Pacific Lutheran University

Location and Contact Information

The campus is in a large suburb.

Overview

Pacific Lutheran University, also known as PLU, is located in Parkland, a suburb of Tacoma, Washington, United States. It was established in 1890 by Scandinavian immigrants. The institute gained university status in 1960. PLU offers a wide variety of degrees and programs in diverse areas of study. PLU is organized into the following schools and colleges:

• College of Arts and Sciences
• School of Arts and Communication
• School of Business
• School of Education and Movement Studies
• School of Nursing

PLU boasts an active student life. The campus hosts several student clubs and organizations. Some of them are Advocates for Social Justice, American Marketing Association, and Asian & Pacific Islanders Club.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

• Evangelical Lutheran Church religious affiliation.
• Many students concentrating in media, mathematics, and liberal arts.
• Large number of programs of study offered.
• Number of dorm rooms for students.
• Good faculty-to-student ratio.
• Superior share of faculty on tenure track.
• High percentage of students are from out-of-state.

School characteristics:

• The school is private, not-for-profit.
• Academic calender: 4-1-4 plan.
• Carnegie classification: Masters Colleges and Universities I.

Features of note:

• The school offers a faculty tenure system.
• There are one or more libraries on-campus.
• Campus housing is available.
• Students may study abroad.
• Part-time classes are available.
• ROTC.

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to Pacific Lutheran University:

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Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Students

Student enrollment was 3,652 in 2009-2010 (3,722 full-time equivalent).

About 39% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 61% of the class.

Undergrads are 86% of enrolled students and graduate students are 14%.

Students under 25 years old represent 85% of the student body. About 3% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 99% are full-time and 1% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

SAT Test Scores:

Room and Board

Pacific Lutheran University provides on-campus housing for 1,642 of its 3,722 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010). The school requires freshmen to live on campus.

Athletics

School sports include football, basketball, baseball, and track. The school is in the Northwest Conference for major sports.

Graduate School Focus

Pacific Lutheran University offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Master.

Graduate offerings include continuing professional education.The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is Postbaccalaureate Professional (Education Dominant).

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

ART STUDIES (21 awarded)

• Art/Art Studies

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (149 awarded)

• Business Administration and Management

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (18 awarded)

• Computer Engineering
• Computer and Information Sciences

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (0 awarded)

• Environmental Studies

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (7 awarded)

• Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (135 awarded)

• Curriculum and Instruction
• Education
• Educational Administration and Supervision
• Educational Leadership and Administration
• Elementary Education and Teaching
• English/Language Arts Teacher Education
• Music Teacher Education
• Reading Teacher Education
• Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
• Secondary Education and Teaching
• Special Education and Teaching
• Teacher Education/Profess Development, Levels & Methods

ENGINEERING (0 awarded)

• Engineering Science

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (13 awarded)

• Social Work

LIBERAL ARTS (206 awarded)

• Anthropology
• Area, Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies
• Chinese Studies
• Classics/Classical Languages, Lit & Linguistics
• Creative Writing
• Economics
• English Language and Literature
• French Language and Literature
• German Language and Literature
• History
• Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
• Political Science and Government
• Scandinavian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
• Scandinavian Studies
• Sociology
• Spanish Language and Literature
• Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS (17 awarded)

• Mathematics

MEDIA (61 awarded)

• Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

MUSIC (15 awarded)

• Music

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (100 awarded)

• Family Practice Nurse/Nurse Practitioner
• Nursing
• Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (44 awarded)

• Health and Physical Education

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (16 awarded)

• Philosophy
• Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE (69 awarded)

• Biology/Biological Sciences
• Chemistry
• Geology/Earth Science
• Physics

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (58 awarded)

• Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling
• Psychology