John Muir College
Muir College Courses, Curricula and Program
of Instruction
John Muir College admitted its first students in the fall of
1967 and moved to its present quarters in 1970. The college was
named for John Muir (18381914), a Scottish immigrant who
became a famous California naturalist, conservationist, and author.
Muir explored the Sierra Nevada and Alaska, and worked for many
years for the cause of conservation and the establishment of national
parks and forests. Please visit our Web site at http://provost.ucsd.edu/muir
The Character of the College
Naming a college affirms certain ideas and values. John Muir
was committed to learning, self-sufficiency, and the betterment
of humankind. Throughout his life he was open to new ideas and
experiences which he shared with others through his many books.
In keeping with his example, the college has, through its interdisciplinary
studies programs, developed courses covering such areas as contemporary
issues, critical gender studies, and environmental studies. It
has established an individualized major called the Muir Special
Project. And it has inaugurated an exchange program with Dartmouth
College, one of the most distinguished undergraduate institutions
in the United States. Each quarter about fifteen UCSD students
attend Dartmouth, while a similar number come from Dartmouth to
Muir. By these and other means, the college maintains at UCSD
the heritage of the remarkable man for whom it was named.
The General-Education Philosophy and Requirements
The general-education program was established by the faculty
of John Muir College to guide students toward a broad and liberal
education while allowing them substantial choice in the development
of that education. In addition to two analytical-writing courses,
students must select year-long sequences (three courses in the
same department) from four different academic areas. One of the
sequences must be from the social sciences, the second from the
natural sciences or mathematics (calculus), and the remaining
two sequences from the humanities, fine arts, or foreign languages.
Students choose sequences from several alternatives. It should
be understood that this freedom carries with it certain responsibilities
on the part of the student for careful planning. Some of these
are:
- Students should request from the Academic Advising unit of
the Office of the Provost a list of general-education requirements
before making their final selection of courses.
- Complete sequences only may be applied to the general-education
requirement. Ordinarily an entire sequence from one department
is taken in one academic year.
- Courses taken to satisfy only the general- education
requirements may, in general, be taken for a letter grade or
Pass/Not Pass.
- Units obtained from advanced placement may be applied toward
the 180 units needed for graduation; some units may be used
to fulfill partially the general-education requirements.
For students who transfer to Muir College from another institution,
the general-education requirements will be interpreted in this
way: two semester-courses or three quarter-courses in one subject
represented on the approved list normally will be accepted as
completing one of the four required sequences. After the Office
of Admissions evaluates a students transcript, the Academic
Advising unit of the Office of the Provost makes an evaluation
of prior work for each student at the time of his or her first
enrollment.
Pass/Not Pass Grading Option
Muir students are reminded that to take a course Pass/Not Pass,
they must be in good standing (2.0 GPA). No more than one-fourth
of an undergraduate students total UCSD course units counted
in satisfaction of degree requirements may be in courses taken
on a Pass/Not Pass basis with the exception of all major-related
courses and most minor courses. It is advised that students check
with their major or minor department regarding restrictions or
exceptions.
Enhancing Your Education
Students are able to enhance their undergraduate education by
participating in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) and UCSDs
Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) while still making regular progress
toward graduation. Information on EAP/OAP is detailed in the Education
Abroad Program section of the UCSD General Catalog. Interested students
should contact the Programs Abroad Office in the International Center
and visit the Web site at http://www/icenter/pao.
Financial aid recipients may apply aid to the EAP program and special
study abroad scholarships are available.
Many programs are now available for sophomores, as well as juniors
and seniors. With careful planning students should be able
to fulfill some general education, major, and/or minor requirements
while studying abroad.
Major Programs and Special Projects
Almost all of the major programs at UCSD have a pattern of prerequisites,
some of them quite extensive. Students must declare a major
upon accumulating ninety units. Students who do not plan well
could find, in their junior year, that they have access to few
majors without doing additional lower-division work. With careful
planning, they may have access to a wide range of majors. Muir
College students are encouraged to consult regularly with the
academic advisers of the Office of the Provost as well as with
their major department advisers concerning the selection of appropriate
courses so as to graduate by the 200 maximum unit limitation.
Each academic department has, in its section of this catalog,
a paragraph entitled The Major Program. Students
are encouraged to read these sections carefully, for they
indicate both the extent and the nature of the upper-division
program. The following points are useful to keep in mind:
- A substantial command of at least one foreign language is
required by some departments (e.g., international studies, linguistics,
literature).
- Specific science courses are required by many departments.
For example, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering
and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering require
Physics 2A-B-C-D or Physics 4A-B-C-D-E; the Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry requires Physics 1A-B-C, Physics 2A-B and C
or D, or Physics 4A-B-C-D-E, etc.
- The physical and life sciences, applied sciences (the School
of Engineering majors) together with certain social sciences
(including cognitive science and economics), require at least
one year of calculus.
The Muir Special Project (MSP) major is a B.A. degree
only and is intended for students who have specific talents
and interests which are not accommodated by one of the departmental
majors. The MSP normally includes regular course work and independent
study representing up to fifteen upper-division four-unit courses
as well as a project or thesis. The project may be one of two
kinds: creative work of some sort (e.g., a book of poetry, a collection
of musical compositions), or a detailed program of study and research
in a particular area. The latter results in a long paper representing
a synthesis of knowledge and skill acquired. In either case, a
regular member of the UCSD faculty must serve as an adviser to
a student doing the project. It should be understood that the
demands of a special project major are great, and a project is
not appropriate for a student who simply does not want the discipline
of a normal major. For a course to be included as part of a Muir
Special Project, the student must earn in it a grade of C
or better. Further information may be obtained from the Muir Academic
Advising Office.
