http://www.pacificu.edu

Academics

Pacific University has four colleges Arts and Sciences, Optometry, Health Professions and Education.

The College of Arts & Sciences at Pacific University is home to an exceptional low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing as well as 19 undergraduate departments offering more than 36 different major and minor programs of study. The undergraduate core curriculum lays the foundation for our students' exploration of the liberal arts and sciences. All Pacific undergraduates engage in writing, quantitative reasoning, cross-cultural experiences, scientific inquiry, and artistic creation. These core critical thinking skills are paired with in-depth and sustained study in each student's chosen field. A student to faculty ratio of 13 to 1 allows for a rigorous education in a context of small classes and personal attention from professors.

Additionally, the University boasts the following programs within the College of Health Professions: Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Professional Psychology, Physician Assistant Studies, Pharmacy, Dental Health Sciences and a Masters of Healthcare Administration. The College of Optometry is one of 17 in the entirety of the United States and the only program in the Pacific Northwest. Finally, the College of Education is

Mission

Pacific University is a comprehensive teaching institution comprised of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Optometry, Education, and Health Professions. We provide a close-knit environment and challenging opportunities that foster undergraduate education in the liberal arts tradition and graduate education for specific service-oriented professions. At Pacific, effective teaching and learning are the highest priorities. Our faculty of scholars is dedicated to instilling in our students a passion for learning through dynamic curricula and close faculty-student interaction. Pacific creates critical thinkers who become life-long learners who can make informed decisions and valuable contributions to society and the world.

Vision
With a venerable and rich liberal arts tradition in the College of Arts and Sciences, a nationally accredited and regionally acclaimed College of Education, and world renowned Colleges of Health Professions and Optometry, Pacific University presents a distinctive combination of learning opportunities that has risen to national prominence and significance. Faculty and staff work with students to weave together dynamic classroom experiences, service learning, international education, internships, research, and co-curricular activities. Pacific also seeks to provide opportunities for personal growth and development, creating living tapestries of understanding about themselves, their disciplines, and their world.

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences are prepared for the rigors of graduate or professional study, the demands of employment, and the complexities of a thoughtful life through an innovative curriculum based in the liberal arts that embraces the whole individual. Integrated advising methods help students discover multiple pathways between current studies and future goals, and bridges among our schools and colleges allow many to remain at Pacific University from freshman year through advanced degrees. Students in the Colleges of Health Professions and Optometry experience a unique interdisciplinary approach and unrivaled blend of programs. Graduating with exemplary clinical skills and innovative approaches to evolving health care issues, they contribute substantially to health promotion and to maximizing triumphs over disease and disability. As vanguards for the future, graduates of the College of Education advance student learning, and become agents of change as they assume leadership positions in local and regional educational communities.

Pacific University provides attractive, state-of-the-art facilities for living and learning in an environment of beauty. Administrators and staff join faculty in their dedication to students and promote a comfortable and unpretentious atmosphere. The University enjoys a pluralistic campus reflected by diversity among its members, thus enhancing its role as a cultural and educational center. Strategically managed enrollment growth insures that programs are consistently revitalized, that financial underpinnings remain solid, and that thoughtful debate among a society of learners flourishes.

By staying true to its unique history, strong sense of community, and tradition of enhancing student experiences in remarkable ways, Pacific University enjoys a national reputation for transforming individual lives and enriching the quality of life wherever its graduates may be found.

Our core values remain essentially unchanged. Pacific aspires to becoming a truly engaged campus, providing opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to transform their lives by becoming more informed, more equipped, and more involved citizens and professionals to the world around them.

Accreditation & Memberships

Pacific University is an accredited member of the Northwest Commisission on Colleges and Universities. Particular programs are also accredited by: the Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association, the National Association of Schools of Music, the Commission on Accredation in Physical Therapy Education, the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Psychological Association, Accredation Review Commission on Education for the Physisican Assistant, the Commission on Dental Accredation, the National Council for Accredation of Teacher Education, the Oregon Board of Counselors and Therapists, and Teachers Standards and Practices Commission of the State of Oregon.

Pacific is a member of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Oregon Independent Colleges Foundation, the Oregon Independent Colleges Association, the American Association of University Women, the Council for Higher Education of the United Church of Christ, the College Scholarship Service, the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges, the National Collegiate Athletics Association, and the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education. The Univesrity is also an active member in the Forest Grove and Hillsboro chambers of commerce, as well as the Portland Business Alliance.