Welcome

The University of Oregon affirms and actively promotes the right of all individuals to equal opportunity in education and employment at this institution without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other consideration not directly and substantively related to effective performance. This policy implements all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and executive orders. Direct related inquiries to the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, 677 E. 12th Ave., Suite 452, 5221 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-5221; telephone 541-346-3123.

This publication will be made available in accessible formats upon request. Call the Office of Communications–Design and Editing Services, 541-346-5396.

Mission Statement

The University of Oregon is a comprehensive research university that serves its students and the people of Oregon, the nation, and the world through the creation and transfer of knowledge in the liberal arts, the natural and social sciences, and the professions. It is the Association of American Universities flagship institution of the Oregon University System.

The university is a community of scholars dedicated to the highest standards of academic inquiry, learning, and service. Recognizing that knowledge is the fundamental wealth of civilization, the university strives to enrich the public that sustains it through

• a commitment to undergraduate education, with a goal of helping the individual learn to question critically, think logically, communicate clearly, act creatively, and live ethically
• a commitment to graduate education to develop creators and innovators who will generate new knowledge and shape experience for the benefit of humanity
• a recognition that research, both basic and applied, is essential to the intellectual health of the university, as well as to the enrichment of the lives of Oregonians, by energizing the state’s economic, cultural, and political structure
• the establishment of a framework for lifelong learning that leads to productive careers and to the enduring joy of inquiry
• the integration of teaching, research, and service as mutually enriching enterprises that together accomplish the university’s mission and support its spirit of community
• the acceptance of the challenge of an evolving social, political, and technological environment by welcoming and guiding change rather than reacting to it
• a dedication to the principles of equality of opportunity and freedom from unfair discrimination for all members of the university community and an acceptance of true diversity as an affirmation of individual identity within a welcoming community
• a commitment to international awareness and understanding, and to the development of a faculty and student body that are capable of participating effectively in a global society
• the conviction that freedom of thought and expression is the bedrock principle on which university activity is based
• the cultivation of an attitude toward citizenship that fosters a caring, supportive atmosphere on campus and the wise exercise of civic responsibilities and individual judgment throughout life
• a continuing commitment to affordable public higher education

Inspiration and Discovery

Generations of leaders and citizens have studied at the University of Oregon since it opened in 1876. Today’s students, like the 200,000 alumni before them, have access to the most current knowledge in lectures, laboratories, and seminars conducted by active researchers. By sharing their research through teaching, faculty members are better able to articulate their findings and to integrate their specialized studies with broader areas of knowledge.

University of Oregon students select courses from departments and programs in the College of Arts and Sciences and from six professional schools and colleges and the Robert D. Clark Honors College. Some 980 full-time faculty members and 1,472 graduate and research assistants serve as mentors, colleagues, and friends to the 24,447 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the university.

Although most students are from Oregon, 36 percent are from other states and nearly 9 percent from other countries. The mix of backgrounds gives students a chance to know people they might not meet otherwise—a real asset in a world where national and international relations influence everyday life.

Teaching, research, and a spirit of sharing are characteristics of the campus community. Faculty members and students engage in research programs that bring to the university approximately $110 million in research grants each year, primarily from federal agencies. The university’s science departments receive national attention for their work in such areas as computer science, genetics, materials, optics, and neuroscience. Eight faculty members belong to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and five have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Connection to Community

The sharing of knowledge and the love of learning do not stop at the campus borders. Public service is important to the university.

Members of the UO faculty share their experience and knowledge in community activities that include service in local and state governments. They also serve as consultants for businesses, industries, school districts, and government agencies. Students work as interns in a variety of educational programs in the community and volunteer for service activities.

University programs that serve the public include Academic Extension, which offers for-credit and noncredit activities throughout the state. Planning and technical assistance from the Community Service Center helps Oregon communities solve local problems and improve the quality of life in rural Oregon. For more than four decades, the Oregon Bach Festival has offered an annual program of concerts and master classes to music lovers in the Pacific Northwest. The UO’s classical music radio station, KWAX-FM, is an affiliate of the Public Radio International Classical 24. KWAX programs are rebroadcast on translators in several coastal and central Oregon communities and cybercasts entertain listeners around the world.