Graduation Requirements
To receive a degree of bachelor of arts or bachelor of science
a John Muir College student must:
- Declare graduation by completing the electronic Degree and
Diploma Application. This must be done by Friday of the ninth
week of the quarter preceding the quarter of anticipated graduation.
Students who plan to graduate at the end of a summer session
must complete the above-mentioned process by the Friday of
the ninth week of spring quarter. Fees may be assessed if
students miss these deadlines. Degrees are not automatically
granted: students must file their intention to graduate.
- Meet the general university requirement in Subject A, English
Composition. (See Undergraduate Admissions, Policies and
Procedures.)
- Satisfy the University of California requirement in American
History and Institutions (See Undergraduate Admissions,
Policies and Procedures.)
- Meet the Muir College requirement in writing proficiency.
This requirement asks that the student demonstrate an ability
to write English according to standards appropriate for all
college work. (See Muir College course listings: The Writing
Program.)
- Fulfill the general-education requirements.
- Fulfill the U.S. cultural diversity requirement.
- To receive a B.A. or B.S. degree, students must complete
a minimum of forty-five four-unit courses (180 units)
which includes a minimum of eighteen upper-division courses
(72 units).
- Show some form of concentration and focus of study. Ordinarily
this is accomplished by completing a department major. Students
in the college may attempt any major upon completion of the
prerequisites. (The Department of Literature/Writing requires
students to attain a minimum GPA in prerequisite courses and
apply for admission to majors in the departments.) Presently,
freshman entry to computer science and computer engineering
majors in the CSE and ECE departments is restricted. Refer to
the departments for current detailed information. Students who
do not choose to meet this requirement by means of a departmental
or interdisciplinary major and who qualify may propose a special
project major. As the name implies, this is a specialized form
of concentration. It normally consists of a combination of regular
course work, independent study, and a senior thesis or project.
Each proposal and senior thesis or project must be approved
by the provost. (See the section, Major Programs and Special
Projects, above.)
- Satisfy the residency requirement which stipulates that 36
of the last 45 units passed be taken at UCSD as a registered
Muir College student. Students planning to study abroad during
the senior year should be aware that they must return to complete
a minimum number of twenty-four units at UCSD. Such students
should see their college Academic Adviser for clarification.
- Accumulate a grade-point average of at least 2.0 overall
and in most majors. Departments may require a C average in all
upper-division courses used for the major or C grades
in each course used for the major. Students should consult with
their department to determine which grading regulation applies.
- Make up all incomplete grades. Students may not graduate with
NRs, IPs, or Incomplete
entries on their transcript. Therefore, they should be sure
that all Incompletes have been cleared and final grades have
been properly recorded by the end of the quarter in which they
plan to graduate.
- Complete all requirements for the degree during the quarter
in which students file to graduate. If the degree requirements
are completed after the expiration of the deadline in a quarter,
but before the beginning of the next quarter, students must
refile to graduate for the subsequent quarter.
- Refile the electronic Degree and Diploma Application form
if unable to satisfy all graduation requirements, including
grade changes, by the end of the proposed graduating quarter.
Students will graduate at the end of the quarter in which deficiencies
are satisfied.
- It is the students responsibility to contact their
department adviser to verify that they have satisfied departmental
requirements for graduation.
While John Muir College does not call for the completion of
a minor to fulfill its requirements for the degree of bachelor
of arts or bachelor of science, it does acknowledge such completion
of an approved departmental minor on a students transcript.
No upper-division courses may be used to satisfy both a major
and a minor.
Students entering UCSD after January 1, 1998 are required
to complete twenty-eight units of interrelated work,
of which at least twenty units must be upper-division. Students
entering UCSD before January 1, 1998 must complete a minimum
of six courses or twenty-four units of interrelated course work.
A minimum of three upper-division courses must be completed. Departments
or programs may establish more stringent criteria than the minimum.
A formal request for the minor must be approved by the department
or program and college by the quarter before graduation.
Upon satisfaction of the graduation requirements, Muir College
will recommend that the students be awarded the degree of bachelor
of arts or bachelor of science (180 units, of which at least seventy-two
must be upper-division).
Honors
Quarterly provosts honors, departmental honors, college
honors, membership in the Caledonian Society of John Muir College,
and Phi Beta Kappa honors are awarded. Please note that graduating
seniors must have letter grades for eighty units of work completed
at the University of California for college honors. For additional
information, see Honors in the Index.
Honorary Fellows of Muir College
Hannes Alfven, Scientist and Nobel laureate
*Georg von Bekesy, Psychologist and Nobel laureate
*Oscar (Budd) Boetticher, Filmmaker
*David Brower, Conservationist
Francis H.C. Crick, Scientist and Nobel laureate
*Ernst Krenek, Composer
*Ernest Mandeville, Philanthropist
*William J. McGill, Educator
*Jonas Salk, Scientist
*Claude E. Shannon, Mathematician
John L. Stewart, Founding Provost
*Earl Warren, Jurist and Statesman
*Robert Penn Warren, Poet and Novelist
*Mandell Weiss, Philanthropist
*Deceased
|