FAQs

PSU has a post-baccalaureate (post-bac) program for students who already hold a bachelor's degree but wish to take further courses for credit. This program is primarily intended for students who wish to earn a second bachelor's degree in a new field. The requirements to graduate with a second bachelor's degree are the same as the departmental requirements for the bachelor's degree; the "general" University requirements are waived, so the post-bac degree takes less time to complete. (It can be completed in about two and a half years of full-time work by a student with a technical background.)

The post-bac program is also useful to prospective graduate students who wish to take undergraduate and/or graduate classes to prepare for application to the graduate program.

There are advantages to obtaining post-bac status as opposed to just taking courses as a non-admitted student: you can register for more credits per quarter, and you register for courses before non-admitted students. Post-bac students taking only undergraduate courses pay undergraduate fees. If you take one or more graduate classes in a given quarter, then you pay graduate fees for all classes during that quarter.

To obtain post-bac status you must formally apply to the University by completing the post-bac application, which is available from the Admissions Office. The deadlines are the same as for ordinary graduate admission, but applications will be considered after the deadline has passed if possible (it usually is). Admission to the post-bac program is not competitive; it is normally given if you hold a four-year undergraduate degree from an accredited institution. You must also have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 (2.25 for nonresidents) for any work taken after your bachelor's degree. There is no departmental admission process for post-bac students, but if you decide to work toward a second bachelor's degree, you will have to declare formally as a CS major.