Skip to main content
Loyola University Maryland

CPaMS Scholars Program

Expectations for CPaMS Scholars

CPaMS Scholars Class of 2022 all students posing together

Requirements for Good Standing

Once a student has been admitted and accepted their spot in the CPaMS Scholars Program, they must meet the following requirements to stay in the program:

  • Attend a pre-fall orientation event in August. This event is usually the day before the university’s fall orientation begins.
  • Maintain a 3.0 GPA in the courses required by their major.
  • Continue making progress toward a CPaMS major, including declaring it once major declarations are available in the sophomore year: computer science, physics, mathematics, statistics, or data science. Data science majors must choose a technical focus within the major's course choices.
  • Complete the required CPaMS courses with their CPaMS Scholars cohort.

Please note that an official leave of absence will not cause you to lose your place in CPaMS. The semester(s) in which you are absent will put your scholarship on hold, and you will pick up again where you left off once you return to Loyola. Please get in touch with the director if you are planning to take a leave of absence to discuss any changes to the above requirements that may be necessary in your particular case so that we can set you up for success.

A Note on Spring 2020: During the spring 2020 semester we find ourselves finishing the second half as online courses, with most students returning home to do so. In light of the added difficulties this change may cause, as well as the general difficulties of trying to continue normally during a pandemic, the CPaMS Scholars program will not take into account spring 2020 grades for current scholars unless it helps them. Students who receive below a B (3.0) in any major courses will not see those grades taken account when calculating their major GPA for determining standing within the CPaMS Scholars program. A choice of P/NC will have no affect on a student's standing in the program.

Required Coursework

One of the benefits of the CPaMS Scholars program is staying with your cohort of CPaMS Scholars throughout your time at Loyola. In the fall semester of each of your first three years you will take a course with those students. In the fall semester of your senior year, you will have extra career preparation outside of classes with those students. The courses you must take are as follows:

  • First year fall: CS151 Messina. Once you are part of the CPaMS program, Messina will work with the CPaMS Director to ensure you are in the correct Messina course.
  • Second year fall: CS/MA/PH 200 Opportunities in STEM. This course is a one credit seminar course, where you will hear from people working in each of the CPaMS disciplines to help you determine your future path. It is graded pass/fail. You can see the most recent fall semester seminar’s schedule of events.
  • Third year: Interdisciplinary experience to be completed by end of year, and reflection submitted at end of spring semester. See the third year webpage for details.
  • Fourth year fall: There is no course to sign up for in your final fall semester. This semester you will work with the CPaMS Faculty to be prepared for your time after Loyola, whether it be a job or graduate school.

Probation

If you fail to meet any of the above requirements in a given semester, you will be placed on probation from the program for the following semester.  The earliest you can be placed on probation due to your major GPA is after the end of your first two semesters at Loyola. If you are placed on probation, you will have one semester to remedy your status. If you are unable to meet the requirements by the end of that probationary semester, you will no longer be a part of the CPaMS Scholars program. If you are able to remedy your status, you will remain in the program and be returned to good standing. However, you are only allowed one probationary semester during your time at Loyola; an additional semester failing to meet the above requirements will result in removal from the scholars program without a probationary term. Probationary notifications are sent out by the CPaMS Director in January and May of each year.

If you decide to declare a major that is ineligible for CPaMS, you will not be put on probation but removed from the program. If you change major in the middle of the semester, it will not affect your scholarship (if applicable) until the following semester. If you do not fulfill the requirements for a particular year in the program, without discussing with the director to have extra time, you will also be removed from the program instead of put on probation.

Study Abroad

There are no study abroad requirements for CPaMS Scholars. If you are planning to study abroad for an entire year, please get in touch with the CPaMS director to discuss how best to meet your third year CPaMS Scholars requirements.

Apply to CPaMS Scholars