John Muir College

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 website at http://muir.ucsd.edu.

The Character of the College

Inspired by John Muir’s remarkable life, Muir College stresses the spirit of individual choice and responsibility within the framework of a strong and supportive community. It encourages awareness of environmental issues and involvement in environmental preservation and sustainability both on and off campus. The interdisciplinary minor in environmental studies was started and continues to flourish at Muir College. 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 UC San Diego students attend Dartmouth, while a similar number come from Dartmouth to Muir College. By these and other means, the college maintains the heritage of the remarkable man for whom it was named.

Honorary Fellows of Muir College

Environmental Fellows of Muir College

General Education

The faculty of Muir College established its general-education program to guide students toward a broad and liberal education while allowing substantial choice in the development of that education. Muir students have the responsibility and flexibility to customize their general-education courses within a broad framework of learning.

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

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

Courses must be chosen from approved three-course sequences in each area of general education. Units obtained from advanced placement or International Baccalaureate exams may be applied toward the 180 units needed for graduation, but may only be used toward general-education requirements as noted on the campus AP chart or IB Chart.

Transfer students who have completed IGETC before transfer may waive the general-education sequences above. Transfer students who have completed general-education or breadth requirements at another UC campus before transfer may submit a letter of reciprocity from their original campus to have the sequences above waived. All other transfer students must speak with a Muir College adviser to see how their transfer units apply to the requirements above.

In addition to the four yearlong sequences, Muir College has the following graduation requirement:

Graduation Requirements

To receive a degree of bachelor of arts or bachelor of science, a Muir College student must

  1. Satisfy the UC requirements in Entry Level Writing and American History and Institutions. (See “University-wide Graduation Requirements.”)
  2. Satisfy the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion requirement: A knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion is required of all candidates for a bachelor's degree who begin their studies at UC San Diego in lower-division standing in fall 2011 or thereafter, or in upper-division standing in fall 2013 or thereafter. (See “University-wide Graduation Requirements.”)
  3. Fulfill the general-education requirements.
  4. Meet the Muir College requirement in writing proficiency. Ordinarily, this will be met by the successful completion of a two-quarter sequence in writing. (See Muir College course listings at “The Writing Program.”)
  5. Complete a minimum of 180 units, which must include a minimum of seventy-two upper-division units.
  6. Show some form of concentration and focus of study by completing a department or interdisciplinary major.
  7. Satisfy the residency requirement, which stipulates that thirty-six of the last forty-five units passed be taken at UC San Diego as a registered Muir College student.
  8. Declare graduation by completing the electronic Degree and Diploma Application. Degrees are not automatically granted: students must file their intention to graduate online at http://degree.ucsd.edu.

Pass/Not Pass Grading Option

To take a course Pass/Not Pass, students must be in good academic standing. No more than one-fourth (25 percent) of an undergraduate student’s total UC San Diego course units may be in courses taken on a Pass/Not Pass basis. Most major-related courses; most minor courses; and MCWP 40, 50, and 125 must be taken for a letter grade. Students are advised to check with their major or minor department regarding restrictions or exceptions.

Majors

A Muir College student may pursue any of the approximately 136 undergraduate majors offered at UC San Diego. Students must declare a major upon accumulating ninety units. Students are strongly encouraged to consult regularly with both college academic advisers and departmental major advisers to review their academic progress.

Majors, courses, and curriculum are described in the UC San Diego General Catalog, and four-year sample plans for majors are available on the Muir College website.

Muir Special Project

The Muir Special Project (MSP) major is a bachelor of arts degree only and is intended for students who have specific talents and interests that are not accommodated by one of the departmental majors. Each proposal and senior thesis or project must be approved by the Muir College provost, and students must have a minimum 3.25 UC GPA to qualify for the MSP major. The major includes regular coursework 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. A tenured member of the UC San Diego faculty must serve as an adviser to a student doing the project. 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. There is no MSP minor available.

Minors

While Muir College does not require completion of a minor, it does acknowledge the completion of an approved departmental minor on a student’s transcript. No upper-division courses may be used to satisfy requirements of both a major and a minor.

Minors require a minimum of twenty-eight units of coursework, 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.

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. Graduating seniors must have letter grades for eighty units of work completed at the University of California for Latin honors.

Study Abroad

Students may enhance their undergraduate education by participating in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) and 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 UC San Diego General Catalog. Interested students should contact the Programs Abroad Office in the International Center and visit the website 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.