Though Seattle Pacific University makes every effort to provide students with effective academic advising, the final responsibility for meeting all academic and graduation requirements rests with each individual student.
- 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.
- You may request reasonable substitutions for specific requirements through a petition to Student Academic Services in Demaray Hall 120. (Read more about student academic appeals and exceptions to academic policy.)
- Advising by University personnel inconsistent with published statements is not binding.
General Education curriculum requirements
Most undergraduate students entering Seattle Pacific University during the 2016–17 academic year follow the same general education curriculum to complete their undergraduate degrees. This curriculum includes:
- The Common Curriculum, including 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 has completed an associate degree through a community college in Washington, Oregon, or California, refer to the Transfer Student information in the Admissions section of this catalog for information about how the particular degree may apply toward fulfillment of SPU’s competency requirements, Common Curriculum, and Exploratory Curriculum.
Once you have begun classes at Seattle Pacific, you should never enroll in a course at another institution without consulting a faculty advisor and an academic counselor, and without completing an Application for Studying Away.
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.
Graduation requirements
All students completing a first bachelor’s degree at Seattle Pacific University are governed by the following policies and requirements:
- A minimum of 180 college-level, quarter credits.
- At least 60 credits earned in upper-division (UD) courses (those numbered 3000–4999).
- At least 45 college-level credits earned in residence as a matriculated student. (Credits earned by examination do not satisfy the residence requirement.)
- At least 25 of the final 45 credits for the degree must be earned from SPU.
- A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 in all courses applicable to the degree.
- A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 in all college-level courses taken at SPU.
- With the exception of courses from pre-approved study abroad programs, no more than 20 credits may be earned from another institution after a student has matriculated at SPU.
- You may not take courses concurrently from SPU and another institution during the regular academic year (Autumn through Spring quarters) unless participating in an approved study abroad program.
- “Pass” grades do not fulfill requirements in the major or minor, in the Exploratory Curriculum, in University Foundations, in University Core, in the General Education, or in the University Scholars curriculum.
- Satisfactory completion of your academic major.
- Demonstration of competency in a foreign language, either through coursework or one of the means outlined under Foreign Language Competency.
- If you enter SPU with freshman or sophomore standing, you are required to complete 8 credits in writing (“W”) courses prior to graduation; if you enter as a junior, you are required to complete 5 credits; if you enter SPU as a senior, you are required to complete 3 credits. (See the section on "W" Requirements.)
- All degree requirements for a major or minor are determined by the Undergraduate Catalog in effect when you are accepted to the major or minor.
- For example, if you are accepted to a major in Autumn Quarter 2017, you are subject to all major requirements listed in the 2017–18 Undergraduate Catalog.
- First-year students are encouraged to apply for a major no later than April of their sophomore year, or as soon as they are eligible based on that major’s admission policies and procedures.
- Transfer students who enter as juniors or seniors should apply to a major as soon as they are eligible based on that major's admission policies and procedures.
- Major and minor applications are available online in Banner, in most cases.
- Policies and procedures related to application for graduation and degree posting:
- You must be accepted into a major prior to applying for graduation.
- You are responsible for applying for graduation. Apply through the Banner Information System by selecting Student Menu then Graduation Menu. For application deadlines, see the Graduation section of this catalog.
- You may change your application for graduation, but you should notify your undergraduate academic counselor of the change at least one quarter in advance of the previous intended quarter of graduation.
- Your degree will not be posted to your academic transcript, nor will your diploma be ordered, until all requirements are completed, including any outstanding I and N grades.
- The quarter in which you complete your final degree requirements will be listed as your quarter of graduation.
- The official record of your degree completion is the official SPU academic transcript.