Baccalaureate Degree Requirements
- The Undergraduate Catalog under which you are admitted to SPU serves as the official record of admission, general academic, and general graduation requirements, with the exception of standards governing the completion of your major and/or minor.
- The quarter in which you are accepted into a major or minor by the school or department offering the major or minor will determine the Undergraduate Catalog from which the major and/or minor requirements will be applied.
- Degrees are awarded and posted to your transcript based on the quarter in which you fulfill all degree requirements. Your degree will be posted within one quarter after your last quarter of enrollment.
- All students are provided with academic advising, however the responsibility to fulfill all degree requirements rests with each individual student. Advising by University personnel inconsistent with statements published in this catalog is not binding.
General Education Curriculum Requirements
Most undergraduate students entering Seattle Pacific University follow the standard general education curriculum to complete their undergraduate degrees. Students in the Honors Program fulfill the general education component of their degree through the Honors Liberal Arts major, and those admitted to the Professional Studies Program complete the curriculum for special programs. The standard general education curriculum includes:
- The Common Curriculum, which consists of the University Colloquium, Academic Writing, University Core, University Foundations, and Senior Capstone courses
- The Exploratory Curriculum, including Ways of Knowing and Ways of Engaging courses
If you are a transfer student who, prior to first matriculation at SPU, completed a Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) associate degree through a community college in Washington or a recognized comparable degree from Oregon, or California, find out how these particular degrees may apply toward fulfillment of SPU’s baccalaureate degree requirements. Information about how the Associate in Science-Transfer (AS-T) degrees apply to your degree is found in the Admissions section of this catalog. If you transferred to SPU without completing an associate degree, consult the Transfer Equivalency Guide to see how your courses may transfer toward SPU degree requirements.
Associate degrees earned after your initial matriculation at SPU will not be recognized, unless you are an official participant in the Reverse Transfer DTA associate degree agreement.
Policies governing transfer of credits are found in the Transfer Students section of this catalog, with addition information listed under Enrollment at Other Institutions for those taking credits elsewhere after matriculation at SPU.
Standard Graduation Requirements Checklist
The following coursework is required to complete a baccalaureate degree at Seattle Pacific University. Students should refer to their online Degree Check in Banner to track their progress towards completion of their degree.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Total College-Level Credits (Minimum) A | 180 | |
| Upper Division Credits (Minimum) B | 60 | |
| Major C | ||
| Minor D | ||
| General Education | ||
| Foreign Language Competency | ||
| "W" Writing Requirement E | 3-8 | |
| Cultural Understanding and Engagement | 3 | |
| Common Curriculum | ||
| University Colloquium | 1 | |
| University Colloquium | ||
| Academic Inquiry and Writing F | 5-10 | |
| Academic Inquiry and Writing Seminar | ||
| Disciplinary Research and Writing Seminar | ||
| University Core | 10 | |
| The Emergence of the Modern Global Systems | ||
| Faith, Philosophy, and Science | ||
| University Foundations G | 10-15 | |
| The Christian Faith | ||
| Christian Scripture G | ||
| Christian Theology | ||
| Exploratory Curriculum | ||
| Ways of Knowing in the Arts | 5 | |
| Ways of Knowing in the Humanities | 5 | |
| Ways of Knowing in the Social Sciences | 5 | |
| Ways of Knowing Quantitative Reasoning | 5 | |
| Ways of Knowing in the Sciences | 10 | |
| Ways of Engaging | 5 | |
- A
Courses numbered 1000-4999 are considered college level. At least 45 of the 180 credits must be completed at SPU as a matriculated student, including 25 of the last 45 credits for the degree. All college-level courses for which credit is received (for example, general education or courses in the major) apply to the 180 credit requirement.
- B
Upper Division courses are numbered 3000-4999 and carry the UD attribute. At least 15 Upper Division credits in the major (10 in the minor) must be completed at SPU as a matriculated student.
- C
The completion of one major is required, see the Standards Governing Completion of a Major for details. Students may elect to complete a second major as part of their baccalaureate degree.
- D
The completion of a minor is optional. See the Standards Governing Completion of a Minor for details.
- E
Students admitted as First Year or Sophomores are required to take 8 credits. Those admitted as Juniors are required to take 5 credits, and those admitted as Seniors are required to take 3 credits.
