University of Puget Sound

The University of Puget Sound is an independent predominantly residential undergraduate liberal arts college with selected graduate programs building effectively on a liberal arts foundation. The University, as a community of learning, maintains a strong commitment to teaching excellence, scholarly engagement, and fruitful student-faculty interaction.

The mission of the University is to develop in its students capacities for critical analysis, aesthetic appreciation, sound judgment, and apt expression that will sustain a lifetime of intellectual curiosity, active inquiry, and reasoned independence. A Puget Sound education, both academic and co-curricular, encourages a rich knowledge of self and others, an appreciation of commonality and difference, the full, open, and civil discussion of ideas, thoughtful moral discourse, and the integration of learning, preparing the University's graduates to meet the highest tests of democratic citizenship. Such an education seeks to liberate each person's fullest intellectual and human potential to assist in the unfolding of creative and useful lives.

At the University of Puget Sound, education is an invitation to express yourself. Our liberal arts curriculum is grounded in the fundamental skills of critical thinking, cogent discussion, and convincing writing.

Interact with fellow students who are engaged in a free exchange of ideas and offer broad perspectives. Express yourself through involvement in athletics, the arts, campus issues, and community service--more than 75 clubs and organizations in all. In addition, find inspiration in a collaborative campus atmosphere and the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks to our larger size—we’re about twice the size of most liberal arts colleges—we can offer a broad array of studies, including an undergraduate program in Business and a conservatory-caliber School of Music. Your choices range from innovative programs such as the Asian Studies Program, Pacific Rim Study Travel Tour, Business Leadership Program, and Gender Studies Program, to more traditional studies such as humanities and health sciences, and graduate programs in Education, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy.

Our students also represent a diverse range of perspectives, with a majority of our student population from out of state and from other nations, guaranteeing lively debates, spirited discourse, and opportunities for self-discovery and growth.

The University of Puget Sound campus offers a unique blend of ingredients for immersing yourself in learning: the unparalleled scenery of the Pacific Northwest, traditional Tudor-Gothic architecture, leafy enclaves for quiet study, and common areas infused with an indisputable energy. The campus is just minutes away from downtown Tacoma, with its revitalized waterfront, thriving arts and culture scene, and an eclectic mix of retail shops and restaurants.

The university is continually improving its facilities. Among recent projects are a new sculpture studio, a major library renovation with an information commons, and an expanded science facility that houses state-of-the art laboratories. Our campus master plan shares our vision of the campus as an integrated living and learning environment.

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