UNDERGRADUATE GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Students are required to complete at least 180 credits with a minimum of 62 upper-division credits (300- and 400-level courses). Students must also complete the requirements outlined on the following pages. Transfer credits can be applied towards these requirements. Some degrees have specific course requirements not listed below.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS (CHOOSE ONE)

BACHELOR OF ARTS (BA)—23

CREDITS MINIMUM

• Two years college-level language proficiency (completion of 3 credits in a language numbered 203 or for which 203 is a prerequisite)

• Language Requirement for Bachelor of Arts (BA): Students with no previous knowledge of a foreign language will need to complete two full years of a foreign language at the college level for a Bachelor of Arts (101103 and 201-203 in the same language). Students who already possess competence in a foreign language should discuss their options with the World Languages and Literature Department at PSU. pdx. edu/world-languages/second-languagerequirements. Students who graduated from an Oregon high school in 1997 or later must meet PSU's second language admission requirement, even if they plan to complete a BS degree.

• 10 credits minimum in Arts & Letters (a minimum of 3 credits must be in Fine & Performing Arts)

• 10 credits in Science/Social Science/Math (a minimum of 3 credits must be in Science/Math, excluding Math 100 or lower)

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (BS)—28

TOTAL CREDITS MINIMUM

• One year of Science (two courses must include lab for a minimum of 6 credits)

• 3 credits minimum in college-level Math/ Statistics

• 10 credits in Arts & Letters/Social Science

ACADEMIC DISTRIBUTION AREAS FOR BACHELOR’S DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

For specific requirements for the Bachelor of Music (BM) or Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), see your Pathway advisor.

ARTS & LETTERS

American Sign Language, Applied Linguistics, Architecture*, Art*, Art History*, Arts & Letters, Black Studies (221, 351-3, 421, 424-427 only), Communication, Conflict Resolution, Design*, English, Film*, Judaic Studies (325, 431, 435 only), Music*, Philosophy, Systems Science (421 only), Theater Arts*, World Languages & Literatures, Writing. (*denotes Fine & Performing Arts).

Science

Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science/Studies, Geography , Geology, Physics, Science (SCI), Speech & Hearing Sciences (370, 371, 461, 487 only), Systems Science (330, 332, 334, 431, and 452 only).

Social Science

Anthropology, Black Studies (except 221, 3513, 421, 424-427), Chicano/Latino Studies, Child, Youth & Family Studies, Criminology & Criminal Justice, Economics, Geography, History, International Studies, Judaic Studies (except 325, 431, 435), Indigenous Nations & Native American Studies,Political Science, Psychology, Social Science, Social Work (310, 320, 340, 341, 350, 351, 384, 375, 399, 416, 430, 431, 432, 450 and 451 only), Sociology, Speech & Hearing Sciences (except 370, 371, 461, 487), Systems Science (336, 338, 340, 342, 350, 418 and 413 only), Urban Studies & Planning, Women's Studies

Certain Anthropology and Geography courses will apply to either Science or Social Science, but not both. View the full list of courses online from these departments to determine which are considered science and which apply to the social science distribution.

General Education Requirement

PDX.EDU/ADVISING/GENERAL-EDUCATION-REQUIREMENT

At Portland State University, there are two general education tracks: University Studies and the University Honors College. Students must complete one of these tracks to graduate from PSU. Students who enter PSU in winter, spring, or summer terms should consult with their advisor about where to begin with these tracks.

University Studies

Students complete the requisite courses based on the number of credits completed when they enter PSU:

CREDITS BEGIN WITH:

0-29 Freshman Inquiry

30-74 2 Sophomore Inquiries

75-89 1 Sophomore Inquiries

90-134 3 Upper Division Cluster Courses

135+ Senior Capstone

RACE & ETHNIC STUDIES REQUIREMENT

University Honors

Students who are admitted into the Honors College complete the requisite courses based on the number of credits completed when they enter PSU:

CREDITS BEGIN WITH:

0-29 HON 101 The Global City

30-89 HON 260 Honors Writing

90+ HON 360 Honors Writing

The Race and Ethnic Studies Requirement (RESR) ensures that students are equipped with an understanding of how historically rooted and ongoing racism affects institutions in Oregon, the U.S. and the world. The courses taken to fulfill the requirement may also fulfill major, minor, University Studies, Honors and/or elective requirements.

Student Entering Psu With Fewer Than 90 College Credits

• Two RESR designated courses (a minimum of 3 credits each) with a central focus on race, ethnicity and systemic oppression required.

• One course must focus on the U.S. experience; the second course must center the experiences of groups under European and U.S. colonialism and imperialism beyond the United States.

• One of the courses taken must be taken within the School of Gender, Race and Nations or be cross-listed with one of the SGRN units: Black Studies (BSt), Chicano/Latino Studies (ChLa), Indigenous Nations Studies (NAS), or Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WS).

Student Entering Psu With More Than 90 College Credits

• One RESR designated course (a minimum of 3 credits each) with a central focus on race, ethnicity and systemic oppression required.

• The course taken by transfer students does not need to be offered within SGRN or cross-listed within one of its units.

Writing Requirement

Students must complete 2 college-level composition courses or their approved equivalents for their baccalaureate degree requirements. Options for meeting this requirement are based on the total number of college credits earned upon admission to PSU:

• Students admitted to PSU with 0-29 college credits meet the requirement by completing the first two years of University Studies or University Honors (both approved equivalents of composition courses).

• Students admitted to PSU with 30-89 college credits meet the requirement with WR 121 (required for transfer admission) and the requisite number of Sophomore Inquiry or Honors sophomore courses determined by placement into University Studies or University Honors.

• Students admitted having earned 90 or more college credits may be satisfied by one of the following options:

• Transfer into PSU with an approved equivalent of WR 121 plus one approved composition course for which WR 121 (or its approved equivalent) is a prerequisite.

• Transfer into PSU with two approved composition courses for which WR 121 (or its approved equivalent) is a prerequisite.

• Complete WR 121 plus one additional course from the following PSU course list: WR 200, 222, 227, 228, 300, 301, 323, 327, 333, 394, 400, 420 or a 4-credit Writing Intensive Course (WIC) course. HON 360 and HON 403 are approved WICs. Composition writing courses transferred into PSU may also be considered.

• Complete any two courses from the list above.

Major Requirements

A major is a primary field of study, an in-depth academic focus; you develop a significant level of knowledge in a specific academic area. In order to graduate, you must complete the requirements for one of the majors offered by PSU. The number of credits required for each major varies. The specific requirements for all undergraduate majors offered by PSU are in the University Bulletin: pdx.edu/academic-affairs/psu-bulletin

Electives

Electives are courses that do not directly apply toward general education, degree, or major requirements. Most students need elective credits to meet the 180 total credit or 62 upper-division credit requirements for graduation. PSU does not require a specific number of electives; the number of elective credits needed varies

Credit Requirements

• Total credits required to graduate with a bachelor’s degree = 180

• Total upper-division credits required = 62

• Minimum credits required in residence at PSU = 45 of last 75, or 150 total

• Maximum number of two-year college credits allowed towards degree = 124

• Maximum number of Pass/No Pass (P/NP) credits allowed towards degree = 45

• Maximum number of vocational/technical, PE, cooperative education credits allowed towards degree = 12 each