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 Return to: About Western Washington University
Western Washington University is situated in Bellingham, a city of 82,310 overlooking Bellingham Bay and many of Puget Sound’s 172 San Juan Islands. The University is 90 miles north of Seattle, 55 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and an hour’s drive from Mount Baker.
Since the first class of 88 students entered New Whatcom Normal School in 1899, the school has grown into the third largest institution of higher education in the state. The Normal School became Western Washington College of Education in 1937, Western Washington State College in 1961, and achieved university status in 1977.
Academic Programs and Degrees
Western Washington University is organized into a Graduate School and seven undergraduate colleges: the College of Business and Economics, the College of Fine and Performing Arts, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Huxley College of the Environment, the College of Science and Engineering, and Woodring College of Education.
To fulfill its academic objectives, Western’s curriculum includes a program of broad general education; intensive studies designed to develop scholarly competence in the arts and sciences; professional programs for both public school personnel and a variety of other professionals; and graduate programs in professional education, the arts, the sciences, humanities, and business areas.
Western’s undergraduate and graduate programs lead to the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Education, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Arts, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Music, Master in Teaching, Master of Science, and Master of Professional Accounting.
Extended Education at Western had its beginnings in 1912 when the first home study courses were created for country teachers. Fast forward to the 21st century where Extended Education has expanded and diversified WWU offerings in Bellingham and throughout the Puget Sound region, emphasizing community college partnerships in Seattle, Everett, Port Angeles, Bremerton, and Poulsbo to deliver degree and learning options for youth to seniors, as well as a variety of international education opportunities. All of Western’s extension programs, credits and degrees meet the same requirements as regular Western programs unless otherwise noted. Please see the Extended Education section of this catalog for detailed information on our program offerings and site locations.
Accreditation
The University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities to offer work at the bachelor’s and master’s degree level. The following colleges, departments and/or programs are also accredited:
- Chemistry — American Chemical Society, 1155 Sixteenth St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036;
- College of Business and Economics — AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, 777 South Harbour Boulevard, Suite 750, Tampa, FL 33602-5730;
- Communication Sciences and Disorders (graduate program in speech language pathology) — American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Council on Academic Accreditation, 2200 Research Boulevard, Rockville, MD, 20850-3289; and National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 2010 Massachusetts Avenue N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036-1023.
- Community Health — SOPHE/AAHE Baccalaureate Approval Committee (SABPAC), Society for Public Health Education, 10 G Street NE, Suite 605, Washington, DC, 20002.
- Computer Science — Computing Accreditation Commission of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., www.abet.org;
- Electronics Engineering Technology, Manufacturing Engineering Technology, and Plastics Engineering Technology— Technology Accreditation Commission of Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology, Inc., www.abet.org;
- Industrial Design — National Association of Schools of Arts and Design, 11250 Roger Bacon Dr., Suite 21, Reston, VA 20190;
- Music — National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), 11250 Roger Bacon Drive #21, Reston, VA 20190;
- Psychology (mental health and school counseling master’s degree programs) — Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 1001 North Fairfax Street, Suite 510, Alexandria, VA 22314; National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 2010 Massachusetts Avenue N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036-1023; and the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board, P.O. Box 47236, Olympia, WA 98504-7236;
- Recreation — Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions, National Recreation & Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148
- Woodring College of Education — National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 2010 Massachusetts Avenue N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036-1023; and program approval by the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board, P.O. Box 47236, Olympia, WA 98504-7236 (teacher education and educational administration programs); Council on Rehabilitation in Education, 1699 Woodfield Road, Suite 300, Schaumburg, IL 60173; (rehabilitation counseling program); program approval by the Washington State Department of Health, Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, P.O. Box 47864, Olympia, WA 98504-7877 and Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530, Washington, D.C., 20036-1120 (nursing RN-to-BSN program).
The University holds membership in the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States and the Western Association of Graduate Schools.
Assessment
As part of an ongoing effort to assure the quality of the education received by its students, Western Washington University conducts a comprehensive assessment program designed to monitor and continually improve student learning. This assessment program conforms with guidelines established by the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board. From time to time students may be asked to participate in outcomes assessment by completing satisfaction surveys, sitting for achievement examinations, compiling portfolios of their academic work, or evaluating their own work and the quality of instruction in their classes. The purpose of all such assessment activities is to monitor and continually improve the quality of Western’s academic program.
