2022 Requirement Changes

PSU’s Faculty Senate approved changes to the bachelor's degree requirements that will be applicable to those using the 2022-23 Bulletin. These changes apply to any new incoming undergraduate student; students who entered PSU prior to Fall 2022 may opt to follow these new requirements if they meet the Catalog Year Eligibility. Likewise, incoming transfer students who started college prior to Fall 2022 may choose to use a previous catalog.

These changes are automatically reflected in the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) for any catalog year Fall 2022 and beyond; choosing a catalog year prior to Fall 2022 (e.g., Summer 2022) will display the requirements in effect at that time.

If you have questions about how these changes might alter your degree plan, please reach out to your academic advisor or email askdars@pdx.edu.

University Studies changes

The required number of Sophomore Inquiry courses (SINQs) is reduced to two instead of three. For students transferring in at the Sophomore level their transfer requirements will be adjusted as follows:

• 30-74 transfer credits: 2 Sophomore Inquiry courses required
• 75-90 transfer credits: 1 Sophomore Inquiry course required

The requirement that students take the SINQ that matches their Upper Division Cluster is “recommended” but is no longer required. Students using this catalog do not need to choose a Cluster from the same theme as any of their SINQ courses.

Race and Ethnic Studies Requirement

Starting Fall 2022, all Portland State undergraduate students must fulfill the Race and Ethnic Studies requirement (RESR) to earn their bachelor's degrees. The new requirement, approved by Faculty Senate in Spring 2021, ensures students are equipped with an understanding of how historically rooted and ongoing racism affects institutions in Oregon, the U.S. and the world.

FIRST- AND SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS (FEWER THAN 90 CREDITS):

• Students will satisfy the requirement by completing two RESR designated courses¹ with a central focus on race, ethnicity and systemic oppression.
• One course must focus on the U.S. experience; the second course must center the experiences of groups under European and U.S. colonialism and imperialism beyond the United States.
• One of the courses taken must be taken within the School of Gender, Race and Nations or be cross-listed with one of the SGRN units: Black Studies (BSt), Chicano/Latino Studies (ChLa), Indigenous Nations Studies (NAS), or Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WS).

TRANSFER STUDENTS (90 OR MORE CREDITS):

• Students will satisfy the requirement by completing one RESR designated course¹ with a central focus on race, ethnicity and systemic oppression.
• The course taken by transfer students does not need to be offered within SGRN or cross-listed within one of its units. 

The courses taken to fulfill the requirement may also fulfill major, minor, University Studies and/or elective requirements.

¹Note: RESR designated courses are currently in an approval process and should be posted online in mid-June 2022.

Which requirements do I use?

If you entered PSU prior to Fall 2022, consult with your advisor to determine if you should continue with your current requirements or use the 2022 requirements instead.