University of Puget Sound

African American Studies

African American Studies is an interdisciplinary program. The program focuses on African American experiences, while recognizing that other academic subjects bear importantly on the understanding of these experiences and should have a place in the African American Studies curriculum.

Art History

Art history majors develop an understanding of the trajectory of multiple art historical periods and cultivate skills in analyzing artworks from a wide range of cultures and from various methodological approaches. Students are also introduced to the historiography of the discipline and fundamental methods of analyzing art. Written work culminates in the presentation of a capstone paper that demonstrates the student's ability to apply methods of research and analysis.

Biochemistry

The Biochemistry degree emphasizes the chemical basis of biological systems, with students developing skills in interdisciplinary inquiry that include cell biology, genetics, and biochemical laboratory techniques. The Bachelor of Science Degree in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is approved by the American Chemical Society.

Biology

The Biology Department offers a breadth of courses in modern biology for science majors and courses on contemporary topics in biology for non-majors. The curriculum for majors covers modern biology from molecules and cells through organisms, populations, and ecosystems.

Business

The Business Administration degree provides students a solid foundation in the areas of accounting, finance, marketing, management, and law and ethics. The flexibility of this degree allows students to explore a breadth of courses in business and to pursue a course of study that meets individual interests.

Chemistry (BA)

The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department offers a broad-based curriculum designed to meet the needs of a variety of students, from those taking only one or two chemistry courses in order to broaden their liberal arts background to those majoring in chemistry in preparation for a career in the chemical sciences. The Chemistry degree places emphasis on advanced instrumental analysis, quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, and inorganic chemistry.

Chemistry (BS)

The Chemistry degree is rooted in fundamentals of chemistry that include chemical thermodynamics and atomic structure, chemical analysis, organic chemistry, and laboratory techniques, and places emphasis on advanced instrumental analysis, quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, and inorganic chemistry. The Bachelor of Science Degree in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is approved by the American Chemical Society.

Chinese

The Asian Studies Department offers courses on Asian languages, cultures, civilizations, and societies, in a broad geographical range that includes East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The major in Chinese Language and Culture combines language study with coursework on Chinese culture and society.

Communication Studies

Students majoring in Communication Studies examine the human, social, political, institutional, and mediated dimensions of human communication practices and processes. In every course in the program, students learn how these communication practices and processes construct and reconstruct meanings, enable and constrain social interaction, and interact with institutional structures and cultural forces.

Computer Science

Computer scientists design and study algorithms to solve difficult real-world problems, learn software engineering patterns to break down large projects into manageable pieces, and study the design of programming languages themselves. Those choosing to major in computer science explore a rich set of elective courses, including artificial intelligence, computer graphics, database management systems, and computer networks.

Counseling

The MEd program in Counseling is designed for individuals seeking to assume professional roles as school and clinical mental health counselors. The MEd program provides skills and knowledge that will enable students to adjust to changing circumstances that will affect their professional practice in the future.

Earth and Environmental Science

Offered by the Environmental Studies and Sciences Department, this interdisciplinary major applies systems thinking to current and projected environmental issues across the sciences. Students engage in interdisciplinary dialogue across the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities.

Economics (BA)

Economics focuses on decision making and problem solving. It concerns itself with making intelligent individual and social choices in a world of scarcity. The department believes that a student who spends four years wrestling with economic issues and developing the analytical tools necessary to resolve them will emerge with sharpened reasoning and communication skills.

Economics (BS)

Economics focuses on decision making and problem solving. It concerns itself with making intelligent individual and social choices in a world of scarcity. The Bachelor of Science option adds additional quantitative and mathematical coursework to the economics major.

English

The English Department combines the traditional study of literature with current developments in rhetorical, cultural, and new media work. In addition to substantial courses in English, American, and Anglophone literatures, offerings include ecocriticism, journalism, literacy and linguistic studies, and medical discourse.

Environmental Arts and Humanities

Environmental arts and humanities examine the role that humanistic inquiry and artistic practice play in how we engage with the environment. The environmental arts and humanities intersect with the social and natural sciences and employ methodologies of history, philosophy, religion, literature, and cultural studies, as well as the performing and visual arts. Students who major in environmental arts and humanities integrate it with a primary major in another field of study.

Environmental Policy and Decision-Making

Environmental policy and decision making is a field of study that focuses on how individual and collective decisions interact with the environment. This includes a critical examination of the social, political, economic, and scientific contexts for decision making and an understanding of values, norms, interests, incentives, and scientific information influencing decisions and actions.

Exercise Science

The Exercise Science Department provides a scientific background which fosters critical thinking related to human health and performance in the areas of nutrition, exercise physiology, biomechanics, and neuromuscular adaptation. Students will learn about the structure and function of the human body and how the body responds to exercise.

French and Francophone Studies

The French and Francophone Studies Department offers distinct majors that combine the study of language, culture and literature. All majors in the department complete a semester of study abroad in a department-approved program and compile an ePortfolio of their work.