Students are strongly encouraged to participate in these assessment efforts. Participants can be assured that assessment results are always treated with the strictest professional confidentiality.
Research
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) encourages, facilitates, and supports faculty and student research, creative activities, and scholarly pursuits. Through pre-award, post-award, and compliance, RSP assists faculty and students in areas vital for success in their scholarly endeavors. Pre-award supports individuals and teams during the proposal writing and submission phase, while post-award is responsible for the fiscal management of funded projects. RSP’s compliance area focuses on the ethical conduct of research, includes support for human subjects and animal research, and administers university policies in these areas. RSP works closely with Contracts Administration to ensure intellectual property issues, right to publish, and areas important to scholarly pursuits and academic freedom are appropriately established for each project. RSP also provides internal funding in support of scholarly endeavors for faculty and students.
A variety of external sponsors has made awards to support faculty research, curricular development, and student research. Examples of sponsors include: the National Institutes of Health, National Endowment for the Arts, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Education, Department of Transportation, the Corporation for National and Community Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Canadian Embassy, National Endowment for the Humanities, U.S. Forest Service, American Chemical Society, National Park Service, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Small Business Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The Research Corporation, the Murdock Charitable Trust, the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, Tetra Tech, the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, the John Templeton Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, C and D Zodiac, the Huntington Society of Canada, Salish Kootenai College, Evolving Earth Foundation, Batelle Pacific NW Pacific National Lab, and various other local agencies and agencies of the state of Washington.
Equal Opportunity Office
Western Washington University, in compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and parenting status), disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or genetic information in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. Students, faculty or staff who believe they have been treated unfairly based on a legally protected characteristic may contact the Equal Opportunity Office (EOO) for advice and assistance. The EOO works to mediate discrimination concerns, if possible, and investigates and resolves formal complaints should they be filed.
The Vice Provost for Equal Opportunity serves as the campus Title IX Coordinator and ADA Coordinator. Sexual violence (including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking) is prohibited by Title IX and violates civil rights and criminal law. Survivors of sexual violence have the right to file a discrimination complaint and seek assistance from the EOO.
The EOO provides training to the campus community on sexual harassment prevention and a wide variety of other EO and diversity related topics. The office also works to increase access to WWU employment for people of color, women, people with disabilities, and veterans who have historically faced barriers to employment opportunities. Inquiries may be directed to the Vice Provost for Equal Opportunity & Employment Diversity, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Equal Opportunity Office, Western Washington University, Old Main 345, MS 9021, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360-650-3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); eoo.wwu.edu.
Academic Facilities
The main campus and its 91 buildings occupy 215 acres along Sehome Hill overlooking Bellingham Bay and downtown Bellingham. Other University properties, such as the marine laboratory at Shannon Point in Anacortes, support regional educational and conservancy programs.
In addition, off-campus courses and programs are held at various sites. The University has on-campus residence halls and student apartments for more than 4,000 students.
The beautiful natural setting of the main campus and its award-winning architecture make Western Washington University a stimulating place for work and study.
The Libraries
Western Libraries and its Learning Commons partners provide vibrant physical and virtual learning spaces for faculty, staff, and students, offering them the opportunity to interact with information and with each other. The range of support includes individual and collaborative study spaces, online learning modules, access to technology, and research assistance, and Library staff pride themselves on delivering the same high quality materials and services to students pursuing coursework on campus as to distance learners.
This sense of pride extends to the Western Libraries collections with over 1.4 million volumes of books, periodicals, government documents, maps, sound recordings, videos, and other multi-media funded by an annual resource access budget of just over $2 million. These collections include unique intellectual and cultural heritage materials, including the history of the University and Pacific Northwest, acquired to support the University’s curricula and housed in Special Collections, University Archives, and Center for Pacific Northwest Studies. The Libraries also provide access to extensive online periodical databases and other electronic resources, many with full-text access, available from campus or from home 24/7. Western’s collections are supplemented by borrowing privileges from the Orbis Cascade Alliance, a consortium of 37 academic libraries.
Engaging human, physical, and virtual resources, the Libraries contribute to the academic success and lifelong learning of Western’s students, staff, and faculty by offering for-credit courses, individualized instruction sessions, expert writing support and teaching pedagogies, the nationally acclaimed Teaching-Learning Academy, and research assistance at the point of need.
