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Some CSU majors have additional requirements to be admitted into the major or to progress in the major.

Take a look at which majors at Colorado State University have competitive entrance requirements, or require an audition, or have special requirements to complete during your first year at CSU. 

Competitive majors

Competitive majors at Colorado State University have additional admission requirements, such as a higher GPA or additional coursework.

If you apply to a competitive major, we’ll review your application for university admission first, then we will assess whether you meet the additional requirements for the major. If you don’t meet the major’s requirements or if capacity for the major has been reached, you can still be admitted to CSU.

Freshman/First-Year students

Direct entry to the Biomedical Sciences major requires:

  • A cumulative high school GPA of 3.5 or higher (4.0 scale) AND
  • Four years of college-prep mathematics, at least two years of which must be algebra 1 and algebra 2 (or all three years of an integrated math sequence) with grades of B- or better AND
  • Four years of life, natural and/or physical sciences, at least two years of which must be biology, chemistry, physics or an AP/IB/dual enrollment science with grades of B- or better AND
  • No F grades in any math or science course.

Space in the Biomedical Sciences major is limited, and not all qualified applicants may be eligible for direct entry to the major. If capacity has been reached, applicants may be placed on a waitlist for Biomedical Sciences and admitted to their alternate choice major or a related advising track. Students on the waitlist are reviewed for direct entry on a space-available basis over the course of the admission cycle.

Transfer students

Direct entry to the Biomedical Science major requires:

  • A cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher (4.0 scale)
  • Grades of B or better in
    • One semester of Biology/Lab equivalent to LIFE 102, Attributes of Living Systems/Lab or higher (BIO 111 from Colorado community colleges) AND
    • One semester of Chemistry/Lab equivalent to CHEM 111/112 or higher (CHE 1111 from Colorado community colleges)
    • Course requirements can be satisfied with test credit (e.g., AP, IB or CLEP)

Space in the Biomedical Sciences major is limited, and not all qualified applicants may be eligible for direct entry to the major. If capacity has been reached, applicants may be placed on a waitlist for Biomedical Sciences and admitted to their alternate choice major or a related advising track. Students on the waitlist are reviewed for direct entry on a space-available basis over the course of the admission cycle.

Second bachelor’s students

Second bachelor’s students are not eligible for admission to Biomedical Sciences. You’re encouraged to consider one of our one-year master’s degree programs in Biomedical Sciences instead.

Freshman/first-year students

Direct entry to the College of Business requires:

  • A cumulative high school GPA of 3.2 or higher (4.0 scale)

Transfer and second bachelor’s students

Direct entry to the College of Business requires:

  • A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (4.0 scale) from all prior university coursework AND
  • Completion of at least 15 graded, college-level academic credits after high school graduation or the equivalent (transfers) or completion of a first undergraduate degree in a major other than Business* (second bachelor’s)
  • A grade of C- or better in at least 3 credits of college algebra, college trigonometry/precalculus, OR calculus equivalent to MATH 117 College Algebra or higher (MAT 1340 from Colorado community colleges) AND
  • A grade of B- or better in Microeconomics equivalent to ECON 202, Principles of Microeconomics, or AREC 202, Agricultural and Resource Economics (ECON 2002 from Colorado community colleges).

Course requirements can be satisfied with test credit (e.g., AP, IB or CLEP).

The College of Business offers only one degree: a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with multiple concentration options. Applicants with an undergraduate degree in Business Administration (any concentration) are not eligible for a second degree in Business Administration, even if the concentration is different. Second bachelor’s applicants with a first degree in Business should contact the College of Business to discuss their options.

First-Year/Freshman students

Direct entry to Computer Science requires:

  • A cumulative high school GPA of 3.3 or higher (4.0 scale) with no additional coursework requirements

OR

  • A cumulative high school GPA of 3.0-3.29 (4.0 scale) AND
  • Four years of college-prep math. Algebra 1, geometry and algebra 2 or equivalents are preferred. The fourth year of math must be at or above the level of algebra 2. AP Computer Science can be counted in place of the fourth year of math. AND
  • Grades of C- or better in at least six semesters/three years of math at the end of junior year or in at least eight semesters/four years of math if high school is complete at the point of application.

Transfer students

Direct entry to Computer Science requires:

  • A cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher (4.0 scale) from all prior university coursework AND
  • Grades of C or better in
    • One semester of Computer Science I: Programming/Language e.g. Python, Java, JavaScript, C, C#, C++, equivalent to CS 163 CS1 Programming or 164 CS1 Java* (CSC 1060 from Colorado community colleges) AND EITHER
      • One semester of Calculus equivalent to MATH 160 Calculus for Physical Sciences* or higher (MAT 2410 from Colorado community colleges) OR
      • Computer Science II: Programming/Language equivalent to CS 165 CS2 Data Structures (CSC 1061 from Colorado community colleges)

*Calculus courses not equivalent to Math 160 and programming courses not equivalent to CS 163 or CS 164 will satisfy the competitive entrance requirements but may not meet graduation requirements within the major.

