Application Information

  BSEE Program   Overview

  Educational Objectives

  Application Information

  BSEE Degree   Requirements

  Areas of Specialization

  Minors

  EE Curriculum Electives

  Course Descriptions

  Co-op Program

  Forms and Documents

  Blue Program Booklet

  Red Program Booklet

  Instructional Labs

  Undergrad Research

  Getting More   Information

BSEE Admissions

First-Year (Freshman) Admission

Admission into the Electrical Engineering major is a two-step process. Incoming 1st-year students (freshmen) are not accepted directly into the major. Rather, they are accepted in pre-major status into the College of Engineering. As pre-majors, engineering students take math, physics, and chemistry courses common to all of Penn State's engineering programs. To enroll in the College of Engineering, applicants must have graduated from an accredited secondary school and completed at least 15 preparatory units: 3 of English, 3 of math (algebra, plane geometry, trigonometry), 1 of science, and 8 in other subjects. Acceptance into Penn State's College of Engineering is based primarily on high school GPA and SAT scores.

Once a student is accepted into the College of Engineering at Penn State, application to the major of Electrical Engineering is done at the end of the 4th semester. Qualified candidates may apply early (at the end of 2 semesters instead of 4). To be eligible for consideration for entrance into Electrical Engineering, a student must have completed the following PSU courses (or their equivalent), with a grade of C or better, by the end of their 2nd year:

CHEM 110 -- freshman chemistry for scientists and engineers
MATH 140 -- Calculus I for scientists and engineers
MATH 141 -- Calculus II for scientists and engineers
PHYS 211 -- Mechanics (calculus-based)
In addition, Penn State requires a minimum Penn State GPA of 2.0 to qualify for any PSU major (including EE). Currently, there are no additional GPA requirements for the EE major.

For more information on first-year admission, please visit the First-Year Admission Information Page.

Advanced Standing (Transfer) Admission

Transfer students from other institutions are considered for the PSU BSEE program on a space-available basis. As a minimum , an institutional GPA > 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) is needed. A GPA of 3.0 does not guarantee admission into our program, however. Furthermore, students must have a C or better in the following courses (actual titles may vary from school to school):

Chemistry I for scientists and engineers
Calculus I for scientists and engineers
Calculus II for scientists and engineers
Physics I (Mechanics, must be calculus-based)

For more information on transfer student admission, please visit the Transfer Admission Information Page .
Application Procedures/ How to Apply Undergraduate application to Penn State (1st-year & transfer students) is done through a centralized office, not through individual departments. Please visit the Undergraduate Admissions Office home page to begin the on-line application process and get information about financial aid . You may also request an application via US Mail or telephone by contacting:

Undergraduate Admissions Office
The Pennsylvania State University
201 Shields Building Box 3000
University Park, PA 16802-1294
(814) 865-5471

Last Updated: February 20, 2002

By: David Salvia