Choosing a College at UCSD
Graduation
Requirements in the UCSD Colleges
One of the features that sets UCSD apart from most major universities
in the United States is its family of undergraduate colleges:
Revelle, John Muir, Thurgood Marshall, Earl Warren, Eleanor Roosevelt,
and Sixth.
The division of the campus community into small colleges was
patterned after the concept which has served Oxford and Cambridge
so successfully for centuries. The planners of the UCSD campus
were convinced that students learn more, and find greater fulfillment
in their personal lives, when joined academically and socially
with a relatively small group of students. At the same time, the
advantages of size in a university, including a faculty of international
renown, first-rate teaching and research facilities, laboratories,
libraries, and other amenities, were to be an important part of
the design.
The result was an arrangement which combined the academic advantages
of a large research university with the finest features of a small
liberal arts collegethe UCSD college system. Each of these
semi-autonomous undergraduate colleges has its own residence facilities,
staff, traditions, general-education requirements, and distinctive
educational philosophy. The system was inaugurated with the opening
of Revelle College in 1964. In the intervening years, five more
collegesJohn Muir, Thurgood Marshall, Earl Warren, Eleanor
Roosevelt, and Sixthhave been established. Although many
American university campuses have a separate college structure,
in most cases, these colleges are designed to serve specific disciplines,
such as engineering or business administration. At UCSD, however,
any undergraduate may select from the full range of majors available.
The choice of a college is not based on your major, but on your
preferences in terms of the various educational philosophies and
environments offered by the colleges.
UCSDs college system allows undergraduates to choose from
among six distinct general- education curricula supplementing
their major requirements. These curricula range from a very structured
liberal arts program to a program with a broad range of electives.
By contrast, most universities offer only one general- education
curriculum.
Students must rank the colleges in order of preference when
applying for admission. Brief summaries of the various college
curricula and philosophies follow. Later in this section, these
variations are spelled out in considerable detail, college by
college.
Revelle College Educational Philosophy
Revelle College stresses the broad character of general education.
A structured liberal arts curriculum establishes a strong educational
foundation for any major. All students complete a highly respected
core humanities sequence and courses in the arts and social sciences.
Students either meet proficiency in a foreign language or complete
the fourth quarter of college level instruction. All students
also complete sequences in mathematics and science, with separate
courses available for science and non-science majors. Throughout
the final two years, students concentrate on developing professional
competence in an academic discipline.
This curriculum develops three main skills which are essential
for a well-rounded education: learning to use the language of
scholarship and science, learning how to think creatively, and
learning how to learn.
Revelle College is distinguished by its emphasis on academics
and student leadership. Its structured and well-rounded curriculum
has been acclaimed nationally. Individual academic advising, honors
programs, and programs that foster student-faculty interaction,
are all hallmarks of UCSDs first college.
John Muir College Educational Philosophy
John Muir College has established a set of general-education
and graduation requirements that ensures breadth and depth of
learning and encourages the students of the college to take an
active role in their own intellectual development. Students complete
four year-long sequences drawn from the social sciences; the
natural
sciences or mathematics; and two sequences out of the following
three areas: the humanities, fine arts, or foreign languages.
Many choices are available for each of these year-long sequences.
Students complete two analytical writing courses in addition
to the four year-long sequences. Muir has a one-course U.S. cultural
diversity graduation requirement in addition to a minimum number
of 18 upper-division four-unit courses (72 upper-division units)
among the 180 units required to graduate.
Muir’s general-education
and graduation requirements accommodate a wide range of interests
and aptitudes. Muir’s academic
advisers meet with students on a one-to-one basis to help students
make informed decisions. The general structure and options of
the general-education requirements make Muir College particularly
attractive to exceptionally able and well-prepared students with
well-defined or developing academic interests.
John Muir is distinguished
by its atmosphere of friendliness, informality, and deep concern
for the rights and welfare of others.
Concern for one’s fellow students goes well with Muir’s
educational philosophy, which stresses individual choice and
development. The environment thus created fosters responsibility
for informed academic decisions, consequences of academic choices,
and, ultimately, well-rounded students.
Thurgood Marshall College Educational Philosophy
The dedicated focus of Thurgood Marshall College is the active
development of the student as scholar and citizen. The college,
a small liberal arts and sciences community, is characterized
by an open, friendly environment in which students pursue any
major in the natural and physical sciences, social sciences, engineering,
humanities, and fine arts offered at the university.
