I have heard some CSE majors are competitive. What do I need to know?
What to expect when applying a competitive major.
Although most CSE students get into their intended pre-major, some majors in CSE have seen a tremendous increase in interest from students. When there is more demand for a program than the academic departments can currently accommodate, the major becomes competitive and not every student who applies is admitted to the major. While the departments in CSE have worked to accommodate the growing demand, the investment in department faculty, staff, and facilities has been unable to keep pace. Therefore, the departments have been forced to set strict limits on admission to the major until sufficient capacity has been built to accommodate all interested and qualified students.
Which majors were competitive last semester?
- Mechanical engineering
- Biomedical engineering
- Trends change over time. Any of our CSE majors could become competitive in future semesters if more students apply to a major than we currently have available space. Computer science, data science, and chemical engineering are majors that have been competitive in the past.
What else should I be doing as I work toward applying to the major?
Due to potential space limitations, we encourage all CSE students to keep tabs on the technical GPA cut-off trends for their pre-major major, know which courses count toward their technical GPA, and create a parallel plan. Parallel planning helps students more easily pivot majors if needed/desired while limiting stress.
When am I eligible to apply to my major?
CSE accepts applications to the major during the fall and spring semesters. Further information on applying to a major, including the admission to the major timeline, are found on Application to a Major Information for Current CSE Students page.
Students are eligible to apply to their major in the semester that they have all of their prerequisite courses completed or in progress. Prerequisite courses required for application to major are indicated by a diamond on your Four-Year Plan. You can also find the prerequisite courses under "Admission Requirements" on your APAS report. While a 2.0 is the minimum Technical GPA to be considered for a major in the College of Science and Engineering, some of our majors do have a cutoff at a higher technical GPA if there is limited space.
What do the departments take into consideration when reviewing applications to the major?
A student’s technical GPA is the primary criteria used for determining admission to a major in CSE. Reviewing historical technical GPA cut-offs by major and courses used in technical GPA calculation can help you gain a better understanding of technical GPA. Find your technical GPA and the courses you have completed that count towards your technical GPA under the Technical GPA heading on your APAS report. The technical GPA is comprised only of courses taken at the U of M Twin-Cities campus. The Technical GPA is unbracketed meaning that all attempts at a course (which resulted in a letter grade of A-F) are factored into it.
Computer science and data science only: To enable a more holistic review of applicants to these majors, computer science and data science students may also submit a Personal Statement. The personal statement is specific to the computer science and data science majors and not accepted for other CSE majors. A personal statement is the only way a student may be admitted to the computer science or data science major with a technical GPA below the cut-off.
I’ve heard a 3.2 technical GPA guarantees me admission to the major, is this true?
Students who have completed all of the necessary prerequisite courses and have a 3.2 technical GPA or above by the end of the fall semester will be guaranteed admission to the major. Students who apply to the major during the spring semester are considered for the major on a space-available basis. During the spring semester, there is no guaranteed technical GPA for admission to the major.
What happens if I am not admitted to my intended pre-major?
If you have not been admitted to a major after three semesters of enrollment, or after one semester of enrollment if you are a transfer student, a Major Declaration Required (MDR) hold will be put on your account. The MDR hold will only be removed once a student has been admitted to a major in CSE or if they transfer to another college at the University of Minnesota.
Students who have an MDR hold must meet with their college advisor to discuss their plans moving forward. Advisors will assist students with determining the feasibility of being admitted to their intended pre-major and will support students in parallel planning. Students who cannot mathematically get their technical GPA up to the recent technical GPA cut-off range will be encouraged to pivot to their parallel plan.
You keep mentioning parallel planning, what exactly does it mean?
A parallel plan is a back-up plan. CSE encourages all pre-major students to identify and create a parallel plan as a back-up plan to their first-choice major, regardless of their first-choice major. Parallel planning can help students pivot majors more easily while limiting stress. Our blog post on parallel planning has more information on how to create your parallel plan.
What are common parallel plans?
There are often multiple paths to the same career field. Some of the most common parallel plans for competitive majors are listed below:
Mechanical engineering:
Biomedical engineering:
Check out the CSE Four-Year Plans to help you create your parallel plan and take a look at What can I do with a major in…? to learn more about typical career outcomes by CSE major.
I still have questions, who should I talk to?
Your college advisor is here to support you throughout your time in CSE! Our CSE Career Counselors can also help with exploring CSE majors and potential career outcomes. Want to explore majors outside of CSE? Schedule an appointment with CAPE's Major Exploration Coaches.