Curriculum for Special Programs

Students in the Professional Studies program, R.N.B. program, and the evening program in electrical engineering follow an alternative curriculum. Students eligible for these programs are specifically identified as such at the time of admission to the University.

Students completing the alternative curriculum must adhere to policies, complete requirements, and fulfill competency areas listed below under Graduation Requirements. This alternative curriculum replaces only the University Core courses and Exploratory Curriculum.

Graduation Requirements
All students completing a first bachelor's degree at Seattle Pacific University are governed by the following requirements and policies:

1. A minimum of 180 college-level credits.
2. A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 in all courses applicable to the degree.
3. A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 in all courses taken at Seattle Pacific University.
4. At least 60 credits earned in courses numbered 3000–4999.
5. At least 45 college-level credits earned in residence as a matriculated student. Credits earned by examination do not satisfy the residence requirement. If only one year is taken at Seattle Pacific University, it must be the senior year.
6. “Pass” grades do not fulfill requirements in the major or minor, in Foundation courses, in courses in the Exploratory Curriculum, in University Seminar, in University Foundations, in University Core, or in General Education.
7. The last 15 credits prior to degree completion must be earned in residence.
8. Achievement of satisfactory scores on the required proficiency test in mathematics and placement test in English, or completion of required remedial coursework.
9. Satisfactory completion of an academic major.
10. Incoming freshmen and sophomores are required to complete 8 credits in writing ("W") courses; incoming juniors are required to complete 5 credits; and incoming seniors are required to complete 3 credits. (See the section on Writing Courses below.)
11. Students are expected to apply to a major by the start of their junior year. Application for major forms are available in the school or division office. Students will be notified by Student Academic Services if they have not been accepted to a major but have completed 120 or more credits at SPU. All degree requirements for a major or minor are determined by the Undergraduate Catalog in effect when the student is accepted to the major or minor. For example, a student accepted to a major in Autumn Quarter 2008 is subject to all major requirements listed in the 2008–2009Undergraduate Catalog.
12. Policies and procedures for baccalaureate degree completion are as follows:
    • Students must be accepted into a major prior to applying for graduation. Students are responsible for applying for graduation. Applications are available in Student Academic Services and may be accessed through the Banner Information System by selecting Student Menu then Academic Progress Menu. For application deadlines, see the Graduation section.
    • A transfer student with junior or senior status must apply for acceptance into a major after completing 15 SPU credits or as soon as admission criteria for the major are met.
    • Students may change their application for graduation and should notify their undergraduate academic counselor of the change at least one quarter in advance of the previous intended quarter of graduation.
    • Degrees will not be posted to student academic transcripts nor diplomas ordered until all requirements are completed, including any outstanding I and N grades.
    • The official record of degree completion is the official SPU academic transcript.

Competency Requirements

There are three areas of competency students following the Curriculum for Special Programs must meet to receive a bachelor’s degree from Seattle Pacific University. These competencies may be fulfilled in a variety of ways. All undergraduate students at Seattle Pacific must demonstrate math and English competency early in their career at SPU and as a condition of graduation. In order to determine competency and assign any necessary remedial coursework, a math proficiency test is administered to incoming students. Math exams are to be taken during the first quarter of study at the University. They are administered at various times throughout the year. The English Placement Test is taken in the University Seminar (USEM 1000), during the first quarter of the student’s freshman year. Transfer students who are required to take the test may do so by scheduling an appointment with the English department.

Students will not be permitted to register for their second quarter until these tests have been taken or the student registers for all necessary remedial coursework. Math and English competencies must be completed within the first four quarters of attendance at SPU. Foreign language competency and writing requirements must be met before a degree is awarded. Unless stipulated by their major, post-baccalaureate students are not required to take the proficiency or placement tests.