The colleges educational philosophy is guided by the belief
that, regardless of a students major, a broad liberal arts
education must include an awareness and understanding of the diversity
of cultures that comprise contemporary American society, and the
richness that socio-cultural diversity brings to the lives of
American people.
Integral to the Marshall experience is the unique, three-quarter
core sequence, Dimensions of CultureDiversity, Justice,
and Imagination. This interdisciplinary, issues-oriented
curricular experience explores both the diversity of American
experiences across race, religion, class, and gender, and also
the shared resources all Americans draw on when their different
identities and interests conflict. Students also choose courses
in mathematics or logic, natural/physical sciences, writing, humanities,
and fine arts to fulfill general-education requirements.
In addition to the strong academic program, Thurgood Marshall
College is proud of its emphasis on the student as citizen.
Students are encouraged to integrate educational alternatives
and public service opportunities, such as Partners at Learning
(PAL), for which they earn academic credit, into their curriculum.
Through PAL and other options, such as study abroad, internships,
public service and leadership activities, students develop
skills learned in the classroom and apply them to real-world
experiences. Toward that end, the Student Leadership Program
is especially designed to encourage active participation in
the governance of the college and in community service.
Thurgood Marshall College’s hallmark is community,
where students are encouraged to be active participants in
their university education and take advantage of the abundance
of opportunities to learn and develop as exemplary scholars
and citizensin a multicultural twenty-first century.
Earl Warren College Educational Philosophy
Earl Warren College was founded in 1974 and named in honor
of the former governor of California and Chief Justice of
the United States. The Warren Court elaborated a doctrine
of fairness in such areas as criminal justice, voting rights,
legislative districts, employment, housing issues, transportation,
and, most famously, education. Justice Warren had a principled
commitment to education, opportunity, and hard work. Warren
College offers students the benefit of a small campus environment
with the resources of a renowned faculty and major research
institution. Consistent with Earl Warren’s principles,
the college is committed to preparing students for life
intellectually,
socially, and professionally. The success of each and every
Warren student is our goal. Warren students represent all
disciplines offered at UCSD. Graduation requirements include
a major and two secondary programs of study that encompass
academic areas outside of a student’s major.
Eleanor Roosevelt College Educational Philosophy
Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) emphasizes a comprehensive general
education designed to prepare students to compete successfully
in the global and multicultural economy of the twenty-first century.
Successful professional people will need to understand their own
cultural heritage as well as those of people from other societies
with whom they will be interacting in their workplaces and communities.
The perspectives gained at ERC prepare students well for the
future, whatever their goals and their major field of study, and
whether they plan to go on to graduate school, professional school,
or the worlds of science and technology, business, or the arts.
At the core of the curriculum are six courses comprising The
Making of the Modern World (MMW). This interdisciplinary sequence
was developed by faculty from anthropology, history, literature,
political science, and sociology. It teaches students to think
historically and analytically, as well as across disciplines,
about both Western and non-Western societies, and the ways humans
have organized their experience in different places and times.
ERC students receive exposure to natural science, quantitative
methods, foreign language, and fine arts, and each selects a geographic
region for in-depth study. Interested students are encouraged
and assisted in finding ways to study, work, or travel in other
countries to expand their horizons.
A friendly and supportive campus community, ERC is also distinguished
by its emphasis on helping each individual reach his or her full
potential intellectually, and in those skills, contributing to
effective participation and leadership.
As Eleanor Roosevelt wrote, Whether or not they have made
the world they live in, the young must learn to be at home in
it, to be familiar with it. They must understand its history,
its peoples, their customs and ideas and problems and aspirations.
ERC students and graduates find themselves as much at home
in the world as any of their generation, and more than most!
Sixth College Educational Philosophy
Sixth College opened in 2002. As the newest college at UCSD,
Sixth is characterized by a spirit of creativity and collaboration.
