Portland State University
portland state university online degree

Portland State University ( commonly referred to as Portland State or simply as PSU) is a public, coeducational research university located in Portland, Oregon. Portland State was originally founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution with the purpose of educating returning World War II veterans. Over the following two decades after the school’s founding, PSU evolved into a four-year college and, in the year of 1969, was granted university status. Portland State is comprised of seven different constituent colleges. Across these seven colleges, PSU offers undergraduate degree-granting programs in one hundred twenty-three disciplines and postgraduate degree-granting programs in one hundred seventeen disciplines.

We Ranked Portland State University:
#22 in Top 25 Most Political Universities,
#5 in Top 10 Online Bachelors Degrees in Criminal Justice; and
#15 in Top 20 Greenest Colleges

Portland State University is well-known for its unique University Studies curriculum, which culminates in a community-based senior capstone project (also known as a final year project or dissertation) of which all undergraduates are required to complete for graduation. This capstone course fully integrates class work with community-based work and is completed with the assistance of local community organizations. The capstone project covers a wide-range of issues, such as social justice, sustainability, youth education and much more. The project is designed to blend a student’s education with a sense of responsibility to the community and themselves.

Featured Programs

Portland State has numerous student-run organizations, including the Greek Life organizations Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Kappa Psi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Chi Omega, Kappa Sigma, Omega Delta Phi and Phi Delta Theta and other agencies such as a Women’s Resources Center, a Disability Resources Center, a Resource Center for Students with Children and a Queer Resource Center for the school’s identifying LGBT+ students. Many other organizations and groups are available, ensuring that there is a little something for everyone at Portland State University.

Local Flavor: Portland, Oregon

In addition to the student organizations and groups available, the surrounding area of Portland, Oregon also has numerous activities and sights to see, including:

  • Portland Art Museum: Portland Art Museum is the oldest museum of art on the West Coast–and the seventh oldest in the United States–and houses more than 42,000 permanent pieces of art and art exhibits and various rotating art exhibits yearly. Many styles and eras of art are represented throughout the Museum, such as Modern and Post-World War II exhibits.
  • Tom McCall Waterfront Park: Opened in 1978, Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a park located in Portland that is most commonly utilized for jogging, walking, biking, skateboarding, fountain playing, luncheoning, basketball, fireworks viewing, Segwaying and boat watching and various other typical park activities.
  • Oregon Museum of Science and Industry: The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry contains three auditoriums which include a large-screen theater, a planetarium and various exhibition halls with a large variety of permanent hands-on exhibits focused on natural sciences, industry, and technology. Exhibits include the USS Blueback, the submarine that was featured in the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October and the Science Playground, an educational area designed for small children.
  • Portland Opera: Portland Opera is the local opera house. Portland Opera was one of the very first opera companies to introduce subtitles into its productions and has presented several world and US premieres.

Portland has an active nightlife scene with numerous bars, clubs, and late-night shopping.

There are also many highly-rated restaurants, boutiques, breweries, art galleries, parks and countless other things to keep the students of Portland State University (and the residents of Portland, Oregon) busy day-to-day.

Degrees and Programs at Portland State University

Portland State University has a massive selection of undergraduate, graduate and professional certification programs available to students. The lists below outline the various coursework students can pursue:

Portland State University Undergraduate Programs (Partial List)