The university’s presence is evident at its off-campus facilities—Pine Mountain Observatory in Central Oregon near Bend—and its academic programs in Portland, Central Oregon, and at the coastal Oregon Institute of Marine Biology in Charleston. Access is enabled through several online and hybrid programs.

The university is one of the largest and most stable employers in the state, employing more Oregonians than any firm in the Oregon Business Magazine's list of top 150 private companies. The UO directly and indirectly supports 13,247 jobs in Oregon, with associated household earnings of $658 million.

The Campus Experience

The university’s 295-acre campus is an arboretum of more than 500 species and more than 3,000 specimens of trees. Campus buildings date from 1876, when Deady Hall opened, to the present, with the new Cheryl Ramberg Ford and Allyn Ford Alumni Center, Matthew Knight Arena, John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes, and Global Scholars Hall.

The Museum of Natural and Cultural History is located at East 15th Avenue and Columbia Street. Across campus, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, a member of the American Association of Museums, is noted for its collections of Oriental and Northwest art.

The UO Libraries, a member of the Association of Research Libraries, is an important research facility for scholars throughout the Northwest. The free Oregon Card Program allows Oregon residents who are sixteen or older to borrow from the libraries’ 3 million-volume collection.

Campus athletic facilities include the 54,000-seat Autzen Stadium, the Len Casanova Athletic Center, Ed Moshofsky Sports Center, Papé Field, McArthur Court, Hayward Field’s all-weather track, the Bowerman Family Building, the Student Recreation Center, the Matthew Knight Arena, and open-air and covered tennis courts.

Student-guided tours of the university are available Monday through Friday. Tours may be arranged by calling 541-346-3014. Campus maps and pamphlets describing university programs, answers to questions about services and office locations, and general information about the university are available at the campus visits desk in the lobby of Oregon Hall.

The university’s website has daily news updates and information about programs and events: www.uoregon.edu.

Accreditation

The University of Oregon was elected to membership in the Association of American Universities in 1969. The university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Individual programs in the university’s professional schools and colleges are accredited by the following organizations:

Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications

American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business

American Association of Museums

American Bar Association

American Chemical Society

American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-4242, 202-336-5979

American Society of Landscape Architects

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education

Council for Exceptional Children

Foundation for Interior Design Education Research

National Architectural Accrediting Board

National Association of School Psychologists

National Association of Schools of Music

National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration

National Athletic Trainers Association

Planning Accreditation Board

Teacher Standards and Practices Commission

Catalog Expiration and Requirements Policies

The University of Oregon Catalog lists requirements for active degrees offered by the university.

Each catalog goes into effect at the beginning of fall term the academic year of issue. It expires at the end of summer session the seventh academic year after publication.

Advisors and other university employees are available to help, but students have final responsibility for satisfying degree requirements for graduation.

Undergraduate Students

1. To receive an undergraduate degree, a student must have satisfied, at the time of graduation, all requirements for the degree listed in one of the following:

a. the unexpired catalog in effect when the student was first admitted and enrolled at the University of Oregon

or

b. any subsequent catalog that has not yet expired

2. To fulfill major or minor program requirements, a student must complete the requirements in effect:

a. when the student first declared the major or minor

or

b. when the student changed to a different major or minor

Exceptions to major or minor requirements may be made by the department or program offering the major or minor.

Graduate Students

1. To receive a graduate degree, a continuously enrolled student must have completed, at the time of graduation, all requirements described in the department and Graduate School sections of the catalog in effect when the student was first admitted and enrolled at the University of Oregon
2. A student who has not maintained continuous enrollment is subject to the requirements described in the department and Graduate School sections of the catalog in effect the first term the student was readmitted by the Graduate School and reenrolled at the University of Oregon

Requests for exceptions to graduate degree requirements must be submitted in writing to the Graduate School prior to graduation.

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this catalog, the University of Oregon and the State Board of Higher Education have the right to make changes at any time without prior notice. This catalog is not a contract between the University of Oregon and current or prospective students.