The college theme, Culture, Art, and Technology, embraces
the rich opportunities available in new interdisciplinary
approaches to learning and practice. In doing so, it bridges
the divisions traditionally separating social and natural
science, humanities, technology, and the arts. By piloting
educational initiatives and building partnerships with such
groups as the Center for Telecommunication and Information
Technology (Calit2), the Center for Research in Computing
and the Arts, the Jacobs School of Engineering, and the University
Events Office, we are developing opportunities for our students
to participate in meaningful creative learning experiences
across the entire campus. A supportive yet challenging integrated
learning environment, both in and out of the classroom, helps
our students develop the cultural competence and understanding
necessary to become fully engaged, effective global citizens
in the twenty-first century.
Sixth College’s theme is woven into an educational
philosophy and curriculum intended to prepare students for
a future that
demands ethical integrity, creativity, self-understanding,
critical reasoning, appreciation of the powers and implications
of science
and technology, and flexibility. Students will learn interactive
skills and approaches needed for success in an increasingly
global society: teamwork, cross-cultural understanding, strong
writing
and multimedia communication skills, and information technology
fluency.
All students must complete the three-quarter core sequence
in Culture, Art, and Technology (CAT). The sequence, with
its imbedded
writing program, develops our students’ abilities to
achieve a reflexive understanding of themselves and their
society by
approaching issues and problems from interdisciplinary perspectives.
It examines the foundations, historical interactions, and
future possibilities of culture, art, and technology in relation
to
the problems and potentials afforded by human nature and
the larger environment on which we depend. The Sixth College
breadth
requirements build on the core approach by including courses
in art making and information technology fluency, as well
as social science, humanities, natural science, mathematics
and
logic, and statistical methods. The curriculum culminates
in a capstone experience that offers our students the opportunity
to engage with the real world in a meaningful way through
a
self-directed, community- or team-based practicum project
followed by an upper-division
writing course in which they will reflect on the significance
of their practicum project for their entire educational experience
at UCSD.
College Administration
The provost is a faculty member who acts as the college's chief
administrative officer and academic dean. In addition to the
provost, each
college
has a dean of academic advising and a dean of student life.
The academic departments and the college academic advising offices
are designated campus units responsible for providing official
academic advice and direction to undergraduate students. The college
academic advising staff have primary responsibility for providing
academic advice and services that assist new and continuing students
in developing educational plans and course schedules which are
compatible with their interests, academic preparation, and career
goals.
The college academic advising offices conduct academic orientation/enrollment
programs for all new students and advise continuing students
about
college general-education and graduation requirements. The advising
staff of each college provide general academic and curricular
information, clarify academic rules and regulations, review all
aspects of academic probation, monitor academic progress, assist
students with decision-making strategies, and give information
about prerequisites and screening criteria for majors. In conjunction
with the academic departments and the Office of the Registrar,
the advising offices certify students for graduation and facilitate
their academic adjustment to the university.
Moreover, college academic advisers are available to counsel
students about educational alter- natives; selection of courses
and majors; program changes; new academic opportunities; and special
programs such as exchange programs, honors programs, outreach
programs, etc.
With a central concern for student development, deans
staff members provide a variety of nonacademic services such
as
coordinating educational and social programs; overseeing
residential programs; assisting students with decisions and procedures
regarding withdrawal from school; coordinating disciplinary procedures,
both academic and social; and making referrals to other student
services on campus. (See also section on Student Services
and Programs.)
Whatever the question or concern, the provost and his or her
staff stand ready at all times to assist undergraduates.
Phi Beta Kappa
The UCSD chapter of Phi Beta Kappa elects student members on
the basis of high scholastic achievement in academic programs
emphasizing the liberal arts and sciences. Phi Beta Kappa was
founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary in Virginia
and is the oldest, most prestigious, academic honor society in
America. See also Honors in the index.
Honors
Each college awards honors to outstanding students on the basis
of criteria approved by the Academic Senate. These honors are
posted on students transcripts and noted on their diplomas.
For further details, see Honors in the index.
Transfer Students
Students transferring to UCSD must complete the requirements
of the chosen undergraduate college. Students are strongly advised
to complete all lower-division preparation for the major prior
to enrollment. In preparation for the New Student Orientation
Program, the College Academic Advising staff will evaluate the
transfer course work for each student to determine which courses
are applicable to general-education requirements. Since a variety
of general-education options are available, students are encouraged
to choose carefully the college which best fits their general-education
program or course work. See Undergraduate Admissions, Policies
and Procedures, University of California Transfer Agreement.
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