Math Skills Competency
Competency in basic mathematics is essential in our technologically oriented society. Students may demonstrate competency in basic mathematics in one of the following ways:

1. By scoring 500 or more on the math portion of the SAT-I exam, if taken prior to April 1995.
2. By scoring 580 or more on the math portion of the SAT-I exam, if taken April 1995 or later.
3. By scoring 25 or more on the math portion of the ACT test.
4. By receiving a grade of C (2.0) or better in a transferable college-level calculus course, or its equivalent. (Survey of calculus classes do not meet this requirement.)
5. By passing the University’s Mathematics Proficiency Examination.
6. By completing all 5 credits of work in MAT 0121–MAT 0125 at the required level of proficiency during the first year of enrollment. If after taking the University’s Mathematics Proficiency Examination 5 credits are required, a student may take MAT 0131 (2 credits) and MAT 0132 (3 credits) to meet this competency.
7. Students holding an acceptable Direct Transfer Agreement A.A. degree from an approved community college have fulfilled this requirement. See Admissions section under Transfer Students for approved degrees.

The mathematics proficiency test covers pre-high school mathematics and emphasizes problem solving. An analysis of errors is done and areas of weakness are determined. Any student whose score on this test falls below accepted college entrance level norms will be required to strengthen these areas of weakness through work in arithmetic review courses during the first year of registration. Before students are permitted to take any mathematics courses (other than arithmetic review) or any courses using mathematics, they must either pass the Mathematics Proficiency Exam or complete the required work in MAT 0121–MAT 0125, or in MAT 0131 (2 credits) and MAT 0132 (3 credits).

Arithmetic review courses are not considered college-level courses. Credits earned in MAT 0121–MAT 0125 or in MAT 0131 and MAT 0132 do not count toward the 180 minimum credits required for graduation. All required coursework in arithmetic review must be completed by the end of a student’s fourth quarter at SPU.

Writing Skills Competency
During their first quarter, students who have not already taken and passed, with a grade of C or better, a college-level writing (composition) course on a college or university campus are required to take the English Placement Test, which samples their writing. (AP, CLEP, and IB credit in English composition do not substitute in this context for a college-level writing course. Nor does any composition course taken as part of Running Start or other “college in the high schools” program.)

Students whose score on this test indicates they do not yet write on the college level will be required during their first year of registration to enroll in a designated section of Intermediate College Writing (ENG 2201) and simultaneously ENG 0102, a writing tutorial attached to this section of ENG 2201. Taken in tandem, these courses are intended to raise students’ writing ability to the college level. (Credits earned in ENG 0102 do not count toward the 180 minimum credits required for graduation.) Students whose scores indicate that they can write minimally at the college level but need the intermediate course in writing (ENG 2201) in order to succeed in college will be required to take that course. All required coursework in writing must be completed by the end of a student’s fifth quarter at SPU.

Writing (“W”) Courses
Courses designated as writing courses (3000- and 4000-level) offer a substantial component of writing designed to reinforce students’ earlier work in writing. At the same time, they provide instruction in the technical and stylistic requirements of writing appropriate to a particular discipline. In these courses, students are expected to write at least two papers and a minimum of 3,000 words or about 12 pages of final draft prose. Faculty members spend at least one class period providing instruction in writing, and they evaluate written work for both content and form — not only for what is said, but also for how it is said. These courses normally provide opportunities for revision as well.

The Major Curriculum
Specific Standards Governing Completion of a Major

1. A major requires a minimum of 45 credits, although most programs require more. A minimum of 23 credits is required in courses numbered 3000–4999, although some programs require more. No more than 75 credits may be required or controlled by a school in designating requirements for a major without review and approval of the Undergraduate Policies and Evaluation Committee.
2. A student must complete a major to earn either a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree. Note: Students in the Professional Studies Program have completed a major (called "Professional Studies") prior to entrance at SPU.  These students must complete a minor rather than a major.
3. At least 15 of the required upper-division credits in a major must be earned at Seattle Pacific University.
4. Major requirements must be met in full. These requirements of proficiency in depth and breadth are specified in the sections of the Undergraduate Catalog assigned to the various schools or departments of the University. These requirements state total credits, upper-division credits, prescribed courses, and supporting courses.
5. Coursework with a P or a grade below C- (1.7) may not be applied to a major.
6. The student must apply for a major and be accepted by the school or department in which he or she plans to complete a major. The acceptance date determines the Undergraduate Catalog under which major requirements will be applied.
7. The school or department in which a student completes a major must certify to Student Academic Services that he or she has satisfactorily met the evaluative and proficiency standards for such a major.
8. A student may simultaneously complete a double major. Both majors may be in a B.A. category, or two majors in a B.S. category, or one in a B.A. category and one in a B.S. category. All requirements for each major must be completed prior to the granting of the bachelor’s degree.