French International Affairs

The French Language/International Affairs major combines advanced study of French language with coursework in international politics and in international business or economics. Students complete a semester of study abroad in a department-approved program.

Gender and Queer Studies

As the home to one of the nation's first Women's Studies programs, the University of Puget Sound has a long tradition of exploring issues pertaining to sexuality, identity, and gender. The program teaches students to understand, apply and critique key concepts and theoretical positions in feminist, gender and queer studies, and to use and interrogate gender and sexuality as categories of analysis.

German and East European Culture and History

This major combines the study of German language with coursework on the culture and history of Germany and East Europe. It is offered by the German Studies Department.

German Studies

The German Studies faculty believes that sustained immersion in a different culture is essential to a modern education, regardless of major. Adjusting to different customs, perspectives, and values as an individual within a group of native speakers allows students to develop intercultural competence.

Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies

This interdisciplinary field encompasses the languages, myth, literature, philosophy, and history of the people of the ancient Mediterranean basin. The Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies Department presents as wide a range of courses as possible in this diverse but fundamentally unified field.

Hispanic International Studies

Offered by the Department of Hispanic Studies, this major combines advanced Spanish language study with coursework in international and interdisciplinary fields. Students study the literary and cultural production of Iberian, Latin American, and U.S. Hispanic cultures.

Hispanic Studies (Language, Culture, and Literature)

The Department of Hispanic Studies offers a sound educational experience centered on the study of the language as well as the literary and cultural production of Iberian, Latin American, and U.S. Hispanic cultures, from their origins to the present time.

History

History, far from being dead and gone, continues to shape our world in ways large and small. Seeing how this is so means opening a conversation about how human beings have lived their lives in many places and times around the world. In our classes, we explore a wide range of vital topics.

International Political Economy

The International Political Economy (IPE) major prepares students for an increasingly interdependent world through the study of global issues. Students take courses in IPE, as well as in economics, political science, sociology and anthropology, so they can understand the world from different (and sometimes competing) perspectives. The IPE major culminates in a senior thesis.

Japanese

The Asian Studies Department offers courses on Asian languages, cultures, civilizations, and societies, in a broad geographical range that includes East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The major in Japanese Language and Culture combines language study with coursework on Japanese culture and society.

Latina/o Studies

Latina/o Studies is an academic field born out of the social and political movements of Latinos in the U.S. The Latina/o Studies program (LTS) explores the historical, cultural, political, and socio-economic experiences of the largest marginalized ethnic group in the United States.

Learning, Teaching, and Leadership

A student admitted to the MAT program, who later decides not to complete the preparation for classroom teaching, may consider completion of the Learning, Teaching, and Leadership Master of Education degree. A decision to undertake the Learning, Teaching, and Leadership program is made in consultation with the School of Education faculty and is generally made in the spring semester of the MAT program. The program of study blends the fall semester MAT courses with other specially selected courses.

Liberal Studies

The Liberal Studies program leads to a major that allows students to explore broad themes essential to a liberal arts education. The central question of the major is "How do we know what we know?" The degree is offered through the Freedom Education Project Puget Sound to incarcerated students at the Washington Corrections Center for Women.

Mathematics

The foundation for a major in mathematics is formed by completing a sequence of three courses in calculus, and a course in linear algebra. Building upon this foundation, students can select from a number of upper-division mathematics courses that broaden and deepen their understanding of mathematics, exploring areas such as abstract algebra, real and complex analysis, probability and statistics, mathematical modeling, and optimization.

Molecular and Cellular Biology

The Molecular and Cellular Biology major is an interdisciplinary program administered through the Biology Department. It focuses on the study of biological processes at the molecular and cellular levels.

Music

The Bachelor of Arts is offered as a traditional liberal arts degree providing broad, flexible coverage of cultural, historical, analytical, and creative issues in the field. An entrance audition is required for formal acceptance into the School of Music.

Music Education

The Bachelor of Music in Music Education prepares students to teach music in schools, with tracks in instrumental and general, choral and general, and comprehensive music education. Graduates will be able to achieve Washington State teacher certification by completing the Master of Arts in Teaching degree.

Music Songwriting

The Bachelor of Arts in Music with an Emphasis in Songwriting provides a foundation in music with composition and performance in popular music styles. Songwriting students take Class Voice for Popular Musicians, Recording Techniques, and Popular Music Ensemble.

Natural Science

This major is designed to serve the needs of students who desire a broad background in the natural sciences. It may serve students who plan to teach, and it is a useful major for students considering post-graduate studies in health professions.

Neuroscience

The Neuroscience Program provides a forum for faculty and students interested in the sub-disciplines within the field of neuroscience. A key feature of this program is a research or internship experience in the field. Within the Neuroscience Major, five disciplinary concentrations have been identified in Philosophy, Economics, Visual and Performing Arts, Religion and Spirituality, and Bioethics.

Occupational Therapy

The entry-level Master's program in Occupational Therapy, leading to a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT), is for college graduates who wish to become occupational therapists. The program, which requires completion of 14.75 units of Occupational Therapy coursework, is two academic years in length plus a minimum of six months of full-time fieldwork experience. The catalog states the requirement as 14.75 units of graduate credit rather than a credit-hour total.

