Admission Requirements

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in CSS will complete a series of core courses, selected CSS senior electives, courses to complete a UWT minor, and additional free electives. Applicants wishing to apply to the BA in Computing and Software Systems are encouraged to complete their course prerequisites and foundation courses prior to admissions. For a list of prerequisites see below. When planning your academic career, we encourage students to use our BA CSS Planning Grid.

Selection Criteria

Admission to the Bachelor of Arts Computing & Software Systems program is competitive. Applicants are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Completion of all prerequisite courses
• Overall previous academic performance
• Goal statement
• Demonstrated aptitude and strong interest in Computer Science

Applicants to the BA Computing & Software Systems program are encouraged, but not required to complete either an associate's degree from a community college, or the first two years of study at a 4-year institution. All qualified applicants are considered for admission to the Computing & Software Systems program.

Academic Performance

If you are a UW Tacoma freshman, you must have:

• Completed 20-25 credits of the freshman core curriculum
• A total of 40 credits completed
• Cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0 in all college coursework^*

If you have earned 40-89 transferable college-level credits, you should have:

• Cumulative GPA of at least a 2.75 in all college coursework^*
• GPA of at least a 2.75 in all college math, science, computer science or engineering coursework

If you have earned 90 or more transferable college-level credits, you must have:

• Cumulative GPA of at least a 2.5 in all college coursework^*
• GPA of at least a 2.5 in all college math, science, computer science or engineering coursework

Students with previous baccalaureate degrees or extensive work experience should meet with an adviser to discuss options.

^*If you do not meet the GPA requirements, please contact an Undergraduate Adviser.

Prerequisites

Applicants are encouraged to complete as many of these prerequisites as possible before applying to the either the BA or BS in Computing and Software Systems programs. For transfer students, please refer to our grid of approved transfer courses.

• Calculus I (TQS 124)
• Statistics (TQS 110)
• Lab Based Science (TESC 121 preferred; other options include chemistry (TESC 142) or biology (TESC 161)
• Object-Oriented Programming I (TCSS 142) and Object-Oriented Programming II (TCSS 143)

General University Requirements

All applicants to the University of Washington Tacoma must complete the general university requirements listed below.

• 5 credits of freshman composition (English 101 or equivalent)
• 5 credits of intermediate algebra (Math 99 or equivalent) or higher level math course
• Completion of at least 30 additional college-level credits

Applicants are encouraged to complete as many of the following general university requirements as possible before transferring to UW Tacoma.

• Foreign language: Two years of the same language in high school or 10 credits of one foreign language at the college level^*
• Writing: 5 credits of advanced composition or technical writing
• Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts (Humanities) [V]: 10 credits

  Effective Autumn 2009: College-level foreign language will not count towards VLPA.

• Individuals and Societies (Social Science) [I]: 10 credits
• Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning [Q]: Fulfilled by program prerequisites (listed above)
• Mathematics: Fulfilled by program prerequisites (listed above)
• Natural World (Natural Science) [N]: Fulfilled by required program prerequisites (listed above)

^* Completion of this general university requirement is encouraged, but not required prior to admission.

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