for three consecutive terms.

7. Students denied admission or suspended must wait at least one term before reapplying. This waiting period does not apply to those denied due to “selective admission.”

8. Students who have twice been found in violation of the student code of conduct will be automatically suspended from the program or denied admission. Transfer students will normally be expected to provide a disciplinary record from their institution. Any incidences of academic dishonesty are grounds for denial of admission. Full details of this policy are available from the department.

Appeals

Students denied admission or suspended 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.