Enrollment
Prospective students must have completed at least one semester in a degree-seeking program at either the Twin Cities or Rochester campus, with grades posted. Students who have not yet started their first semester in a degree-seeking program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMNTC) or University of Minnesota Rochester (UMNRO) should contact the Office of Admissions for assistance.
Prerequisite Courses
Required prerequisite courses must be completed, with grades posted or in progress, at the time the application is submitted.
Admission Type
The timing and type of your application to the program depend on the completion status of your prerequisite courses and eligibility requirements. Understanding these requirements will help you determine the best time to submit your application.
- Pre-major admission: For fall semester admission only, complete the minimum prerequisite courses.
- Direct admission to major: For fall and spring semesters admission, by completing both minimum and additional prerequisite courses.
Technical Credits
A minimum of eight technical credits specific to this degree program must be completed at UMNTC, with grades posted by the time you submit your application.
Identifying Technical Credits
Technical credits encompass both required prerequisite courses and major-specific coursework for this specific degree program. These completed or in-progress courses will factor into the calculation of your technical GPA and will be listed on a What-if APAS report for this major under the category 'CSE Technical Grade Point Average'.
Minimum Technical GPA
Successful applications to this degree program typically meet the following technical GPA thresholds:
- Pre-major technical GPA: 3.2 or higher
- Direct admission to major technical GPA: 2.8 or higher
However, admission to the program is competitive and depends on available space. Students with a technical GPA below the stated thresholds may still be considered for direct admission to the major if space is available.
Please note that students with a technical GPA of less than 2.0 will not be admitted to this program.
Calculating Technical GPA
The technical GPA consists only of courses taken at UMNTC. The University uses an unbracketed technical GPA, meaning all attempts at a course (resulting in a letter grade of A-F) are factored into the GPA. While courses taken at other institutions may fulfill degree requirements, they will not be included in the technical GPA calculation.
Course Grades
All courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better to meet CSE’s required prerequisites. This applies to courses taken both at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and elsewhere.
In-Progress Coursework
Applicants are expected to successfully complete the prerequisite coursework in progress at the time of their application. Changes to academic coursework or unsuccessful completion of coursework may result in the cancellation of admission.
Remaining Coursework
Applicants must have at least one year (24 or more credits) of major-specific coursework remaining to complete once admitted to CSE.
Transfer Equivalencies
If you have completed prerequisite courses outside of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, you must ensure that these courses are equivalent to CSE’s requirements.
Check Transferology to confirm equivalencies, and be sure to review the specific term in which you took (or plan to take) the course.
To ensure your transfer coursework appears correctly on your What-if APAS report, official transcripts must be sent directly from the institution where the course was completed or is currently in progress to the University of Minnesota Office of Admissions.
At the time the application is completed, transfer coursework used to satisfy prerequisite requirements must be reflected on the What-if APAS report as either completed with final grades posted or documented as in progress. Once the transcript is received by the Office of Admissions, it typically takes about two weeks for the coursework to appear on the What-if APAS.
