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 with questions should contact the Computer Science Department. 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 52 upper-division computer science credits (CS 300, CS 305, CS 320, CS 333, CS 350, CS 486, CS 469, CS 470 and 24 credits of upper-division computer science electives). Students also must be in admitted status during the term they intend to graduate.

 

CS Admission Requirements

Applies to students pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science wishing to enroll in

Upper-division CS courses for Fall 2021 and Winter 2022

Computer Science Dept. website: www.pdx.edu/computer-science

 

Terms of Admission & Deadlines

• Fall and winter terms of admission only. Fall admission is preferred.
• The Application deadline for fall is April 15, for winter September 1.
• The Application for Undergraduate Admission is available at https://go.cecs.pdx.edu/CS-ug-application
  
• A detailed four-year course plan is included in the “Computer Science Blue Sheet”, also available from the above website.

Minimum Eligibility for Consideration

1. Completion of each of the following core CS courses with a C or better by the application deadline and an All Attempts CS GPA of at least 2.0.

• CS 162 Intro to Computer Science (4)
• CS 163 Data Structures (4)
• CS 202 Programming Systems (4)
• CS 250 Discrete Structures I (4)

 All Attempts CS GPA

• The grades from all attempts at CS 162, CS 163, CS 202 and CS 250 are included in the cumulative grade point calculation used for admission purposes (All Attempts CS GPA). Grades of P, X, and the first W in a course are not included in the All Attempts CS GPA Computation. The second and subsequent grades of W for a course are counted as F’s.

 

2. Completion of each of the following Non-CS courses with a grade of C- or better by the application deadline.

• MTH 251
• MTH 252
• First two terms of an Approved 3-term Lab Science Sequence

While not required for admission, students are strongly encouraged to complete the third term of their Approved 3-term Lab Science Sequence and MTH 253 or MTH 261 before taking upper division Computer Science courses. These classes are graduation requirements.

 

3. Completion of Freshman Inquiry with grades of C- or better, or for students transferring 30 or more credits to PSU, WR 121 and COMM 220 with grades of C- or better by the application deadline.

 

4. Successful completion of the CS Transfer Programming Proficiency Demo.

• As part of their application to the CS program, all students must satisfactorily complete a programming proficiency demonstration. See Computer Science Dept. website for more information. Students who have not yet completed CS 202 with a C or better at PSU will be sent a link to sign up for the proficiency demo upon submission and review of their CS application during the appropriate deadline.

 

Competitive Admission

• Capacity is limited. Admissions are competitive, based on students’ All Attempts CS GPA. Refer to Student Statistics on the Computer Science Department’s website for information on the GPA required for admission by recent cohorts.
• A student’s All Attempts CS GPA will be computed based on grades recorded in the PSU transcript system by the application deadline. Students transferring courses to PSU from other institutions are responsible for ensuring their grades are transferred to PSU prior to the admission decision deadline (approximately three weeks after the application deadline). Students whose grades are transferred after the decision deadline will be considered for any remaining openings. Grades of courses completed after the application deadline will not be considered.

 

Appeals

• Students denied admission to the CS program may submit a written appeal using the official CS Appeals Form to the CS Appeals Committee. All decisions are final.

 

Priority Registration

• Most applicants will have completed 90 credits by the time they apply. This gives them registration priority over students that have completed less than 90 credits. Applicants with less than 90 credits may find classes are full by the time they are able to register. The Computer Science Department is unable to provide overrides to allow earlier registration.

 

Additional testing/bridge classes

• Proficiency testing is required of students who did not complete and pass CS 202 at PSU.
• No bridge class required.

 

Pass/No Pass

• All required classes must be taken for a grade (not P/NP) unless they are only offered as P/NP.

• No GPA penalty for a Pass or No Pass (but the student may be required to retake the class for a letter grade).

 

Additional Information (exceptions, preferences, etc.)

• No preference is given to PSU students versus students who completed required courses elsewhere.

 

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 eight 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 academic year. Readmission will be determined by the CS Undergraduate Committee.

 

Prerequisite Policy

• In order to enroll in any upper division or graduate Computer Science course, students must be admitted to the Computer Science program or have the instructor’s permission. Before enrolling in any Computer Science course, students should read the course descriptions and ensure that they have completed all prerequisites with a C or better for undergraduate courses, or a 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.

 

Laptop Requirement

• Beginning in fall 2021, students registering for upper division (300- or above) Computer Science courses, must have access to a laptop with wireless Internet access meeting a set of minimum requirements. These minimum requirements can be found on the computer science website at https://www.pdx.edu/computer-science/laptop. Chromebooks, iPads, and similar devices do not meet the requirements to run many applications that may be used in various CS courses.

 

Department Communication