The University's goal is to adjust to shifting student interests and to accommodate all qualified students in the undergraduate majors of their choice. When limitations of space, faculty, or other resources make this goal unattainable, the college dean responsible for the major may request administrative enrollment controls.

Entrance to majors with administrative enrollment controls is determined by enrollment in the appropriate college, completion of the application process, completion of specified courses, and academic performance. Applicants are considered for admission on the basis of their cumulative Penn State grade-point average (GPA) typically after three semesters. Provided that all of the other requirements for admission have been met, students who have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher cannot be denied entry to most controlled majors. However, special criteria apply to two majors in The Smeal College of Business Administration, two majors in the College of Engineering, and the Information Sciences and Technology major at University Park. For specific information, please refer to these sections.

For additional information about administrative enrollment controls, consult the University Undergraduate Advising Handbook. For more information about a particular controlled major, contact the advising center of the appropriate college.

Entrance Criteria for the Film/Video major: Applicants must be 4th semester or higher and have received a grade of C or higher in COMM 150 and a grade of B or higher in COMM 242.

Entrance Criteria: Applicants to Education majors must meet the following criteria: a GPA of at least 3.00, a grade of C or better in all specified courses, qualifying PRAXIS scores, documentation of at least 80 hours of education work experience with learners of the same age group the applicant plans to teach, completion of a field experience, completion of a core of education courses, completion of additional credits as specified by the major, completion of at least 48 semester credit hours (including ENGL 015 or 030, three credits of literature, and six credits of quantification), and approval from the professional education adviser or the head of the major.

Specific entrance requirements for each major are available at http://www.ed.psu.edu/educ/current-students/undergraduate/certification/criteria-table.

Source: Horst von Dorpowski, assistant dean, College of Education

Entrance Criteria: Applicants to Engineering majors must have completed MATH 140, MATH 141, CHEM 012, and PHYS 211 with a grade of C or better. (Note: for Computer Science majors, CSE 120 would replace CHEM 012.)

*Applicants to Bioengineering and Computer Engineering/Computer Science must have a GPA of at least 3.20 to be guaranteed admission.

Entrance Criteria: Student must have completed IST 110, 210, and 220 with grades of C or better.

Students who have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.20 are guaranteed entrance to the major as juniors if they have completed each of the required courses with a grade of C or better and are in one of the following statuses: (1) baccalaureate status in the School of IST, (2) baccalaureate status in DUS, or (3) associate status (Baccalaureate option) in the School of IST.

If there is space after all of the students who meet these criteria have been accepted, the remainder of the 200 openings in the major will be filled by applicants from all campuses, colleges, and DUS with the highest cumulative GPAs. To be eligible to compete for these openings, students must have (1) been admitted as freshmen summer or fall 2001 or spring 2002 and (2) completed each of the required courses with a grade of C or better.

Source: John Romano, Vice Provost and Dean for Enrollment Management and Administration