Occupational Therapy (DrOT)

The School of Occupational Therapy offers a Post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (DrOT) Program designed to fit all levels of experience, whether you are a new entry-level occupational therapist or a seasoned one. The twelve-month curriculum is designed to be student-centered and to support students' development of advanced practice skills that support their career goals.

Occupational Therapy (OTD)

The entry-level Doctoral program in Occupational Therapy, leading to a Doctor of Science in Occupational Therapy (OTD), is for college graduates who wish to become occupational therapists, specifically those interested in leadership or managerial positions, or those interested in program development.

Performance

The Bachelor of Music is offered in Performance in keyboard, voice, and all standard orchestral instruments. Recital requirements include a minimum of one-half of a formal recital or three noon recital appearances in the junior year and a full recital in the senior year.

Philosophy

Philosophy is the systematic consideration of timeless and timely questions of human concern. What is it to be human? What is real? How should we live? What can we know?

Physical Therapy

The Physical Therapy program is a post-baccalaureate graduate program leading to a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (DPT). The program is designed to educate an entry-level physical therapist. That is, the graduate student studies to enter the profession rather than to become a specialist within the profession.

Physics

The department addresses the needs of physics majors, Dual Degree Engineering students, and other science majors. The department also supports the university's liberal arts emphasis by providing coursework for students majoring in all areas, in order to broaden their intellectual reach.

Physics (Pre-Engineering)

This major provides the physics and mathematics foundation for students pursuing engineering through the university's Dual Degree Engineering Program. The degree is awarded upon completion of the Baccalaureate in Engineering.

Politics and Government

Politics is about the struggle over power, authority, freedom, justice, security, and peace—the core issues of public life. The Department of Politics and Government trains students to understand these issues at the local, national, and international level, by providing a wide-ranging yet integrated study of politics and governance.

Psychology (BA)

Psychology is the study of human and non-human animal thought and behavior. A current assessment of the field of psychology recognizes its application within a wide variety of professions including basic research, business, education, law, physical and occupational therapy, medicine, and clinical practice.

Psychology (BS)

Psychology is the study of human and non-human animal thought and behavior. The Bachelor of Science option emphasizes the scientific and quantitative foundations of the discipline in preparation for research and health-related careers.

Public Health

The mission of the University of Puget Sound Master of Public Health (MPH) program is to prepare culturally responsive graduates who promote health equity and community wellness, and work to prevent injury and illness. The program fosters students to develop a passion for life-long learning, research, and public health practice that is transdisciplinary, translational, and undergirded by active critical reflection.

Religion, Spirituality, and Society

For students seeking a socially engaged liberal arts education, the Department of Religion, Spirituality, and Society explores questions of power, knowledge, and identity as they relate to religious traditions. While developing a deeper understanding of oneself as a situated knower, students also explore individual religious traditions in depth, as well as broad themes.

Science, Technology, Health, and Society

The Science, Technology, Health, and Society (STHS) Program offers an interdisciplinary major and minor that focuses on the history, philosophy, and sociology of science, technology, and health. STHS courses encourage students to consider how science, technology, and health are linked to all aspects of human experience, including culture, economics, politics, and religion.

Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology and anthropology are related disciplines that help us understand cultural patterns, social processes, and human behavior. Sociology challenges us to connect individual and personal concerns to broader, collective issues by understanding complex norms and varied social structures. Anthropology challenges us to engage cultural difference and reflect on human diversity across the globe.

Special Interdisciplinary Major (BA)

The purpose of the Special Interdisciplinary Major (SIM) is to permit exceptional students to complete a degree at Puget Sound through a course of study that draws upon the curricula of two or more departments, schools, or programs. The SIM may be in a recognized interdisciplinary field or in an emergent field.

Special Interdisciplinary Major (BS)

The purpose of the Special Interdisciplinary Major (SIM) is to permit exceptional students to complete a degree at Puget Sound through a course of study that draws upon the curricula of two or more departments, schools, or programs. The course of study is designed by the student in concert with a multi-disciplinary faculty committee.

Studio Art

Studio art students master distinct processes, an understanding of the principles of design, a familiarity with art history, sensitivity to expression, and strong visual communication skills. They also cultivate the ability to synthesize formal and conceptual issues and develop an understanding of how visual art relates to contemporary culture.

Teaching

The University of Puget Sound's Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program is designed to prepare educators in the liberal arts tradition who are able to make knowledgeable decisions about their professional practice. Candidates develop the capacity to consider teaching and learning from multiple perspectives, to build on the strengths and address the needs of diverse learners, and to navigate the complexity of schools. The Master of Arts in Teaching qualifies graduates for teacher certification.

Theatre Arts

Theatre Arts offers courses and creative activities in which students learn to make, understand, and evaluate theatrical events. In doing so, students acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to become collaborative, informed, imaginative, and engaged theatre makers.