Entrance-to-Major Requirements
First-semester baccalaureate students are admitted to the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) in the pre-major (INFST) and are assigned a selection pool semester. They seek entrance to our majors during their fourth semester of enrollment through the Entrance to Major process. A student who fails to gain entrance during this process may be referred to alternate campus locations to complete the degree.
Typically before attaining fifth-semester classification, students enrolled in a college generally must gain entrance to a major in order to continue registration as degree candidates unless they are granted an exception. Students are notified by e-mail the second semester of their sophomore year to confirm their major, option, and campus preferences.
Advanced-standing students (students who transfer to Penn State from other institutions with 18 or more credits) are assigned a selection pool by the dean at the time of their admission to the college.
View the entrance-to-major flowchart or see the text below.
Criteria for entrance to the ISTBS major:
- At least a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average (by the end of fall semester of sophomore year and maintained through ETM semester)
- A grade of C or better in each of these courses by the second semester of sophomore year:
IST 110/S
IST 210
IST 220
Criteria for entrance to the SRA major:
- At least a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average (by the end of fall semester of sophomore year and maintained through ETM semester)
- A grade of C or better in each of these courses by the second semester of sophomore year:
Criteria for entrance to the ISTBA major:
- Academic Program Proposal due December 1 (3rd semester) OR (of fall semester of sophomore year).
- At least a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average (by the end of fall semester of sophomore year and maintained through ETM semester)
- A grade of C or better in two of the following four courses by the second semester of sophomore year:
