Registrar's Office

General University Requirements

• Who can help me figure out how many General University Requirements (GURs) I've completed?
• Two Evaluation Administrators are available in the Registrar's Office to answer questions about GURs, complete GUR checks, and answer questions about transfer credit. You may also make an appointment with your faculty advisor or with the Academic Advising Office to discuss your academic progress at PLU.
• Am I allowed to "double dip" GURs?
• Students who enter PLU with fewer than 60 semester hours are permitted to double dip one time, and only between Diversity and Core I requirements. An example would be Philosophy 220 (Women in Philosophy), which satisfies both the Philosophy and Alternative Perspectives requirements. Students who enter PLU with 60 or more semester hours are not permitted to double dip. Using a class for your major to satisfy a general university requirement is not considered double-dipping.
• What's the difference between a Cross-Cultural and Alternative Perspectives attributes? Do I need to take both?
These are "Diversity" attributes. Alternative Perspectives attributes are for courses which create an awareness and understanding of diversity in the United States, directly addressing issues such as ethnicity, gender, disability, racism, or poverty. Cross-Cultural attributes are for courses that enhance cross-cultural understandings through examinations of other cultures outside of the United States.

Classes that qualify for these these attributes will have listed, in the course catalog after their title, an A for Alternative Perspectives or a C for Cross-Cultural Perspectives. Students entering PLU with less than 60 credits must take courses in both Diversity attributes; students with 60+ credits upon entering PLU must take at least one Diversity attribute.

• Do I need to take a PE class?
• All students must earn 4 PE credits (including PE 100). Students are exempt from this requirement if they are over 25 years old on the first ay of class, have recieved the direct transfer Associates of Arts degree from a Washington State community college, or have had a least two years of prior arctive duty military service.
  
• Do I have to take a J-Term (January-Term) class?
• Students who enter PLU with 20 or more semester hours are not required to complete a J-Term course. However, you may want to use J-term enrollment to complete necessary requirements. Students who enter PLU with fewer than 20 semester hours must take a course in the J-Term of their Freshman year.
• Does the College of Arts and Science requirement apply to me?
• The College of Arts and Sciences requirement applies to all students who will earn Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science (but not Bachelor of Science in Nursing), Bachelor of Arts in Recreation, Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education, or Bachelor of Science in Physical Education degrees.
• How do I get an academic advisor? How do I declare a major?
• An advisor has been assigned to you by the Office of Academic Advising. If you did not receive a letter stating who your advisor is, contact Academic Advising at (253) 535-8786 or stop by the office in Ramstad Hall, room 111. To declare your major, you and your advisor will complete an Academic Program Contract.
• I'm not from the United States-- does this impact any requirements?
• As an international student, your Cross-Cultural Perspectives requirement is satisfied. If you are bilingual, your entrance language and your College of Arts and Sciences requirements are also satisfied.
• I took some foreign language classes in high school, so why is my language entrance requirement lacking?
• In order to satisfy the foreign language entrance requirement, you must have completed two years in a high school foreign language or one year in a college-level language with an average of C or better. Perhaps you haven't sent your high school transcript to us yet. Possibly, your average is below 2.0, or you haven't taken the necessary credit hours. These situations could explain the problem.
  
• I took a math class in high school-- why is my mathematics entrance requirement marked lacking?
• In order to satisfy the math entrance requirement, you must have completed two years of high school college preparatory mathematics through at least Geometry, with an average of C or better. Completion of Intermediate Algebra at the college level may satisfy the entrance requirement but will not count towards your general university requirements.