Course requirements can be satisfied with test credit (e.g., AP, IB or CLEP).

First-Year/Freshman students

Direct entry to Engineering requires:

  • A cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher (4.0 scale) AND
  • Four years of college-prep math; Algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2 or equivalents are preferred. The fourth year of math must be at or above the level of algebra 2 (e.g. algebra 3, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus, college algebra, etc.) Statistics is not a qualifying math course.
  • Grades of C or better in all completed math courses AND
  • One year of chemistry or physics completed or in progress.

Transfer students

External transfers from ABET-EAC accredited engineering programs

  • Current/most-recent college AND academic major are ABET-EAC accredited AND
  • Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA from the ABET-accredited institution

External transfers from non-ABET-EAC accredited programs

  1. Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 from the most-recent college/university. AND
  2. Completion of Calculus 1 equivalent to MATH 160 Calculus for Physical Sciences or higher (MAT 2410 from Colorado community colleges) and grade of B- or better in the highest-level math class taken.
    AND
  3. Grade of C or better in ONE of the following required classes:
    For Computer Engineering:
    Calculus-based Physics equivalent to PH 141 Physics for Scientists and Engineers or higher (PHY 2111 from Colorado community colleges) OR Computer Science I: Programming/Language e.g. Python, Java, JavaScript, C, C#, C++ equivalent to CS 163 CS1 Programming or 164 CS1 Java (CSC 1060 from Colorado community colleges)
    For all other College of Engineering majors:
    Calculus-based Physics equivalent to PH 141 Physics for Scientists and Engineers or higher (PHY 2111 from Colorado community colleges) OR General Chemistry 1 equivalent to CHEM 111/112 or higher (CHE 1111 from Colorado community colleges)

Second- and post-bachelor’s students

Second-bachelor and post-bachelor candidates must have a minimum 2.5 GPA in their first undergraduate degree and a grade of B- or better in Calculus 1 (equivalent to MATH 160 or higher). Students who earned a first degree in Engineering from an ABET-EAC accredited institution are not required to satisfy the calculus requirement.

First-Year/Freshman students

Direct entry to Journalism and Media Communication requires a cumulative high school GPA of 3.2 or higher (4.0 scale).

Transfer, second- and post-bachelor’s students

Transfer students must have:

  • a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher (4.0 scale) from all prior university coursework AND
  • at least 12 college-level, academic-graded credits

Second bachelor’s candidates must have:

  • a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher (4.0 scale) in their first degree

All transfer and second bachelor’s applicants:

Completion of one semester of Mass Media (equivalent to JTC100, Media in Society), one semester of Newswriting (equivalent to JTC210, Newswriting), and College Composition (equivalent to CO 150) is encouraged but not required. Students cannot take additional courses in the major until these JTC courses (or equivalents) are complete.

What if you don’t meet these requirements?

If you are not admitted into the competitive major of your choice, you will be considered for admission to the alternate major you selected, or to a related Exploratory Studies advising track, which is designed to help you earn your way into the competitive major with CSU courses and grades. If you are admitted into Exploratory Studies, you will be advised by a staff on our Exploratory Studies advising team.

Your advisor will:

  • guide you to courses that meet core curriculum requirements;
  • outline the CSU prerequisites you will need to complete after you enroll at CSU in order to earn entrance to the competitive major, and;
  • help you explore your interests and passions to discover other pathways to reach your goals.

Exploratory Studies students are welcome to change their program of study or select a major track. Students can also earn their way into a competitive major as a current student at CSU with additional coursework and grades.

What if your academic information changes?

You are welcome to submit updated academic information and then contact your admissions counselor to see if the new information qualifies you for direct entry before you enroll at CSU. In some cases (especially for transfer students), you may be able to qualify for your preferred competitive major more quickly by completing additional transfer work and starting at CSU a semester or two later. Be sure to visit with your admissions counselor!

We’re always here to help

Please contact us with any questions about admission requirements for competitive majors.

Auditions required

A few majors at CSU require a successful audition before being allowed into the program.

Special requirements during your first year

Some majors at CSU have additional requirements you need to complete during your first year at CSU. Those requirements may include completing a portfolio or demonstrating knowledge via your grades in order to progress within the major.