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Transfer Students / Admissions Requirements

 

Academic Program Requirements

2006 Academic Requirements

For most updated college requirements click here. http://www.psu.edu/admissions/steps/understanding/transacadreq.htm

Each academic college has its own criteria for transfer admission. If you are not sure which college offers your major, please see our online guide to majors. Unless specified otherwise, course requirements apply regardless of campus choice.

For Degrees completed at University Park:

Agriculture | Arts & Architecture | Business | Communications | Earth & Mineral Sciences | Education | Engineering | Health & Human Development |Information Sciences & Technology | Liberal Arts | Science

For Degrees completed at Other Penn State Campuses:

Abington | Altoona | Berks | Erie | Harrisburg | University College

 

DIVISION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES (EXPLORATORY/UNDECIDED)

This is not available for transfer admission at any location.


COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

There are no specific course requirements for majors in this college.


COLLEGE OF ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE

Architecture:

Transfer admission to Architecture is extremely competitive and is only available for the fall semester. Applicants must submit an application to the undergraduate admissions office by December 31 and then submit a portfolio and college transcript by February 15 to the address below. Questions about the portfolio should be directed to the Architecture department: 814-865-9535.

Department Head
Department of Architecture
The Pennsylvania State University
128 Stuckeman Family Building
University Park, PA 16802-1245


Art/Art Education/Graphic Design:

All Art and Art Education applicants must submit a portfolio for admission consideration by February 1. Visit The School of Visual Arts Web site to obtain information about the portfolio review.

Art Education applicants must have completed the following credits:

  • general psychology (3 credits)
  • developmental psychology (3 credits)
  • 9 credits in art

Graphic Design:

There is no transfer admission to the Graphic Design major.


Landscape Architecture:

Applicants are only accepted for the fall semester. Applications should be submitted to the Undergraduate Admissions Office by December 31. A portfolio, essay, and college transcript should be submitted by February 15 to the address below. Questions about the portfolio should be directed to the Landscape Architecture department at 814-865-9511.

Department Head
Department of Landscape Architecture
The Pennsylvania State University
122 Stuckeman Family Building
University Park, PA 16802-1429

Students interested in the major who hold a previous baccalaureate degree should contact the department for information regarding the Integrated B.L.A./M.L.A. offering.

 


Music/Music Education:

The recommended application filing date for Fall admission to programs in the School of Music is March 1. Applicants must audition as part of their application. They should schedule their audition by calling 814-863-0418 or writing:

Auditions
School of Music
The Pennsylvania State University
233 Music Building
University Park, PA 16802-1901

For the bachelor of arts in Music, applicants must have completed the following:

  • English composition (3 credits)
  • music theory
  • music history
  • applied music.

 

Music Education applicants must have completed the following:

  • general psychology (3 credits)
  • developmental psychology (3 credits)
  • credits in musicianship
  • credits in theory
  • credits in music history
  • credits in performance.


Theatre/Musical Theatre:

Applicants are only accepted for the fall semester, and must audition and/or interview in addition to filing an application. The recommended application filing date is February 1. To arrange an interview, applicants should fill out an online interview/audition form except for the B.F.A. Musical Theatre. Musical Theatre applicants should call 814-865-7586 or write:

Director
School of Theatre
The Pennsylvania State University
103 Arts Building
University Park, PA 16802-2900

 

 


SMEAL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

University Park: There is no transfer admission to any major in The Smeal College of Business at this campus.

Other Locations: Students with two or fewer semesters of completed course work may be considered for admission to The Smeal College of Business if they have a minimum GPA of 2.75 and have successfully completed an English composition / literature / effective speech course and at least 3 credits of college algebra or calculus.

There is no transfer admission to The Smeal College of Business at any campus for students who have completed three or more semesters of course work.


COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONS

There are no specific course requirements. However, students should consult with an adviser in the college's Office of Academic Services (814-865-1503) and provide appropriate syllabi and related documentation to determine the equivalency of communications courses transferred from other institutions. Not all communications courses are transferable for the college's purposes.

There is no transfer admission to theAdvertising/Public Relationsor Film and Video majors.


COLLEGE OF EARTH AND MINERAL SCIENCES

There are no course requirements for Geography, Geosciences B.A., or Energy, Business, and Finance.

University Park: The college requires completion of the following for all majors other than those above:

  • calculus with analytic geometry (8 credits)
  • calculus-based physics (4 credits)
  • additional calculus-based physics for Environmental Systems Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Meteorology, and Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (4 credits)

 


COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Admission is extremely competitive, and applications are reviewed on a space-available basis.

Elementary and Kindergarten Education, Secondary Education, and Special Education require the following:

  • educational psychology (3 credits)
  • foundations of education (3 credits)
  • general psychology (3 credits)
  • a supervised field experience
  • selected courses from appropriate content areas
  • additional testing and specified experiences


No College review required for Rehabilitation Services


COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Admission is extremely competitive, and applications are reviewed on a space-available basis.

University Park applicants must have completed the following courses:

  • calculus with analytical geometry (8 credits)
  • college chemistry (3 credits) (not required for Computer Science)
  • calculus-based physics (4 credits)
  • intermediate programming (3 credits) (only for Computer Science)

An applicant holding a baccalaureate degree in any major typically will not be admitted to a baccalaureate degree program.

Aerospace Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Bioengineering, and Mechanical Engineering are not available to transfer students at University Park.


COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

There is no transfer admission to the Golf Management Option in Recreation and Park Management.

University Park transfer admission to Nursing is limited. For more information, contact the School of Nursing at 814-863-0245. Nursing applicants must have completed the following courses:

  • mammalian anatomy (3 credits)
  • physiology with a lab (4 credits)

There are no specific course requirements for other majors in this college.


COLLEGE OF INFORMATION SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

There are no specific course requirements for majors in this college.


COLLEGE OF THE LIBERAL ARTS

University Park: Psychology requires 3 credits in general psychology, statistics, an additional math course, and a social/behavioral science course.

  • general psychology (3 credits)
  • statistics (3 credits)
  • additional math (3 credits)
  • social/behavioral science (3 credits)

There is no transfer admission to the Letters, Arts, and Sciences major.


EBERLY COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

University Park: Applicants must have completed the following:

  • calculus with analytical geometry (8 credits)
  • sequence of one of the following: biology, chemistry or calculus-based physics (8 credits)

There is no transfer admission to the Science/B.S./M.B.A. major or the Accelerated Premed-Medical major.

Other campuses: Applicants must have completed the following:

  • calculus with analytical geometry (4 credits)

 


PENN STATE ABINGTON COLLEGE

Requirements to enter these majors:

Business:

  • economics (macro/micro - 6 credits)
  • accounting (6 credits)
  • computer science (3 credits)
  • business calculus (3 credits)
  • business law ( 3 credits)
  • English composition ( 3 credits)
  • statistics (3 credits)

Science:

  • calculus with analytical geometry (4 credits)
  • chemistry (4 credits)
  • biology (4 credits)

PENN STATE ALTOONA COLLEGE

Requirements to enter these majors:

Biology:

  • biology ( 8 credits)
  • calculus with analytic geometry (4 credits)
  • chemistry (3 credits)

Elementary Education:

  • educational psychology (3 credits)
  • foundations of education (3 credits)
  • general psychology (3 credits)
  • a supervised field experience
  • selected courses from appropriate content area
  • additional testing and specified experiences

Environmental Studies:

  • introduction to environmental studies (3 credits)

PENN STATE BERKS

Requirements to enter the major:

Science:

  • Mathematics, chemistry, or biology (8 credit sequence)

 


PENN STATE ERIE, THE BEHREND COLLEGE

Requirements to enter these major:

Engineering Technology:

  • algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, or calculus (4-6 credits)

Behrend Engineering:

  • calculus with analytic geometry (8 credits)
  • chemistry with a lab (4 credits)
  • calculus-based physics (4 credits)

PENN STATE HARRISBURG, THE CAPITAL COLLEGE

There are no specific course requirements for majors in this college.


THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Requirements to enter the major:

Science:

  • calculus with analytical geometry (4 credits)
  • physics, biology, or chemistry (6-8 credits)

 

 

High School Course Requirements

The minimum high school units required for admission to baccalaureate degree programs are as follows:

English—Four units; these must include a composite of one unit each in composition and literature.

Foreign Language/Social Studies/Art/Humanities—Five units in any combination of foreign language, social studies, arts, and humanities are required. Two units of the same foreign language are required by the College of Communications and recommended for all other programs.

NOTE: Students who have graduated from high school in the year 2001 or later who have not completed the recommended two high school units of the same foreign language, or who have not completed one 3-4 semester credit foreign language course with a grade of C (2.0) or higher at the collegiate level, will need to schedule the appropriate foreign language course work at Penn State within their first two years of study.

Science—Three units of science are required; preparation in chemistry and physics is recommended for the Colleges of Engineering, Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Science; and Penn State Erie or Penn State Harrisburg Engineering/Engineering Technology programs.

Math—Three units of mathematics are required (four are recommended), including one-and-a-half units of algebra, one unit of plane geometry, and one-half unit of trigonometry, by the Colleges of Business, Earth and Mineral Sciences, Engineering, Information Sciences and Technology, and Science; and by all other Business (except Berks College), Engineering/ Engineering Technology, and Science programs.

All other colleges require three units of mathematics (four are recommended) selected from any combination of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.



 

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