Specific Standards Governing Completion of a Minor

1. Students are not obligated to complete a minor area of study in order to receive the B.A. or B.S. degree. However, a student must be working toward a major in order to earn a minor. Note: Students in the Professional Studies program are required to complete a minor, rather than a major, at SPU.
2. Acceptance into a minor is determined by the academic school or department.  A minimum GPA is noted in the Academic Program section.  If not specifically noted, the GPA for acceptance into the minor is the same as the minimum GPA required for acceptance into the corresponding major. 
3. A minor requires a minimum of 30 credits but may not require more than 45 credits. A minimum of 15 credits is required in courses numbered 3000–4999. Requirements for specific minors may be found in the school or department sections of this Undergraduate Catalog.
4. Coursework with a P or a grade below C- (1.7) will not be applied to a minor.
5. Students must earn a minimum of 15 credits toward their minor at SPU, including 10 upper-division credits.
6. In all cases it is necessary to apply for, and be accepted into, the minor field. The date of formal acceptance into a minor program determines the Undergraduate Catalog under which minor requirements will be applied.
7. The school or department in which a student completes a minor must certify to Student Academic Services that he or she has satisfactorily met all requirements for the minor.
8. If a student is pursuing a minor, all requirements for the minor must be completed prior to the awarding of the bachelor’s degree.

Limitations on Credit Applicable Toward a Degree

1. Seattle Pacific University may accept up to 90 credits combined total from community colleges, junior colleges, unaccredited colleges or institutes, and AP/CLEP/IB exams toward a baccalaureate degree. See limits under Credit by Exam.
2. A student may earn up to 10 credits toward a baccalaureate degree in skills courses approved by the Undergraduate Policies and Evaluation Committee.
3. Students may enroll in 5000-level courses but they will not apply to undergraduate degree program requirements at SPU, nor are these courses eligible for financial aid.
4. Credits in excess of 45 taken as a non-matriculated student will not apply toward an undergraduate degree.
5. Credits in excess of 15 credits taken as a non-matriculated student may not be applied to a post-baccalaureate degree.

Standards Governing Completion of a Second Bachelor’s Degree
A second bachelor’s degree may be earned upon completion of a minimum of 45 credits as a matriculated student at Seattle Pacific University subsequent to the granting of the first degree. The student must be accepted into a major; the date of acceptance determines the Undergraduate Catalog under which major requirements will be applied. A second degree is subject to the following conditions:

If the first degree was earned at SPU:

1. At least 15 of the 45 credits for the second degree must be taken at SPU.
2. At least 15 upper-division credits in the major must be earned at SPU.
3. No more than 15 credits taken as a non-matriculated student may apply toward the additional bachelor's degree.
4. Of the 45 credits required for the second degree, up to 15 credits may be earned prior to the granting of the first degree, provided the credits are in excess of the minimum (usually 180 credits) required for the first degree.   In such a case, a students may be required to complete fewer than 45 credits for the second degree, but no fewer than 30 credits.
5. All specified requirements for the second degree must be fulfilled, including all requirements in the major.

If the first degree was earned at another institution:

1. A student who at some prior point matriculated at SPU must have at least 30 of the required 45 credits earned at SPU.
2. No more than 15 credits taken as a non-matriculated student may apply toward the additional bachelor’s degree.
3. A student who has not previously matriculated at SPU must earn at least 45 credits toward the second degree at SPU.
4. At least 15 upper-division credits in the major must be earned at SPU.
5. 5 credits in Christian Scriptures or Christian Theology must be completed at SPU.
6. All specified requirements for the second degree must be fulfilled, including all requirements in the major.

An additional degree is distinguished from multiple majors within a single degree. For information regarding completion of multiple majors within a first bachelor’s degree, see item 8 listed above, under Specific Standards Governing the Completion of a Major.