- F
Students admitted as Juniors and Seniors complete only 5 credits of writing. See Academic Counselor for placement.
- G
Students admitted as Juniors or Seniors complete only 10 credits of University Foundations: UFDN 3001 and UFDN 3100
Honors Graduation Requirements Checklist
The following coursework is required to complete a baccalaureate degree for students admitted to the Honors major at Seattle Pacific University. Students completing the Honors minor must follow the standard graduation requirements. Students should refer to their online Degree Check in Banner to track their progress towards completion of their degree.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Total College-Level Credits (Minimum) A | 180 | |
| Upper Division Credits (Minimum) B | 60 | |
| Honors Major C | ||
| Major D | ||
| Minor E | ||
| General Education | ||
| Foreign Language Competency | ||
| "W" Writing Requirement F | 3-8 | |
| Cultural Understanding and Engagement | 3 | |
| Common Curriculum | ||
| University Foundations G | 10-15 | |
| The Christian Faith | ||
| Christian Scripture G | ||
| Christian Theology | ||
| Exploratory Curriculum | ||
| Ways of Knowing Quantitative Reasoning | 5 | |
| Ways of Knowing in the Sciences | 5 | |
- A
Courses numbered 1000-4999 are considered college level. At least 45 of the 180 credits must be completed at SPU as a matriculated student, including 25 of the last 45 credits for the degree. All college-level courses for which credit is received (for example, general education or courses in the major) apply to the 180 credit requirement.
- B
Upper Division courses are numbered 3000-4999 and carry the UD attribute. At least 15 Upper Division credits in the major (10 in the minor) must be completed at SPU as a matriculated student.
- C
Completion of the Honors major is required.
- D
The completion of one major is required, in addition to the Honors major. See the Standards Governing Completion of a Major for details.
- E
The completion of a minor is optional. See the Standards Governing Completion of a Minor for details.
- F
Students admitted as First Year or Sophomores are required to take 8 credits. Those admitted as Juniors are required to take 5 credits, and those admitted as Seniors are required to take 3 credits.
- G
Students admitted as Juniors or Seniors complete only 10 credits of University Foundations: UFDN 3001 and UFDN 3100.
Curriculum for Special Programs Graduation Requirements Checklist
The following coursework is required for students admitted to the Professional Studies program at Seattle Pacific University. Students should refer to their online Degree Check in Banner to track their progress towards completion of their degree.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Total College-Level Credits (Minimum) A | 180 | |
| Upper Division Credits (Minimum) B | 60 | |
| Major C | ||
| Minor D | ||
| General Education | ||
| "W" Writing Requirement E | 3-8 | |
| Common Curriculum | ||
| University Foundations G | 10-15 | |
| The Christian Faith | ||
| Christian Scripture G | ||
| Christian Theology | ||
| Exploratory Curriculum | ||
| Academic Inquiry and Writing | 3 | |
| Ways of Knowing in the Arts | 10 | |
| Ways of Knowing in the Humanities | 10 | |
| Ways of Knowing in the Social Sciences | 10 | |
| Ways of Knowing Quantitative Reasoning | 5 | |
| Ways of Knowing in the Sciences | 10 | |
- A
Courses numbered 1000-4999 are considered college level. At least 45 of the 180 credits must be completed at SPU as a matriculated student, including 25 of the last 45 credits for the degree. All college-level courses for which credit is received (for example, general education or courses in the major) apply to the 180 credit requirement.
- B
Upper Division courses are numbered 3000-4999 and carry the UD attribute. At least 15 Upper Division credits in the major (10 in the minor) must be completed at SPU as a matriculated student.
- C
The completion of one major is required (NOTE: Students in the Professional Studies Program complete a minor at SPU rather than a major). See the Standards Governing Completion of a Major for details. Students may elect to complete a second major as part of their baccalaureate degree.
- D
The completion of a minor is required for students admitted to the Professional Studies program. See the Standards Governing Completion of a Minor for details.
- E
Students admitted as First Year or Sophomores are required to take 8 credits. Those admitted as Juniors are required to take 5 credits, and those admitted as Seniors are required to take 3 credits.
- F
Students admitted as Juniors complete 5 credits of Writing. Students admitted as Seniors complete 3 credits of Writing. See Academic Counselor for placement.
- G
Students admitted as Juniors or Seniors complete only 10 credits of University Foundations: UFDN 3001 and UFDN 3100.