What’s New

Western planning students conduct a community vision session with local communities as they prepare plans and designs to advance their sustainable communities. (Photo courtesy of the Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy department)

Catalog Policy Updates

Policies effective fall 2017

• Policy on Credit Hours
• Repeat Course Policy

Policies effective fall 2018

• 105 Credit Hold: The Declaring a Major and Insufficient Progress Towards Degree and Registration Holds sections have been updated with more clarification regarding the 105 credit holds processes. There are no changes to the 105 credit policy. For additional information, please go to the following Academic Advising Center website: advising.wwu.edu.

Policies effective fall 2021

• Incomplete K grade update: An assigned grade of K will be removed and replaced when the grade change is made (either when the work is completed to satisfy the contract, or as provided by the policy if the contract has not been satisfied after one year). 

New Academic Department

Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy

Cities are ground zero of struggles for climate change, environmental quality, and social justice. The College of the Environment’s degree programs in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy prepares students to develop and apply practical, creative, sustainable, and sometimes revolutionary solutions to attain sustainable communities. The UEPP Department offers applied, professional, and accredited programs that include the BA in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development; the BA in Urban Sustainability; the Minor in Sustainable Design; and the MA in Environmental Studies in Urban Planning. The UEPP Department emphasizes community engagement serving communities throughout our region and globally.

More information:

Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy catalog section  

Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy department website: cenv.wwu.edu/urban-planning-and-sustainable-development-program

2021-22 University Catalog Highlights

Psychology department revises curriculum

The Psychology department has revised its statistics and methods course sequence as part of a series of related changes to the department’s curriculum. These changes were the results of student and faculty feedback and over three years of revision work. They are designed to reduce bottlenecks, distribute workload more equitably across courses, eliminate the pre-major and associated obstacles, facilitate transfer courses, enhance the major’s focus on communication and writing, while maintaining the strengths of the core research methods and statistics sequence.

More information:

Psychology catalog section  

Psychology, BS  

Psychology department website: chss.wwu.edu/psychology

Western’s first Doctor of Education program

Western has its first doctor of education program - Education Leadership, EdD . This new EdD program, housed in the Special Education and Education Leadership department, will have its first cohort in summer 2021. In the state of Washington each school district is required by law to have a superintendent. While the law does not require a superintendent to have a doctorate level degree, the trend in hiring throughout the State shows that districts prefer a candidate who has achieved a doctoral degree. This new EdD program is designed for aspiring superintendents and district leaders, including assistant superintendents, executive directors and others in district level leadership positions. 

Pre-Healthcare Pathways

The Health Professions Advising office has updated and expanded the catalog information for students pursuing healthcare tracks in the following areas: Medicine, Dentistry, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Physician Assistant, Veterinary, Nutrition, Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Chiropractic, and Optometry. The additional information in the catalog is to provide a centralized location for students, faculty, and advisors to have access to information in a format that is easy to understand. It also offers an opportunity for potential students and families to learn more about the opportunities available to them at Western in pursuing healthcare careers.

More information:

Health Professions