College of Arts and Sciences
Valerie S. Banschbach, Ph.D., dean
Christin L. Hancock, Ph.D., academic associate dean
Ryan Kenton, Ph.D., academic associate dean
Andrew Lafrenz, Ph.D., M.P.H., academic associate dean
Aimee Davidse, assistant dean for students
Introduction
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at the University of Portland offers bachelor of arts degrees or bachelor of science degrees in 38 majors and 31 minors through 15 departments and 7 interdisciplinary programs.
Many students in the College participate in research projects with faculty mentors, internships, community-engaged learning, and study abroad. We fund and offer academic credit for experiential learning through our Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program, the Engaged Humanities Public Research Fellows, practica in programs such as Social Work and Exercise Science, and other internship opportunities in courses in summer and during the academic year.
Faculty in the College are teacher-scholars who continually seek ways to improve their teaching while maintaining outstanding nationally and internationally recognized research programs, creative arts, and performing arts accomplishments. Our faculty prioritize engaging our undergraduate students in their research activity and creative work. Each faculty member advises students, serving as a mentor and model for the students' progress in study and preparation for a life of service and leadership. Our Associate Dean for Pre-Health Professions offers dedicated programming and support for students pursuing careers in healthcare. A faculty advisor for pre-law assists students in preparing for careers in law.
The College supports the Learning Commons with peer tutors for English, mathematics, international languages, public speaking, natural sciences, and group work strategies, and encourages student involvement through clubs related to academic fields and areas of co-curricular interest and through the College’s Student Leadership Council. Faculty members throughout the College lend their expertise to the activities of the Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life and American Culture, the Leadership program, as well as the Dundon-Berchtold Institute for Applied Ethics and Moral Formation.
Each year the English department publishes the popular magazine Writers, which features students’ creative writing. History department faculty and students participate in the annual Phi Alpha Theta Honors Conference and produce the award-winning student journal NW Passages. Our Mathematics and Sciences faculty and students regularly host and present their work at Sigma Xi (the National Scientific Research Honors Society) events. All students at the University of Portland are welcome to audition for plays, to sing in the chorale, or to play in musical ensembles offered by our Performing and Fine Arts Department. All students are invited to join the prize-winning Ethics Bowl team or to compete as part of the Mock Trial organization.
Three programs within the College are externally evaluated and accredited: the bachelor’s degree in music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the bachelor’s degree in theatre is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre, and the bachelor’s degree in social work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Option 1 of the chemistry program is approved by the American Chemical Society. All academic programs with majors conduct program reviews every seven years in addition to yearly self-evaluation and assessment. The College as a whole is assessed by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) as part of the University of Portland’s periodic assessment.
Mission
The College of Arts and Sciences serves students, neighboring communities, and the world through our distinctive balance of public engagement, future readiness, and an enduring commitment to the liberal arts and sciences.
Vision
We offer dynamic major and minor programs, anchor the University’s liberal arts core, and generate inspired scholarship and creative work. Our values-centered vision of the liberal arts honors the Catholic Holy Cross tradition while drawing inspiration from the natural beauty and cultural richness of the Pacific Northwest. Our graduates carry this foundation into their professions and communities, cultivating diverse perspectives and shaping hope-filled responses to an ever-changing world.
College Requirements
The undergraduate programs are designed to build on the UP Core to educate students so that they will make contributions to the world guided by concerns for issues of justice and ethical behavior. In addition to the University core, the college requires courses in communication and civic and global awareness.
Effective Communication
The CAS core communication requirement helps students learn to explain and, in some courses practice aloud, how people use communication to exert influence, acquire knowledge, create identities, and foster relationships through written or oral communication.
Learning Outcomes for Effective Communication
Students who have fulfilled the Effective Communication requirement will be able to:
- Understand the nature of a particular communication mode.
- Comprehend the elements of a particular communication mode.
- Comprehend the rules and norms associated with skilled practice of a particular communication mode.
- Comprehend that skilled communication in a particular mode involves multiple stages.
- Improve their ability to achieve goals using a particular communication mode.
- Demonstrate ability to adapt communication (i.e., content, organization, language, style) to audiences.
- Demonstrate ability to accomplish goals using a particular communication mode.
Commitment and Consciousness
To support both the broad Catholic mission of UP and the specific mission of CAS, the College endeavors to support students in further developing critical, analytical, and imaginative thinking as well as expanding their formation in civic and global consciousness. Thus, all students within the College of Arts and Sciences are required to take one additional upper-division course to fulfill the Commitment and Consciousness Requirement. These courses will come from the approved Exploration-level courses in the UP Core that address either the Diversity & the Common Good Habit or the Global & Historical Consciousness Habit.
Learning Outcomes for the Commitment and Consciousness Requirement
Students who complete a Commitment and Consciousness course that addresses the Diversity & the Common Good Habit will be able to achieve at least one of the following learning goals:
- Learn to live and contribute in a diverse society and interdependent world.
- Recognize how cultures, identities, and inequalities shape human experience.
- Engage community and social issues with a sense of civic responsibility and shared commitment to human dignity.
Students who complete a Commitment and Consciousness course that addresses the Global & Historical Consciousness Habit will be able to achieve at least one of the following learning goals:
- Apply a comparative perspective to global issues.
- Develop competencies for responsible global citizenship and stewardship.
- Demonstrate a historical and cultural consciousness.