Why is University Studies important ?

University Studies is much more than a collection of general education courses strung across your four-year academic program at PSU. Here are some strategies for making the most of your University Studies experiences.

Strategies for Success

Take University Studies Courses in Order

This tip may seem obvious, but there are reasons the courses are sequenced in the order they are. You build your skill-base in FRINQ—everything that comes after that builds upon it. In SINQ and Cluster classes you explore a content area other than your major that interests you. Finally, in your capstone you’ll work with a team of other students to complete a project addressing a real problem in the Portland metropolitan community. DON’T take your capstone early to “get it out of the way.” By waiting until you are a senior, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in capstone where you’ll gain experience or skills that will help you as you go on to work or graduate school. For a map of the University Studies program go to pdx.edu/unst/program_map. 

Use Your University Studies Courses to Understand How the University Works

Freshman Inquiry, in particular, is an excellent place to learn “how the university works.” How do you find materials at the library? How do you turn in an assignment using Blackboard? What is an ombudsman, and why should you care? You also need to know that the professors teaching upper-division classes expect you to be able to handle college-level reading, write a paper using good grammar and formatting, do library research, and be able graphically represent data by the time you take their classes. So use your University Studies courses to become clear about what's considered “acceptable college-level work” at each level of your academic experience.

Explore and Understand the Goals of University Studies

While the themes of the courses may vary greatly, underlying University Studies are four core goals and values: inquiry and critical thinking, communication, understanding the diversity of the human experience, and ethics and personal responsibility. We know that students come to college with strong personal values, and University Studies is not in the business of trying to change your values. But what this program will do is ask you to look at how your values connect or conflict with the values of others as part of a large civil society. Reflection is central to all University Studies courses. Take the time to reflect upon the reasons you're attending college in general and at PSU in particular. This will give you a sense of perspective that will make it easier to decide how to spend your time at the university. To learn more about University studies goals go to pdx.edu/unst/goals.

Transfer the Skills You Learn in Your University Studies courses to Your Major Courses

University Studies courses are designed to provide a foundation for and to compliment the specialized training you’ll receive in your major. Students who get the most out of their general education experiences are the ones who can make connections between what they learn in University Studies and the background knowledge and skills needed to succeed in specific majors. Almost any major involves lots of reading, writing university-level papers, interacting in groups, and critical thinking.