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Accreditation Standards and Criteria for Review

Accreditation Standards serve as a foundation and framework "to guide institutions in self review as a basis for assessing institutional performance and to identify needed areas of improvement." Below you will find a rich variety of campus and systemwide links related to WASC Accreditation Standards and Criteria.

Standard 2: Achieve Educational Objectives Through Core Functions


The institution achieves its institutional purposes and attains its educational objectives through the core functions of teaching and learning, scholarship and creative activity, and support for student learning. It demonstrates that these core functions are performed effectively and that they support one another in the institution’s efforts to attain educational effectiveness.

  1. The institution’s educational programs are appropriate in content, standards, and nomenclature for the degree level awarded, regardless of mode of delivery, and are staffed by sufficient numbers of faculty qualified for the type and level of curriculum offered. Guideline: The content, length, and standards of the institution’s academic programs conform to recognized disciplinary or professional standards and are subject to peer review.
  2. All degrees—undergraduate and graduate—awarded by the institution are clearly defined in terms of entry-level requirements and in terms of levels of student achievement necessary for graduation that represent more than simply an accumulation of courses or credits. Guideline: Competencies required for graduation are reflected in course syllabi for both General Education and the major.


    Baccalaureate programs engage students in an integrated course of study of sufficient breadth and depth to prepare them for work, citizenship, and a fulfilling life. These programs also ensure the development of core learning abilities and competencies including, but not limited to, college-level written and oral communication; college-level quantitative skills; information literacy; and the habit of critical analysis of data and argument. In addition, baccalaureate programs actively foster an understanding of diversity; civic responsibility; the ability to work with others; and the capability to engage in lifelong learning. Baccalaureate programs also ensure breadth for all students in the areas of cultural and aesthetic, social and political, as well as scientific and technical knowledge expected of educated persons in this society. Finally, students are required to engage in an in-depth, focused, and sustained program of study as part of their baccalaureate programs. Guideline: The institution has a program of General Education that is integrated throughout the curriculum, including at the upper division level, consisting of a minimum of 45 semester credit hours (or the equivalent), together with significant study in depth in a given area of knowledge (typically described in terms of a major).

    • UCSD General Catalog 2006-2007

      The online version of UCSD's General Catalog reflects information in the printed 2006-2007 catalog, including information about the six colleges, courses, and departments.

      UCSD
    • Undergraduate Majors at UCSD

      See a list of undergraduate majors and degrees at UCSD.

      TritonLink
    • Online Schedule of Classes

      Online access to the schedule of classes through TritonLink.

      TritonLink
    • Choosing a College at UCSD

      This page from the General Catalog describes how to choose a college at UCSD and lists descriptions of each of the six undergraduate colleges' educational philosophies.

      General Catalog
    • Undergraduate Research Center

      The Undergraduate Research Center allows for students and faculty to collaborate by organizing a mentorship program.

      UCSD
    • English in Action Tutor Program

      The UCSD English in Action Tutor Program sets up volunteer tutors with international students wishing to learn more about American culture through practical usage of the language.

      UCSD
    • Career Services Center

      The Career Services Center offers a wide range of programs and services, and exists to help students and alumni of the University of California determine and fulfill their career goals.

      UCSD
    • Office of Academic Support & Instructional Services (OASIS)

      The mission of OASIS is to help UCSD students reach their full potential by developing their appreciation for learning and their ability to learn effectively.

      UCSD
    • Psychological & Counseling Services

      Psychological and Counseling Services (P&CS) is committed to promoting student wellness, continuous life-skills building, development, and the preservation of an environment conducive to growth and learning. P&CS provides counseling, outreach, and preventative services to students of all backgrounds.

      UCSD
    • UCSD's Six Colleges: Core Curricula and General Education Requirements

      Find out about the core curriculum and General Education requirements for each of UCSD's six colleges.

      TritonLink
    • Dimensions of Culture program (DOC)

      The Dimensions of Culture program (DOC) is an introductory three-quarter social science sequence that is required of all first year students at Thurgood Marshall College, UCSD. Successful completion of the DOC sequence satisfies the University of California writing requirement. The course is a study in the social construction of individual identity and it surveys a range of social differences and stratifications that shape the nature of human attachment to self, work, community, and a sense of nation.

