Division of Undergraduate Studies: Advising Updates

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Advising Updates - Number 535

2009-2010 Administrative Enrollment Controls for Baccalaureate Majors (with Entrance Criteria)

Entering First-Year Students
(SU 2009, FA 2009, SP 2010)

2011 Spring Pool

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 one major in the Smeal College of Business, one major in the College of Communications, and one major in the College of Engineering.

The following information has been provided by Robert Pangborn, Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education. 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.

Smeal College of Business ^#

Academic Majors	Number of Juniors to be Selected
Accounting	300
Finance*	300
Management	165
Management Information Systems	120
Marketing	300
Supply Chain and Information Systems	300

Entrance Criteria: Applicants to Smeal College majors must complete:

ECON 002, ENGL 015 or 030
ACCTG 211, FIN 301, MGMT 301, MKTG 301, SCM 200 or STAT 200, and MATH 110 or 140 with a grade of C or better

*Finance: Applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.50 to be guaranteed admission.

#Based upon the review of the Central Enrollment Management Group, and beginning with first-year degree students entering Penn State summer or fall 2009:

Any students admitted to the University Park campus but not admitted to the Smeal College of Business must earn a 3.20 cumulative GPA at the end of their first year (completion of the second semester) to be eligible for a Smeal major.

Any students admitted to a Penn State campus other than University Park but not admitted to the Smeal College of Business must earn a 3.00 cumulative GPA at the end of their first year (completion of the second semester) to be eligible for a Smeal major.

All students not admitted to the Smeal College must also meet the entrance-to-major requirements (including specific courses and grade-point averages) for the Smeal major of interest and be enrolled in the Division of Undergraduate Studies prior to the entrance-to-major process, which occurs during the spring semester of the sophomore year.

It is important to note that the two-semester GPA requirement will include fall and spring semesters only. Generally, a student beginning during summer semester would have the subsequent fall and spring semesters to meet the cumulative GPA requirement. A student beginning in the fall semester would have that fall semester and the following spring semester to meet the cumulative GPA requirement. And, a student beginning in the spring semester would have that spring and the following fall semester to meet the cumulative GPA requirement.

It is anticipated that there will not be a Smeal College of Business Economics major when you select majors for your junior year; Smeal College will continue to offer each of its other majors, and the College of the Liberal Arts will offer both Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees in Economics.

For additional academic requirements related to entrance to major, see Smeal College Entrance-to-Major 2011.

College of Communications

Academic Majors	Number of Juniors to be Selected
Advertising/Public Relations*	300

Entrance Criteria: Applicants must be 4th semester or higher and have received a grade of C or better in ENGL 015 or 030 and ECON 002.

*Advertising/Public Relations: Applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.30 to be guaranteed admission.

College of Engineering

Academic Majors Number of Juniors
to be Selected

Aerospace Engineering 100

Architectural Engineering 100

Bioengineering* 40

Civil Engineering 175

Mechanical Engineering 230

Entrance Criteria: Applicants to Engineering majors must have completed MATH 140, MATH 141, CHEM 110, and PHYS 211 with a grade of C or better.
*Bioengineering: Applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.30 to be guaranteed admission.