Undergraduate programs
Baccalaureate Degrees
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a large and diversified unit offering more than 20 majors (some with additional choices of sub-specialization), several academic certificates and teaching endorsements, and numerous departmental minors.
The college also offers a selection of alternative programs for students who are highly motivated and who have a record of high scholarly achievement. Students may obtain information concerning any one of several departmental honors tracks from the participating department. These programs generally allow an accelerated exposure to higher education, thereby broadening the experience of the student.
All majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, along with University and general education requirements, lead to a bachelor’s degree. Requirements for each major are listed under the appropriate department. (Students wishing to emphasize a broad study in arts and letters, science, or social science may do so by majoring in liberal studies. For these options see Interdisciplinary Studies: Arts and Letters, Social Science.)
Certificates
Specialized undergraduate and graduate academic certificates are offered by the following units in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: the School of Gender, Race, and Nations; Applied Linguistics; Black Studies; Chicano/Latino Studies; Conflict Resolution; English; Environmental Science and Management; Geography; Geology; Mathematics; Systems Science; Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and World Languages and Literatures. Requirements for these certificates are listed under the appropriate department.
Secondary teaching licenses allow the student to teach the selected discipline at specified grade levels in public schools in Oregon. Recommended courses for those preparing to be teachers are listed under appropriate departments.
Minors
The following departments and programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offer academic minors: Anthropology; Applied Linguistics; Biology; Black Studies; Chemistry; Chicano/Latino Studies; Communication; Conflict Resolution; English; Environmental Science and Management; Geography; Geology; History; Indigenous Nations Studies; Judaic Studies; Mathematics and Statistics; Philosophy; Physics; Pre-Education (Elementary Education, Elementary Science, Secondary Education, and Special Education), Psychology; Sociology; Systems Science, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and World Languages and Literatures. Students majoring in a field of study outside Liberal Arts and Sciences also may declare an academic minor in one of these programs. The requirements for these minors are indicated within the appropriate department sections of this Bulletin.
High School College programs
503-725-3430
Joy Beckett, Director
Stephanie Gustafson, Program Coordinator
Sarah Holliday, Event Coordinator
Challenge Program
The Challenge Program is a cooperative program between Portland State University and metropolitan area high schools. It provides eligible high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to take regular PSU college courses on their own campuses at reduced cost.
Students who have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 and have met course prerequisites are eligible to enroll in Challenge courses offered in their high school.
The Challenge Program currently offers introductory college courses in Chemistry, English, World Languages and Literatures, History, Mathematics, Geology, PSU Honors, and Computer Science. Course content is equivalent to that offered to Portland State University students on the home campus. College-level texts and materials are used.
Students who successfully complete their Challenge Program coursework are entitled to a regular Portland State University transcript. The credit earned by the student can be transferred to many colleges and universities regionally and nationally.
More information is available at http://www.pdx.edu/challenge-program.