New and Re-enrolling Students - Prior to Summer 2020

The following Entrance-to-Major (ETM) process applies to all new and re-enrolling students who started at Penn State prior to summer 2020.1


Step 1: Complete 40-59 cumulative credits at Penn State2

You are eligible to apply for entry to a College of Engineering major once you have completed 40 cumulative credits at Penn State. You must apply for entry to major before you have completed more than 59 cumulative credits at Penn State. Students applying for non-enrollment-controlled majors may request consideration for an extension.


Step 2: Check your cumulative GPA

At the time you apply for ETM, your cumulative GPA must be at or above the published minimum GPA for the major.


Step 3: Ensure you have scheduled or completed required courses

At the time you apply, you must be scheduled for or have completed, with a C or better, the following ETM courses:

  • College of Engineering Majors: MATH 140, MATH 141, PHYS 211, PHYS 212, CHEM 110, and either MATH 250 or MATH 251
  • College of Engineering Computer Science Major: MATH 140, MATH 141, PHYS 211, PHYS 212, CMPSC 132, and MATH 230
  • Inter-college Data Sciences Major: MATH 140, MATH 141, CMPSC 131, CMPSC 132, IST 210, and STAT 200

Step 4: Apply for a major

Use the Update Academics function within your LionPATH Student Center page to officially request your intended major.

To view the requirements for ETM for each College of Engineering major, please refer to the Entrance to Major website. Choose your requirements based on the semester that you entered Penn State.

To be sure that you understand the academic requirements for the majors offered in the college, see a Commonwealth Campus College of Engineering Representative or, if you are at University Park, schedule an appointment with an adviser through Starfish or call the Engineering Advising Center at 814-863-1033.


Footnotes

  1. Transfer students follow the same GPA and entrance-to-major course requirements, but have a shorter credit window of 14 to 26 Penn State graded credits.
  2. Cumulative credit window applies only to majors under enrollment control. You are eligible to apply for a non-enrollment-controlled major once you have completed or enrolled in, your final ETM course(s) and have reached 3rd-semester classification.
  3. Students who are enrolled in their final ETM course(s) when they apply will be conditionally admitted provided they meet the GPA criteria and have successfully completed all the other ETM courses with a C or better. At the end of the semester, if the student has successfully completed all ETM courses with a C or better and has a new cumulative GPA that is still at or above the minimum will be officially entered into that major. Students who do not successfully earn the C in any ETM course and/or do not maintain the required minimum cumulative GPA will be moved back to their previous pre-major status and will be asked to identify an alternative major. Students who already earned a C or better in all 6 ETM courses and meet the minimum GPA criteria a the time they apply will be officially admitted to the major without further check of their GPA once the current semester is completed.
 
 

About

The Engineering Advising Center (EAC) serves as the academic advising resource for students in pre-major status (ENGR) at University Park. Once students have been admitted to a College of Engineering major, they will be assigned to a faculty adviser in that major.

Engineering Advising Center

208 Hammond Building

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814-863-1033