Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

  • The Undergraduate Catalog under which you are admitted to SPU serves as the official record of admission, general academic, and general graduation requirements, with the exception of standards governing the completion of your major and/or minor.
  • The quarter in which you are accepted into a major or minor by the school or department offering the major or minor will determine the Undergraduate Catalog from which the major and/or minor requirements will be applied.  
  • Degrees are awarded and posted to your transcript based on the quarter in which you fulfill all degree requirements. Your degree will be posted within one quarter after your last quarter of enrollment.
  • All students are provided with academic advising, however the responsibility to fulfill all degree requirements rests with each individual student. Advising by University personnel inconsistent with statements published in this catalog are not binding.

General Education Curriculum Requirements

Most undergraduate students entering Seattle Pacific University follow the standard general education curriculum to complete their undergraduate degrees. Students in the Honors Program fulfill the general education component of their degree through the Honors Liberal Arts major, and those admitted to the Professional Studies Program complete the curriculum for special programs.  The standard general education curriculum includes:

  • The Common Curriculum, which consists of the University Colloquium, Academic Writing, University Core, University Foundations, and Senior Capstone courses 
  • The Exploratory Curriculum, including Ways of Knowing and Ways of Engaging courses 

If you are a transfer student who, prior to first matriculation at SPU, completed a Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) associate degree through a community college in Washington or a recognized comparable degree from Oregon, or California, find out how these particular degrees may apply toward fulfillment of SPU’s baccalaureate degree requirements. Information about how the Associate in Science-Transfer (AS-T) degrees apply to your degree is found in the Admissions section of this catalog. If you transferred to SPU without completing an associate degree, consult the Transfer Equivalency Guide to see how your courses may transfer toward SPU degree requirements.

Associate degrees earned after your initial matriculation at SPU will not be recognized, unless you are an official participant in the Reverse Transfer DTA associate degree agreement.

Policies governing transfer of credits are found in the Transfer Students section of this catalog, with addition information listed under Enrollment at Other Institutions for those taking credits elsewhere after matriculation at SPU.

Graduation checklist

2023–24 graduation requirements checklists

Refer to your 2023–24 checklist to ensure that you’re taking the required courses and credits you need to earn your degree in a timely manner.