      Thurgood Marshall College
    • Muir College Writing Program

      The Muir College Writing Program is a sequence of courses in critical thinking and the writing of expository prose. During these courses, students must advance beyond the basic competency expected at entrance to understand and write discourse acceptable at the university level.

      Muir College
    • Humanities Writing Program

      The Humanities Program offers interdisciplinary courses in history, philosophy, and literature, with a focus on major aspects of the Western humanistic tradition. In these courses, students examine the development of a wide variety of ideas and forms of expression that exert a major influence on modern America. Through lectures and class discussions, and through the writing of essays, students learn to interpret literary, historical, and philosophical texts and to conduct independent critical assessment of documents and ideas.

      Revelle College
    • Making of the Modern World

      The Making of the Modern World is a six-quarter sequence required of all ERC students. It is designed to encourage thinking historically, comparatively, and in an interdisciplinary way about the Western and non-Western cultures studied in the course sequence.

      Eleanor Roosevelt College
    • Culture, Art, Technology

      Innovation within the Core Sequence CAT (Culture Art Technology) program brings new media into the CAT classroom and engages students in the creation of collaborative Web-based digital art projects that reflect on CAT course themes.

      Sixth College
    • Warren College Writing Program

      The Warren College Writing Program is a two-quarter sequence that is in accordance with university-wide and college-specific requirements, and explores the structure of academic argumentation by reading challenging texts and by providing many opportunities for students to write and revise their own work.

      Warren College
    • List of Academic Departments

      An alphabetical list of all academic departments on campus.

      UCSD

    Graduate programs are consistent with the purpose and character of their institutions; are in keeping with the expectations of their respective disciplines and professions; and are described through nomenclature that is appropriate to the several levels of graduate and professional degrees offered. Graduate curricula are visibly structured to include active involvement with the literature of the field and ongoing student engagement in research and/or appropriate high-level professional practice and training experiences. Additionally, admission criteria to graduate programs normally include a baccalaureate degree in an appropriate undergraduate program. Guideline: The institution employs at least one full-time faculty member for each graduate degree program offered.

  3. The institution’s expectations for learning and student attainment are clearly reflected in its academic programs and policies. These include the organization and content of the institution’s curricula; admissions and graduation policies; the organization and delivery of advisement; the use of its library and information resources; and (where applicable) experience in the wider learning environment provided by the campus and/or co-curriculum. Guideline: The use of information and learning resources beyond textbooks is evidenced in syllabi through the undergraduate and graduate curriculum.
    • UCSD Libraries

      UCSD Libraries home page allows for ROGER, SAGE, and Melvyl searches, as well as linking to additional library services.

      UCSD
    • Roger

      Roger is UCSD's online library catalog and lists items owned by all campus libraries. Use Roger to find out if UCSD owns an item and where it is located.

      UCSD
    • Sage

      Sage is the UCSD Library's gateway to the Web.  It is a database of electronic resources licensed for UCSD as well as some freely available on the Internet. These resources have been selected by our library subject specialists as being valuable for research by students, faculty and staff. Sage includes websites, electronic journals, electronic books and reports, and databases of all types.

      UCSD
    • Melvyl

      The Melvyl catalog contains records for materials (books, journals, movies, maps, music scores and recordings, computer files, dissertations, government documents, etc.) held by the libraries of the ten UC campuses, the California State Library, Hastings College of the Law, the California Academy of Sciences, the California Historical Society, the Center for Research Libraries, the Graduate Theological Union, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. All publication dates are included. The database contains over 25,000,000 records, and most campuses update their holdings on a weekly basis.

      UCSD
    • Digital Library Program

      The UCSD Digital Library Program, which was begun in 2001 to develop and manage the growing proliferation of digital resources has since evolved to encompass not only acquired and locally created collections as well as tools for resource discovery but also instructional support and delivery of print resources online. More recently it has become involved in national digital library initiatives that are poised to become models for future library services.

      UCSD
    • Library Instruction

      The Library Instruction page links to workshop registration, calendars, and other services for faculty and instructors.

      UCSD
    • Library Specialists

      The alphabetical list below contains over 100 fields of study supported by the UCSD Libraries. To find out who in the libraries supports your subject area, you may scroll through the entire list, or select the first letter of your subject area's name from the alphabet bar.

      UCSD
    • Thurgood Marshall College Advising

      The College’s academic advising services are available to continuing and readmitted students as well as new students for enrollment and after registration and enrollment.

