Students interested in Information Technology will be more successful if they bring with them a strong background in mathematics, including a year of trigonometry. However, because of the program's interdisciplinary nature, students with a limited mathematics background should not be discouraged. Any academically strong students seeking a challenging learning experience will be successful in IT.
| Subject | Units |
|---|---|
| English | 4 units, including 1 unit each in composition and literature |
| Social Studies/ Art/Humanities |
3 units in any combination of social studies, arts, or humanities |
| Science | 3 units |
| Math | Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry plus one-half unit of Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, or Calculus |
| World Language | 2 units* |
* Two units in a single world language other than English are required. American Sign Language can be used to satisfy the World Language requirement. A student may be admitted with fewer than two units in a world language other than English but must correct this deficiency by the time they graduate from Penn State. This deficiency may be corrected by passing one three-credit or four-credit college-level world language course, by earning transferable credits from another institution, or by demonstrating proficiency equivalent to two units of high school world language study.
Transfer students
These criteria also apply for transfer admission. If a student is missing a Carnegie unit from high school, but has taken the missing course work in college, that information will be taken into consideration.
The transfer of credit is a two-step process. The Penn State Undergraduate Admissions Office determines which credits will transfer to the University. The College of IST determines how credits will be used to fulfill degree requirements for the IST degree.
Penn State credits are expressed in semester hours. When courses transfer to Penn State from institutions that use another form of academic credit (i.e. quarter credits, units hours, etc.), the unit of credit is converted into semester hours.
For more information about transfer admissions and whether a student is classified as a transfer student, please visit our transfer page.