Pacific Lutheran University uses a 4-1-4 calendar which consists of
two 15-week semesters bridged by a four-week January term.
Course credit is computed by hours. The majority of courses are
offered for 4 hours. Each undergraduate degree candidate is expected to
complete 128 hours with an overall grade point average of 2.00.
Departments or schools may set higher grade point requirements.
Degree requirements are specifically stated in this catalog. Each student should become familiar with these requirements and prepare to meet them.
Pacific Lutheran University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as a four-year institution of higher education.
In addition the following programs hold specialized accreditations and approvals:
Business - AACSB International - The Association to Advance
Collegiate Schools of Business
Chemistry and Biochemistry - American Chemical Society
Computer Science (BS) - Computer Sciences Accreditation Commission of ABET
Education - National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher
Education
Marriage and Family Therapy - Commission on Accreditation for
Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the American Association for
Marriage and Family Therapy
Music - National Association of Schools of Music
Nursing - National League for Nursing
Social Work - Council on Social Work Education
Any current or prospective student may, upon request directed to the president's office, review a copy of the documents pertaining to the university's various accreditations and approvals.
3,105 full-time students; 357 part-time students
(as of September 19, 2003)
Located in suburban Parkland, PLU has a picturesque 126-acre campus. The university's geographical setting affords students a wide variety of both recreational and cultural entertainment options. Recreationally, the grandeur of the Pacific Northwest encourages participation in hiking, camping, climbing, skiing, boating, and swimming.
The most conspicuous natural monument in the area is Mt. Rainier. In addition to Mt. Rainier, the distinctive realms of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges and forests of Douglas Fir complete one of the most naturally tranquil environments in the United States.
Students can also enjoy the aesthetic offerings of nearby Seattle and Tacoma. These city centers host a variety of performing and recording arts and provide dozens of galleries and museums as well as unique shopping and dining experiences.
236 full-time faculty*; 84 part-time faculty.
*per IPEDS definition
(as of September 19, 2003)
Pacific Lutheran University was founded in 1890 by a group of mostly Norwegian Lutherans from the Puget Sound area. They were led by the Reverend Bjug Harstad, who became PLU's first president. In naming the university, these pioneers recognized the important role that a Lutheran educational institution on the Western frontier of America could play in the emerging future of the region. They wanted the institution to help immigrants adjust to their new land and find jobs, but they also wanted it to produce graduates who would serve church and community. Education—and educating for service—was a venerated part of the Scandinavian traditions from which these pioneers came.
Although founded as a university, the institution functioned primarily as an academy until 1918, when it closed for two years. It reopened as the two-year Pacific Lutheran College, after merging with Columbia College, previously located in Everett. Further consolidations occurred when Spokane College merged with PLC in 1929. Four-year baccalaureate degrees were first offered in education in 1939 and in the liberal arts in 1942. The institution was reorganized as a university in 1960, reclaiming its original name. It presently includes a College of Arts and Sciences; professional schools of the Arts, Business, Education, Nursing, and Physical Education; and both graduate and continuing education programs.
PLU has been closely and productively affiliated with the Lutheran church throughout its history. It is now a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), owned by the more than six hundred congregations of Region 1 of the ELCA.
Many influences and individuals have combined to shape PLU and its regional, national, and increasingly international reputation for teaching, service, and scholarship. A dedicated faculty has been an extremely important factor. The school has enjoyed a strong musical tradition from the beginning, as well as noteworthy alumni achievements in public school teaching and administration, university teaching and scholarship, the pastoral ministry, the health sciences and healing arts, and business. At PLU the liberal arts and professional education are closely integrated and collaborative in their educational philosophies, activities, and aspirations.
To provide for the professional growth and cultural enrichment of persons unable to take a traditional college course schedule, the university conducts late-afternoon, evening, and Saturday classes. In addition to a wide variety of offerings in the arts and sciences, there are specialized and graduate courses for teachers, administrators, and persons in business and industry.
The retention of students entering as first-year students has been
monitored since 1972. The data for the past fifteen years is presented
in the following table:
| Retention of Entering First-Year Students | |||
| Fall |
To Sophomore Year |
To Junior Year |
To Senior Year |
| 1988 |
75.7% | 65.4% | 62.7% |
| 1989 |
80.9% | 70.1% | 66.0% |
| 1990 |
77.4% |
66.0% | 63.5% |
| 1991 |
81.3% | 71.1% | 67.9% |
| 1992 |
79.9% | 73.4% | 68.1% |
| 1993 |
79.8% | 70.2% | 66.5% |
| 1994 |
78.3% | 67.8% | 64.8% |
| 1995 |
78.0% | 67.4% | 63.6% |
| 1996 |
84.3% | 74.1% | 69.7% |
| 1997 |
83.3% | 74.8% | 69.6% |
| 1998 |
80.2% | 69.5% | 66.5% |
| 1999 |
80.1% | 69.9% | 65.7% |
| 2000 |
82.0% | 73.6% | 68.1% |
| 2001 |
80.6% | 70.6% | |
| 2002 |
83.1% | ||
Pacific Lutheran University is a community of scholars, a community of readers and writers. Reading informs the intellect and liberates the imagination. Writing pervades our academic lives as teachers and students, both as a way of communicating what we learn and as a means of shaping thoughts and ideas.
All faculty members share the responsibility for improving the literacy of their students. Faculty in every department and school make writing an essential part of their courses and show students how to ask questions appropriate to the kinds of reading done in their fields. Students write both formal papers and reports and informal notes and essays in order to master the content and methods of the various disciplines. They are encouraged to prepare important papers in multiple drafts.