      Thurgood Marshall College
    • Muir College Advising

      Muir College Academic Advisors endorse and embrace belief in the importance of personalized advising for actively participating in learning, making informed decisions, and assuming personal responsibility.

      Muir College
    • Revelle College Advising

      The Revelle College Academic Advising Office is responsible for advising all new and continuing students from orientation to graduation.

      Revelle College
    • Eleanor Roosevelt College Advising

      The Academic Advising homepage links to an online virtual advising center and information about academic petitions, degree audit and graduation check, programs and workshops, and publications. Students can also find information about making an appointment.

      Eleanor Roosevelt College
    • Sixth College Advising

      At Sixth College, our academic advising mission is to develop personal and caring relationships with students and to help you achieve your educational, career, and life goals.

      TritonLink
    • Warren College Advising

      The primary purpose of the Office of Academic Advising is to assist you in the development and implementation of your educational and personal goals.

      Warren College
    • Student Research & Information

      The Student Research & Information web page is the official source of undergraduate admission, enrollment, and graduation statistics.

      UCSD
    • Soft Reserves

      Soft Reserves sells supplementary materials for classes provided by professors, including course readers and articles, practice exams and homework, exam and quiz solutions.

      UCSD
  4. The institution’s expectations for learning and student attainment are developed and widely shared among its members (including faculty, students, staff, and where appropriate, external stakeholders). The institution’s faculty takes collective responsibility for establishing, reviewing, fostering, and demonstrating the attainment of these expectations.
  5. The institution’s academic programs actively involve students in learning, challenge them to achieve high expectations, and provide them with appropriate and ongoing feedback about their performance and how it can be improved.
    • The Freshman Survey

      This page lists surveys conducted by the Office of Student Research and Information, Student Affairs.

      Student Research & Information
    • Dimensions of Culture program (DOC)

      The Dimensions of Culture program (DOC) is an introductory three-quarter social science sequence that is required of all first year students at Thurgood Marshall College, UCSD. Successful completion of the DOC sequence satisfies the University of California writing requirement. The course is a study in the social construction of individual identity and it surveys a range of social differences and stratifications that shape the nature of human attachment to self, work, community, and a sense of nation.

      Thurgood Marshall College
    • Muir College Writing Program

      The Muir College Writing Program is a sequence of courses in critical thinking and the writing of expository prose. During these courses, students must advance beyond the basic competency expected at entrance to understand and write discourse acceptable at the university level.

      Muir College
    • Humanities Writing Program

      The Humanities Program offers interdisciplinary courses in history, philosophy, and literature, with a focus on major aspects of the Western humanistic tradition. In these courses, students examine the development of a wide variety of ideas and forms of expression that exert a major influence on modern America. Through lectures and class discussions, and through the writing of essays, students learn to interpret literary, historical, and philosophical texts and to conduct independent critical assessment of documents and ideas.

      Revelle College
    • Making of the Modern World

      The Making of the Modern World is a six-quarter sequence required of all ERC students. It is designed to encourage thinking historically, comparatively, and in an interdisciplinary way about the Western and non-Western cultures studied in the course sequence.

      Eleanor Roosevelt College
    • Culture, Art, Technology

      Innovation within the Core Sequence CAT (Culture Art Technology) program brings new media into the CAT classroom and engages students in the creation of collaborative Web-based digital art projects that reflect on CAT course themes.

      Sixth College
    • Warren College Writing Program

      The Warren College Writing Program is a two-quarter sequence that is in accordance with university-wide and college-specific requirements, and explores the structure of academic argumentation by reading challenging texts and by providing many opportunities for students to write and revise their own work.

      Warren College
    • Graduation Requirements in the UCSD Undergraduate Colleges

      This chart lists the graduation requirements for each UCSD undergraduate college.

      UCSD
    • Preuss School Mentorship Program

      UCSD students may volunteer as tutors at the Preuss School or serve as mentors for school organizations such as the yearbook staff or ASB.

      The Preuss School
  6. The institution demonstrates that its graduates consistently achieve its stated levels of attainment and ensures that its expectations for student learning are embedded in the standards faculty use to evaluate student work.
  7. In order to improve program currency and effectiveness, all programs offered by the institution are subject to review, including analyses of the achievement of the program’s learning objectives and outcomes. Where appropriate, evidence from external constituencies such as employers and professional societies is included in such reviews. Guideline: The institution incorporates in its assessment of educational objectives results with respect to student achievement, including program completion, license examination, and placement rates results.
    • Instructional Improvement Program

      The Instructional Improvement Program allows for faculty evaluation and improvement of undergraduate instruction.

