Thurgood Marshall College, formerly known as Third College, was founded in 1970. From its inception, the college has enriched the lives of undergraduates with its intellectual and philosophic commitment to the development of students as both scholars and citizens. In July of 1993, the college was renamed in honor of the famous lawyer and Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall. Justice Marshall was widely known and recognized for his historic contributions to American life and dedication to breaking down barriers to education, civil rights, freedom of speech, women's rights, and the right to privacy. Thurgood Marshall College, its faculty, staff, and students are committed to furthering the ideals and dreams of Justice Marshall; therefore, students are provided opportunities to develop as both scholars and citizens.

Thurgood Marshall's 3,000 students pursue any major in a variety of disciplines. About 40 percent choose majors in biology, the physical sciences, mathematics, and engineering; 35 percent select majors in the social sciences; and 25 percent pursue majors in the humanities and fine arts areas. One of the primary aims of the college is to prepare its students for the pursuit of a rigorous academic curriculum which in turn promotes entry into graduate/professional schools or into the career of one's choice.

Educational Philosophy

The educational philosophy of Thurgood Marshall College is guided by the belief that regardless of a student's major, a broad liberal arts education must include an awareness and understanding of one's role in society. Therefore, the distinctive core sequence, which serves as the centerpiece of the general-education requirements, emphasizes a critical examination of the human condition in our diverse American society. This three-quarter core sequence, "Dimensions of Culture—Diversity, Justice, and Imagination," challenges students to develop an informed awareness of the many cultural perspectives that have shaped American society. The core sequence is designed as an interdisciplinary, contemporary issues-oriented curricular experience that explores how individuals and communities in America acquire their indentifying characteristics. Other general-education requirements include courses in mathematics, the physical and biological sciences, humanities, and the arts.

Wishing to uphold the ideals set forth by the college's namesake, Thurgood Marshall students are encouraged to develop their skills not only as scholars, but also as citizens. Therefore, it is our belief that scholarship and social responsibility are mutually compatible. In this regard, our students receive academic credit for participating in the Partners-at-Learning Program (PAL) by taking courses which train and place them as tutors and mentors in local inner city elementary schools and high schools as well as the on-campus model school, The Preuss School. Because this activity shares importance with other academic experiences, completion of one of these specific public service courses, offered through TEP, satisfies an upper-division general-education requirement.

Further underpinning the educational philosophy of Thurgood Marshall College is the belief that the best preparation for a complex, interdependent, and rapidly changing world is a broad liberal arts education, complemented by in-depth study in areas of the student's choice. This educational approach has several major advantages:

1. It guarantees a basic understanding of the principle branches of knowledge: the humanities and arts, social sciences, the natural sciences, and mathematics.
2. It enables students with well-defined interests and goals to begin work in their chosen field of study as first-year students.
3. It allows students who have not decided on a major to sample an array of potential majors while simultaneously satisfying the general-education requirements of the college.

General-Education Requirements

General-education requirements are established by Thurgood Marshall College faculty to be broad and flexible enough to encourage students to integrate other alternatives, such as public service, internships, study abroad, research, special studies, etc., into their academic program. This permits students flexibility in pursuit of their academic goals and in the practical application of their liberal arts degree, whether they wish to enter the work force or continue their education in graduate or professional school. These courses are designed to introduce students to the academic focus of the college, provide a broad liberal arts and science background, and furnish students with the academic skills and the basic knowledge necessary to pursue any departmental or interdisciplinary major.

The general-education requirements for first-year students are composed of a core sequence and a menu of choices within a liberal arts framework:

1. DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE: This three-course interdisciplinary sequence is entitled "Diversity, Justice and Imagination." Two of the three courses are six-units and include intensive instruction in university-level writing. This is a required sequence for all first-year students. All courses must be completed at UCSD and taken on a letter-grade basis only. (See "Dimensions of Culture" in the departmental listings.)
2. PUBLIC SERVICE (optional): This four-unit public service option may be used to fulfill one course in Disciplinary Breadth for any major and fulfills the upper-division writing requirement.
3. NATURAL SCIENCES: Three courses. Choose one course each in biology, chemistry, and physics. Courses are available for science and non-science students.
4. COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS: Choose two courses in mathematics or one course in mathematics or statistics and one in computing or logic.
5. HUMANITIES AND CULTURE: Two courses. Choose one course each from ethnic studies and Third World studies.
6. DISCIPLINARY BREADTH: Four courses. Students choose four courses (three for students graduating with a B.S. degree in engineering) from a variety of disciplinary breadth areas: humanities/foreign language; social sciences; natural sciences; math/engineering. Courses used to satisfy the disciplinary breadth requirement come from fields outside the major field of study. Two of these courses must be upper-division. At least one upper-division course must include significant writing.
7. FINE ARTS: One course in either music, theatre, or visual arts.
   The Thurgood Marshall College Curriculum and Academic Affairs Committee publishes an annual fact sheet with specific course choices which may be used to meet these requirements. Contact the college academic advising office for additional information.

Graduation Requirements

To receive a bachelor's degree from Thurgood Marshall College, a student must:

1. Satisfy the university Subject A requirement. (See "Undergraduate Admissions, Policies and Procedures.")
2. Satisfy the university requirement in American History and Institutions. (See "Undergraduate Admissions, Policies and Procedures.")
3. Fulfill the general-education requirements as described.
4. Complete a departmental or interdisciplinary major.
5. Satisfy the college residency requirement (thirty-six of the last forty-five units must be completed as a registered Thurgood Marshall College student).
6. Successfully complete a minimum of 180 units for the B.A./B.S. degree. At least 60 of these units must be completed at the upper-division level. All students must complete a minimum of fifteen four-unit upper-division courses.
7. A 2.0 or better GPA is required for graduation.

Transfer Students

Since transfer students have a variety of academic options, specific details regarding appropriate general-education requirements will be discussed during the New Student Academic Orientation/Registration Program.

Majors and Minors

Majors: Thurgood Marshall College students may pursue any of the departmental or interdisciplinary majors offered at UCSD. The majority of the academic departments have established lower-division prerequisites. Generally, these prerequisites must be completed prior to entry into upper-division major courses. Many of these courses may be counted for general-education credit as well. Students are strongly encouraged to work closely with department faculty and college advisers. For details on the specific major departments, refer to the "Courses, Curricula, and Programs of Instruction" section of this catalog.

Minors are optional. However, students are encouraged to keep as many options open as possible. A minor provides an excellent opportunity to complement the major field of study.

Students are required to complete twenty-eight units of interrelated work, of which at least twenty units must be upper-division.

See your college or department for further information.

Enhancing your Education

Students are able to enhance their undergraduate education by participating in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) and UCSD Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) while still making regular progress toward graduation. Information on EAP/OAP is detailed in those sections in the General Catalog. Interested students should contact the Programs Abroad Office in the International Center and visit the Web site at http://www.ucsd.edu/icenter/pao. Financial aid recipients may apply aid to the program, and special study abroad scholarships are readily available.

Pass/Not Pass Grading Option