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 (1838–1914), 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 writings and activism. In keeping with his example, the college has, through its interdisciplinary studies programs, developed courses covering contemporary issues, a major and minor in critical gender studies, and minors in film studies and environmental studies. It has also 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 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 learning.

General education requirements at Muir College include the completion of two three-quarter sequences from each of the following areas:

In addition, two three-quarter sequences from two of the three following areas are required:

The freedom to choose carries with it the responsibility on the part of the student to plan carefully. Before making a final selection of courses, students should request from the Academic Advising unit of the Office of the Provost a list of general education requirements and approved sequences in each area. As they plan, students should be aware that:

  1. Only complete sequences may be applied to the general education requirement. Ordinarily, an entire sequence from one department is taken in one academic year.
  2. Courses taken to satisfy only the general education requirements and not for a major or minor may, in general, be taken Pass/Not Pass.
  3. Units obtained from advanced placement may be applied toward the 180 units needed for graduation; some units may be used to fulfill some of 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 student’s 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.

In addition to the four year-long sequences, Muir College has the following two general education requirements:

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 may enhance their undergraduate education by participating in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) and UCSD’s 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://pao.ucsd.edu. 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 advisors as well as departmental major advisors 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 courses required for the specific program. The following points are useful to keep in mind:

  1. A substantial command of at least one foreign language is required by some departments (e.g., international studies, linguistics, literature).
  2. 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.
  3. 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 tenured member of the UCSD faculty must serve as an advisor to a student doing the project. It should be understood that the demands of a special project major are great, and this option 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. Please note: there is no MSP minor available. 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:

  1. Declare graduation by completing the electronic Degree and Diploma Application. Please see the Muir Academic Advising Office for further information. Students who plan to graduate at the end of a summer session must complete the above-mentioned process early in spring quarter. Degrees are not automatically granted: students must file their intention to graduate online at http://degree.ucsd.edu.
  2. Meet the general university requirement in Entry Level Writing (formerly Subject A). (See “Undergraduate Admissions, Policies, and Procedures.’’)
  3. Satisfy the University of California requirement in American History and Institutions (See “Undergraduate Admissions, Policies, and Procedures.”)
  4. 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.”)
  5. Fulfill the general education requirements.
  6. Fulfill the U.S. cultural diversity requirement.
  7. To receive a B.A. or B.S. degree, students must complete a minimum of forty-five four-unit courses (180 units) which include a minimum of eighteen upper-division courses (72 units).
  8. 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. (Some departments require students to attain a minimum GPA in prerequisite courses and apply for admission to majors in the departments. 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.)
  9. Satisfy the residency requirement which stipulates that thirty-six of the last forty-five 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 advisor for clarification.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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 retract their Degree and Diploma Application and reapply to graduate for the subsequent quarter.
  13. Retract the electronic Degree and Diploma Application 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.
  14. It is the students’ responsibility to contact their department advisor 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 the completion of an approved departmental minor on a student’s transcript. No upper-division courses may be used to satisfy both a major and a minor.

For 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 students be awarded the degree of bachelor of arts or bachelor of science.

Honors

Quarterly provost’s honors, departmental honors, Latin 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

*Deceased