      Academic Affairs
    • Analytical Studies & Space Planning

      Analytical Studies & Space Planning provides information on college enrollment, campus population, courseload, and workload.

      ASSP
    • UCSD News Center

      The University Communications Office provides information on campus's top stories.

      UCSD
  8. The institution actively values and promotes scholarship, curricular and instructional innovation, and creative activity, as well as their dissemination at levels and of the kinds appropriate to the institution’s purposes and character.
  9. The institution recognizes and promotes appropriate linkages among scholarship, teaching, student learning and service.
    • Council on Undergraduate Education

      The Council on Undergraduate Education has been formed to bring faculty together to discuss various strategies for improving undergraduate education at UCSD. The Council serves as a forum for tapping collective wisdom and discussing best practices, new initiatives and proposed policy changes.

      Academic Affairs
    • Regents Lecturers

      Candidates for Regents' Lecturer appointments are individuals who have attained significant professional distinction in a wide variety of areas including, but not limited to agriculture, banking, commerce, engineering, industry, labor, law, medicine, or other non-academic field in the arts, sciences, professions to a degree equivalent to that on which regular University professorships are based.

      Academic Affairs
    • ArtPower!

      ArtPower! is a program of the University Events Office that promotes cultural enrichment through music, dance and visual art.

      UCSD
    • University Events Office

      The University Events Office is a multifaceted professional arts and events organization of UC San Diego with an outstanding reputation for bringing nationally and internationally recognized artists to the campus and local community.

      UCSD
    • Helen Edison Lecture Series

      The Helen Edison Lecture Series presents ongoing free public lectures on issues that advance humanitarian purposes and objectives.

      UCSD
    • The Making of the Modern World Program

      The Making of the Modern World is a six-quarter sequence required of all ERC students. It is designed to encourage thinking historically, comparatively, and in an interdisciplinary way about the Western and non-Western cultures studied in the course sequence.

      Eleanor Roosevelt College
    • Language Conversation Tables

      Policy on use of university properties.

      UCSD
    • UCSD-TV

      UCSD-TV reflects San Diego's rich intellectual and cultural diversity through television programs that are unique in their intent and scope. As a university based station, UCSD-TV has unusual access to people and events that impact both the campus community and the greater San Diego region.

      UCSD
    • UCTV

      UCTV delivers documentaries, faculty lectures, cutting-edge research symposiums and artistic performances from each of the ten UC campuses: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Los Angeles, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz, as well as UC's national laboratories and affiliated institutions.

      University of California
    • Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind Events Calendar

      Dedicated to the advancement of science for the benefit of humanity, The Kavli Foundation supports scientific research, honors scientific achievement, and promotes public understanding of scientists and their work.

      KIBM
  10. Regardless of mode of program delivery, the institution regularly identifies the characteristics of its students and assesses their needs, experiences, and levels of satisfaction. This information is used to help shape a learning-centered environment and to actively promote student success. Guideline: The institution's policy on grading and student evaluation is clearly stated, and provides opportunity for appeal as needed; and periodic analyses of grades and evaluation procedures are conducted to assess the rigor and impact of these policies.
  11. Consistent with its purposes, the institution develops and implements co-curricular programs that are integrated with its academic goals and programs, and supports student professional and personal development.
    • Student Organizations and Leadership Opportunities (SOLO)

      SOLO oversees all UCSD student organizations and offers a searchable database of over 400 organizations.

      TritonLink
    • Upward Bound Classic Mentoring

      The Upward Bound Classic (UBC) Mentor Program is an important avenue to help participants learn about careers, college life experiences, and choices to prepare for college.  UBC mentors and mentees have the opportunity to interact once a week, throughout the year via email communication or phone conversations.

      UCSD
    • The Preuss School

      The Preuss School is a middle and high school dedicated to providing an intensive college prep education for motivated low-income students who will become the first in their families to graduate from college. The school, which is jointly chartered by the San Diego Unified School District and UCSD, opened in 1999 with 150 students in grades 6 – 8. It currently has 767 students in grades 6 – 12.

