Major Average vs. Total Average?

<p>So it seems like there are two types of average.... How do they work? Do grad schools care only about Major average? is it bad if your major average and total average is really different?</p>

<p>Grad schools will look at both your cumulative GPA and your major GPA.</p>

<p>Cumulative GPA is often used as a "cut-off" for applications at the Graduate School level, in that applicants are often required to have a 3.0 or a 3.5 cumulative GPA.</p>

<p>The GPA of all of the courses you've taken in your major will be more significant for admission on the department level. In other words, predictably, the DGS and admissions committee in the department will be more interested in how you have acquitted yourself in courses in your intended area of study than in courses outside of your area of intended specialization.</p>

<p>So, when I apply, do I calculate the major average (as specified in the school policy) or do the graduate schools calculate it according to some set policy that they have? It seems weird that in my school, 1st and 2nd year courses aren't included in the major average, although they are definitely relevant to the intended area of study.</p>

<p>Each application will be different. If the field just says "GPA," they mean your cumulative GPA. If your school has any weird system (A+=4.33, "grade forgiveness," etc.), make sure you know whether they want you to convert to their system. It will usually say somewhere whether to use the standard 4.0 system or to list your GPA as it appears on your transcript.</p>

<p>Some schools will also have a box for your "GPA in major." The standard way to calculate it is to include all courses offered through your department and those listed in your major's requirements, even if they're not in your department. (For example, general, organic, and physical chemistry are all required for the biology major at my school, so I (reluctantly) included those grades in the calculation. I also took some courses which were cross-listed in the Biology Dept. to fulfill social science requirements, and those were included as well.) If your school doesn't calculate major average that way, then you will have to do it by hand.</p>

<p>Some schools (e.g. Berkeley) ask just for "upper division coursework GPA," which sounds more like what your school calculates for "GPA in major". I have also seen "GPA after first two years" (Berkeley again?) and "Science GPA" (Rockefeller?). The purpose of all those weird calculations is to distinguish two things: (a) how your grades changed with time, and (b) how much better your grades were in your field. Obviously you take more courses in your major in later years, so these two factors confound one another, which is why they might want to know your GPA in the last two years <em>and</em> your major GPA.</p>

<p>Hmm... what if you're an engineering student with a low major GPA but high science, engineering (non-major but real engineering coursework, just different department, advanced engineering electives in other departments) and math gpa are high. You just happen to be in a hyper-competitive department where its much harder to do well then in the rest of the university.</p>

<p>That "Upper division coursework GPA" is really sketchy... Does it mean for example, if your an EE: The GPA for only EE courses?</p>

<p>Then what about the Major GPA? Wasn't that for only your "major's" gpa? (ej EE courses)?</p>

<p>tahncol: I think that "upper division" classes are courses offered through your division that require prerequisites and are not designed for freshmen/sophomores. At some schools, the "upper division" classes are easily identifiable by their course number (e.g., 200s-400s but not 100s). Not all courses in your major count toward your "upper division coursework GPA," and some upper division courses might not count toward your "Major GPA".</p>

<p>Its pretty straightforward.</p>

<p>In major GPA is all grades from courses in your major.
Upper division GPA is grades from ALL upper level courses based on your university course numbering system even if these courses are outside your major or related to field as long as it is graded.</p>