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 contemporary issues, a major or minor in critical
gender studies, and minors in film 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
John Muir College faculty established Muir’s general-education
program to guide students toward a broad and liberal education
while allowing them substantial choice in the development
of that education. This is accomplished by granting students
the responsibility and flexibility to customize to a high
degree their general-education courses within a broad framework
of the following areas of learning: social sciences, mathematics
(calculus) or science and two of the following three areas;
fine arts, humanities, and foreign languages. Each of these
four areas of learning has not merely one but several approved
sequences from which students may choose. In addition students
are required to complete two specific analytical composition
courses. Thus students may tailor their general-education
to their personal goals, interests, and academic talents in
four personally meaningful general-education sequences.
It should be understood that this freedom carries with it
certain responsibilities on the part of the student for careful
planning. Students should be aware that:
- Students should request from the Academic Advising unit
of the Office of the Provost a list of general-education
requirements and year-long sequences 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 and not for a major or minor 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 academic standing (2.0 GPA). No
more than one-fourth (25 percent) of an undergraduate student’s
total UCSD course units counted in satisfaction of degree
requirements may be in courses taken on a Pass/Not Pass basis
. All major-related courses and most minor courses must be
taken for a letter grade. Students are advised to 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
A Muir College student may pursue any of the approximately
125 undergraduate majors offered at UCSD. Most major programs
at UCSD require a pattern of prerequisites at the lower-division
level before students may enroll in upper-division major courses.
Students must declare a major upon accumulating ninety
units. Careful planning will assure the student access
to a wide range of majors. Students are strongly encouraged
to consult regularly with the college academic advisers as
well as departmental major advisers concerning the selection
of appropriate courses so as to graduate by the 200 unit maximum
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. Each proposal and senior thesis or
project must be approved by the Muir provost. 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 online at http://degree.ucsd.edu.
- 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 or interdisciplinary
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. (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 are required to complete twenty-eight units
of interrelated work, of which at least twenty units must
be upper-division. 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
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