      The Preuss School
    • Academic Internship Program

      Established in 1976, UCSD's Academic Internship Program offers students the opportunity to apply academic knowledge and skills in diverse corporate and community settings while earning academic credit.

      UCSD

  12. The institution ensures that all students understand the requirements of their academic programs and receive timely, useful, and regular information and advising about relevant academic requirements. Guideline: Recruiting and admission practices, academic calendars, publications, and advertising are accurate, current, disclosing, and are readily available to support student needs.
    • Virtual Advising Center

      The Virtual Advising Center allows students to sign on with a password and their student ID number.

      UCSD
    • Thurgood Marshall College Advising

      The College’s academic advising services are available to continuing and readmitted students as well as new students for enrollment and after registration and enrollment.

      Thurgood Marshall College
    • Muir College Advising

      Muir College Academic Advisors endorse and embrace belief in the importance of personalized advising for actively participating in learning, making informed decisions, and assuming personal responsibility.

      Muir College
    • Revelle College Advising

      The Revelle College Academic Advising Office is responsible for advising all new and continuing students from orientation to graduation.

      Revelle College
    • Eleanor Roosevelt College Advising

      The Academic Advising homepage links to an online virtual advising center and information about academic petitions, degree audit and graduation check, programs and workshops, and publications. Students can also find information about making an appointment.

      Eleanor Roosevelt College
    • Sixth College Advising

      At Sixth College, our academic advising mission is to develop personal and caring relationships with students and to help you achieve your educational, career, and life goals.

      TritonLink
    • Warren College Advising

      The primary purpose of the Office of Academic Advising is to assist you in the development and implementation of your educational and personal goals.

      Warren College
    • Registrar's Office

      The Registrar's Office provides students with links to academic and financial information. Faculty and staff can also link to tools and procedures on grading, enrollment, and scheduling; and alumni can order copies of transcripts and diplomas.

      TritonLink
    • Admissions and Relations with Schools

      Admissions and Relations with Schools provides teachers, parents, and prospective students with information on UCSD's admissions process.

      TritonLink
  13. Student support services--including financial aid, registration, advising, career counseling, computer labs, and library and information services--are designed to meet the needs of the specific types of students the institution serves and the curricula it offers.
    • Departmental Chairs

      This page lists all departmental chairs in 2007-2008.

      Academic Affairs
    • Program Directors

      This page lists all program directors in 2007-2008.

      Academic Affairs
    • Academic Enrichment Programs

      AEP offers UCSD undergraduates the opportunity to obtain valuable research-oriented academic preparation in virtually any academic major including science, math, engineering, social sciences and the arts and humanities.

      AEP
    • TRIO Outreach Programs

      UCSD’s TRIO Outreach Programs consists of three federally funded programs: Upward Bound Classic, Upward Bound Math and Science and Education Talent Search. Please click on the link to learn more about the specific services and sites. Overall our programs include college advising, tutoring, Saturday academies, field trips and college tours.

      TRIO
    • Career Services Center

      The Career Services Center offers a wide range of programs and services, and exists to help students and alumni of the University of California determine and fulfill their career goals.

      UCSD
    • Office of Academic Support & Instructional Services (OASIS)

      The mission of OASIS is to help UCSD students reach their full potential by developing their appreciation for learning and their ability to learn effectively.

      UCSD
    • Psychological & Counseling Services

      Psychological and Counseling Services (P&CS) is committed to promoting student wellness, continuous life-skills building, development, and the preservation of an environment conducive to growth and learning. P&CS provides counseling, outreach, and preventative services to students of all backgrounds.

      UCSD
  14. Institutions that serve transfer students assume an obligation to provide clear and accurate information about transfer requirements, ensure equitable treatment for such students with respect to academic policies, and ensure that such students are not unduly disadvantaged by transfer requirements.
    • Admission Information for Transfer Students

      Link to information on on transferring to UCSD.

      TritonLink
    • All Campus Transfer Association (ACTA)

      The primary job of the All Campus Transfer Association (ACTA) is to give transfer students information and give students an opportunity to meet other transfer students.

      UCSD
    • Triton Transfer Connect Program

      The Triton Transfer Connect (TTC) has been created so that transfer students may become familiar with the resources regarding off campus housing. This program will give transfer students the opportunity to tour the surrounding La Jolla / UTC area (via the UCSD shuttle) in preparation for your off campus housing search.

      UCSD