Prerequisite course information

Successful completion of prerequisite courses are a critical component to successfully transferring into the UMN Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering. The prerequisite requirements vary based on the intended major you wish to pursue.

Prerequisite courses

The courses listed below are all UMN Twin Cities specific courses. If you have completed prerequisite courses outside of the UMN Twin Cities, it is important to make sure they are equivalent to CSE’s requirements. Please consult either Transferology or the CSE course equivalencies webpage for further assistance.

These minimum prerequisites are required for admission to the College of Science and Engineering but not yet into the major. Direct admission to the major (upper division) requires additional sophomore level coursework.

DEGREES: Bioproducts and biosystems engineering, biomedical engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, civil engineering, earth sciences, environmental engineering, environmental geosciences, geoengineering, materials science and engineering

  • Calculus I and II (MATH 1271 and 1272 or 1371 and 1372)

  • Calculus-based Physics I and II (PHYS 1301 and 1302)

  • Chemistry I and II (CHEM 1061/1065 and 1062/1066)

  • Physics II and Chemistry II are not required for Environmental Geosciences

DEGREES: Aerospace engineering and mechanics, electrical engineering, industrial and systems engineering, mechanical engineering

  • Calculus I and II (MATH 1271 and 1272 or 1371 and 1372)

  • Calculus-based Physics I and II (PHYS 1301 and 1302)

  • Chemistry I (CHEM 1061/1065)

DEGREES: Astrophysics, mathematics, physics, statistics

  • Calculus I and II (MATH 1271 and 1272 or 1371 and 1372)

  • Calculus-based Physics I and II (PHYS 1301 and 1302)

DEGREES: Computer engineering and data science

  • Calculus I and II (MATH 1271 and 1272 or 1371 and 1372)

  • Calculus-based Physics I and II* (PHYS 1301 and 1302)

  • Approved 1xxx level computer programming course

* Physics II (PHYS 1302W) is a recommended prerequisite for data science, but other approved lab-based sciences may be substituted. Physics II (PHYS 1302W) is required for computer engineering.

DEGREES: Computer science

  • Calculus I&II (MATH 1271&1272 or 1371&1372)

  • Calculus-based Physics I (PHYS 1301) or Chemistry 1 (CHEM 1061/65)

  • Approved 1xxx level programming course

Courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better to meet College of Science & Engineering prerequisite and major-specific course requirements.

The College of Science and Engineering expects that students will successfully complete the coursework they list on their admission application. Schedule changes of academic coursework and/or the unsuccessful completion of coursework may result in the cancellation of admission or delay your expected graduation date.
 

Important information to consider

Students planning to earn a degree from the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) are strongly encouraged to transfer directly into the College. Transferring to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities into a college other than CSE does not guarantee you admission to CSE later. In fact, it may result in unintended or unexpected consequences such as challenges with accessing necessary coursework (reserved for students in CSE); new and/or additional admission considerations; limited access to CSE-specific staff, faculty, and services; and delayed time to degree completion.