Academic Technology & User Services (ATUS)
Upon a student’s online activation of his or her Universal ID and Password, key resources become available, including the MyWestern portal, the WWU network and WWU wireless network, use of more than 20 general university computer labs and numerous departmental labs with scanners and printers, residence hall computer labs, and the Student Technology Center (STC).
General university computer labs are open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week during the academic year, and provide general use software for Windows and Macintosh users. In addition, academic departments provide computer and software resources which are specific to the needs of students in their disciplines.
The Student Technology Center offers classes in the use of software, multimedia tools, and website development, in addition to printing of specialized materials for academic coursework.
Laptop computers for use on the wireless network may be borrowed at Wilson Library, Viking Union and several other campus locations. Multimedia equipment is available for checkout at ATUS Classroom Services and the STC.
The ATUS Help Desk, Haggard Hall 123 provides computer and software support to all campus communities. The Help Desk staff can be called at 360-650-3333.
University Public Art Collection and Western Gallery
The historic precedent of establishing public art on a university campus as early as 1957 and the prominence of the artists in Western’s Outdoor Sculpture Collection make this University and its specific art works widely known beyond the Northwest. Considered one of 10 acclaimed university collections in the United States, Western’s sculpture collection spans the last half of the 20th century and is integrated with the terrain and campus architecture. The collection includes large-scale works by international, national and regional artists such as Magdalena Abakanowicz, Alice Aycock, Scott Burton, Anthony Caro, Nancy Holt, David Ireland, Donald Judd, Robert Morris, Bruce Nauman, Isamu Noguchi, Tom Otterness, Beverly Pepper, Richard Serra, Mark di Suvero, George Trakas and Ulrich Rückreim. Since 2012 the sculpture collection also includes interior works by such artists as Do Ho Suh, Rebecca Cummins & Paul DeMarinis, Claude Zervais and Cris Bruch. Website information and a brochure are available to students and visitors who wish to learn about these works. The collection is administered by a curator and an advisory board. Acquisitions are made through a thoughtful process ensuring a standard of high quality and cultural relevance while maintaining the integrity of a late 20th century and early 21st century sculpture collection of international interest.
The Western Gallery, in a wing of the Fine Arts Complex in the center of campus, has 4,500 square feet of exhibition space with sophisticated environmental controls. The gallery features temporary art exhibitions of a diverse character appropriate to our pluralistic society. As part of the educational programs of the gallery, lectures during major exhibitions are scheduled involving a variety of scholars. The contemporary art exhibitions and forums offer students the opportunity to cross reference works of art with the discourse of various disciplines.
Shannon Point Marine Center
Located on an 87-acre campus in Anacortes, Washington, the Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC) provides facilities and programs that support the study of marine science on the part of students and faculty from throughout the University. Winner of the 2002 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math and Engineering Mentoring, SPMC provides an outstanding hands-on experiential learning experience on the coast and an opportunity to engage in special programs supporting independent study and research. Undergraduate courses at the marine lab are offered primarily through the Biology and Environmental Sciences Departments, but also occasionally through other departments and colleges at Western. The Master’s of Science students who participate in the Marine and Estuarine Science Program, offered through the Department of Biology and Huxley College of the Environment, take courses and engage in thesis research at the Marine Center. The National Science Foundation sponsors a summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, which can be applied to by Western undergraduate students and by others from around the nation.
Only an hour’s drive from the main campus in Bellingham, SPMC’s facilities are designed to provide the most up-to-date opportunities for study of marine science on the part of both undergraduates and graduate students. Included is a well-equipped academic vessel fleet that provides ready access to the rich marine environment in the waters surrounding SPMC and a sophisticated analytical instrumentation base that provides students distinctive opportunities for education in the principles of marine science and training in the application of modern field and laboratory investigative techniques.
The SPMC campus provides extensive marine habitat for field and laboratory study, with the Mosquito Pass Study Site on San Juan Island providing additional sites useful for comparative studies. A running seawater system brings the marine environment into the controlled conditions on the laboratory to facilitate study of marine plants and animals. There are housing and shared kitchen facilities for 24 people. The Shannon Point Marine Center of Western Washington University also provides a marine outlet for the SPMC Consortium that includes Skagit Valley College, Edmonds Community College and Everett Community College.
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