The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers programs in electrical and computer engineering. Cooperative educational arrangements with Portland-area industries, government agencies, and engineering consulting offices are available to qualified students. Qualified freshmen are encouraged to participate in the University Honors Program. Qualified upper-division students should consider the Electrical and Computer Engineering departmental honors track as described below.
The electrical engineering and computer engineering programs at Portland State University are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012 - Telephone: (410) 347-7700.
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:
- 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:
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.
Eligibility
To be eligible for admission, each student should meet the following minimum requirements:
1. Complete, with a minimum grade of C and a minimum GPA of 2.25, a designated set of courses for each program as follows:
Electrical Engineering:
The engineering core consisting of:
Ch 221 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
Ch 227 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
ECE 101 | Exploring Electrical Engineering | 4 |
ECE 102 | Engineering Computation | 4 |
ECE 103 | Engineering Programming | 4 |
ECE 171 | Digital Circuits | 4 |
ECE 172 | Digital Systems | 4 |
ECE 221 | Electric Circuit Analysis I | 4 |
ECE 222 | Electric Circuit Analysis II | 4 |
ECE 223 | Electric Circuit Analysis III | 4 |
Mth 251 | Calculus I | 4 |
Mth 252 | Calculus II | 4 |
Mth 253 | Calculus III | 4 |
Mth 254 | Calculus IV | 4 |
Mth 256 | Applied Ordinary Differential Equations | 4 |
Mth 261 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 4 |
Ph 221 | General Physics (with Calculus) I | 3 |
Ph 222 | General Physics (with Calculus) II | 3 |
Ph 223 | General Physics (with Calculus) III | 3 |
Ph 214 | Lab for Ph 201 or Ph 211 or Ph 221 or Ph 231 | 1 |
Ph 215 | Lab for Ph 202 or Ph 212 or Ph 222 or Ph 232 | 1 |
Ph 216 | Lab for Ph 203 or Ph 213 or Ph 223 or Ph 233 | 1 |
| Freshman Inquiry | |
Computer Engineering:
Ch 221 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
Ch 227 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
ECE 101 | Exploring Electrical Engineering | 4 |
ECE 102 | Engineering Computation | 4 |
ECE 103 | Engineering Programming | 4 |
ECE 171 | Digital Circuits | 4 |
ECE 172 | Digital Systems | 4 |
ECE 221 | Electric Circuit Analysis I | 4 |
ECE 222 | Electric Circuit Analysis II | 4 |
ECE 223 | Electric Circuit Analysis III | 4 |
Mth 251 | Calculus I | 4 |
Mth 252 | Calculus II | 4 |
Mth 253 | Calculus III | 4 |
Mth 256 | Applied Ordinary Differential Equations | 4 |
Mth 261 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 4 |
Ph 221 | General Physics (with Calculus) I | 3 |
Ph 222 | General Physics (with Calculus) II | 3 |
Ph 223 | General Physics (with Calculus) III | 3 |
Ph 214 | Lab for Ph 201 or Ph 211 or Ph 221 or Ph 231 | 1 |
Ph 215 | Lab for Ph 202 or Ph 212 or Ph 222 or Ph 232 | 1 |
Ph 216 | Lab for Ph 203 or Ph 213 or Ph 223 or Ph 233 | 1 |
| Freshman Inquiry | |
2. Have a minimum technical GPA of 2.25
(Technical GPA is based on an average of all major-related classes taken prior to admission).
Continuation Criteria
After admission to the Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering undergraduate program, students will be expected to:
- Maintain a cumulative major GPA of 2.00 or higher;
- Attain a grade of C or better in all required lower division courses;
- Attain a grade of C or better in all required upper division courses (numbered 300 or higher) within two attempts for each course;
- 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.