Accounting 

Advanced Proficiency in Russian

Advertising Management

African Studies

American Sign Language Minor

Anthropology

Applied Health and Fitness

Applied Linguistics

Arabic

Architecture

Art History

Arts and Letters

Athletic and Outdoor Industry

Biochemistry

Biology

Black Studies

Business Blockchain

Business Technology and Analytics

Campaigning to Win a U.S. Political Campaign

Chinese

Comics Studies

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Community Development

Computer Engineering

Conflict Resolution

Creative Writing

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Data Science

Earth Science

Economics

Electrical Engineering

Entrepreneurship

Environmental Science

Film

Food, Beverage and Goods Leadership

Forest Ecology and Management

Human Resource Management

Indigenous Nations and Native American Studies

Intercultural Competence for the Workplace

International Business

Judaic Studies

Lake and Reservoir Management

Management and Leadership

Music: Musicology/Ethnomusicology

Music: Performance

Pre-Chiropractic Medicine

Pre-Dental Hygiene

Pre-Dentistry

Pre-Law

Pre-Medical Laboratory Science

Pre-Medicine

Pre-Naturopathic Medicine

Pre-Occupational Therapy

Pre-Optometry

Pre-Pharmacy

Pre-Physical Therapy

Pre-Physician Assistant

Pre-Public Health

Pre-Radiation Therapy

Pre-Teacher Education

Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Psychology

Public Health Studies: Community Health Promotion

Public Health Studies: Health Services Administration

Real Estate Property Management

RussianScience

Sexuality, Gender, and Queer Studies

Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship

Sociology

Sonic Arts and Music Production

Special Education

Speech and Hearing Sciences

Supply and Logistics Management

Transformative Messaging

Urban and Public Affairs

Women’s Leadership

Women’s Studies

World Language Pedagogy

Portland State University Graduate Programs 

Anthropology

Applied Conflict Resolution

Applied Data Science for Business

Applied Physics

Applied Social Demography

Applied Statistics

Architecture

Athletic and Outdoor Industry

Biology

Biostatistics

Book Publishing

Business Blockchain

Business Intelligence and Analytics

Chemistry

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Collaborative Governance

Communication

Computational Intelligence

Computer Modeling and Simulation

Computer Science

Conflict Resolution

Contemporary Art Practice: Art and Social Practice

Contemporary Art Practice: Studio Practice

Counseling: Clinical Mental Health

Counseling: Clinical Rehabilitation

Counseling: Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling

Counseling: School Counseling

Creative Writing

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Curriculum and Instruction

Cybersecurity

Early Childhood: Inclusive Education and Curriculum and Instruction

Early Intervention Special Education

Earth, Environment and Society

Econometric and Data Analysis

Economics

Educational Leadership

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Emergency Management and Community Resilience

Emergency Management and Community Resilience

Energy Policy and Management

Engineering Geology

Engineering Management: Technology Management

Engineering Project Management

Engineering and Technology Management

English

Environmental Geology

Environmental Management

Environmental Science and Management

Environmental Science and Management PSM

Environmental Systems and Human Health

Environmental and Resource Economics

Epidemiology

Executive MPA

Finance

Gender, Race, and Nations

Geographic Information Systems

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Geography

Geology

German

Gerontology

Service-Learning and Community-Based Learning in Postsecondary Education

Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship

Social Work

Social Work and Social Research

Sociology

Spanish

Special Education

Speech and Hearing Sciences

Statistics

Strategic Management of Technology

Student Affairs in Higher Education

Sustainability Graduate Certificate

Sustainable Food Systems

Systems Engineering

Systems Engineering Fundamentals Certificate

Systems Science

Taxation

Taxation Certificate

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Technological Entrepreneurship

Technology Management

The Healthcare MBA

The Portland MBA

Training and Development

Transportation

Urban Design

Urban Studies

Urban and Regional Planning

World Languages and Literature

Portland State University’s Online and Flexible Undergraduate Degree Programs

Accounting

Advertising Management Minor for Communication Majors

Advertising Management Minor for Graphic Design Majors

African Studies

Art History

Arts and Letters

Asian Studies

Business Blockchain

Business Minor

Business Technology and Analytics

Child, Youth, and Family Studies

Civic Leadership Minor

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Consumer Retail Pre-Baccalaureate

Criminology and Criminal Justice Online

Criminology and Criminal Justice Postbac Online

Cultural History of the Arts

English

European Studies

Geographic Information Systems Minor

Geography

History

Human Resource Management

Intercultural Competence for the Workplace

International Business

International Development Studies

International and Global Studies

Latin American Studies

Liberal Studies

Management and Leadership

Marketing

Middle East Studies

Philosophy

Political Science

Public Health Studies: Community Health Promotion

Public Health Studies: Health Services Administration

Public Health Studies: Healthy Aging

Public Health Studies: Human Lactation

Public Health Studies: Pre-Clinical Health Sciences

Public Health Studies: School Health Education

Real Estate Property Management Minor

Science

Sexuality, Gender, and Queer Studies

Social Innovation Minor

Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship

Social Science

Social Work

Sociology

Space and Planetary Science Minor

Supply and Logistics Management

Urban and Public Affairs

Woman’s Studies

World Language Pedagogy

Portland State University’s Online Online and Flexible Graduate Programs 

Applied Data Science for Business

Athletic and Outdoor Industry

Business Blockchain

Business Intelligence and Analytics

Collaborative Governance

Contemporary Art Practice: Art and Social Practice

Curriculum and Instruction

Early Childhood: Inclusive Education and Curriculum and Instruction

Early Intervention Special Education

Educational Leadership

Engineering Geology

Environmental Geology

Geographic Information Systems

Gerontology

Global Supply Chain Management

Global Supply Chain Management Certificate

Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP)

Human Resource Analytics

Infant/Toddler Mental Health

Mathematics for Teachers

Postsecondary Adult and Continuing Education (PACE)

Professional and Technical Writing

Public Health Practice

Service-Learning and Community-Based Learning in Postsecondary Education

Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship

Social Work

Special Education

Student Affairs in Higher Education

Sustainable Food Systems

Systems Engineering

Taxation

Taxation Certificate

Teaching Adult Learners

The Healthcare MBA

Training and Development

What Makes Portland State University Unique: Tuition Costs

psu keystone

Portland State University has very appealing and affordable tuition costs, ranging from $193 per credit hour to $676 per credit hour. Prices depend on whether you are a resident or a non-resident attending graduate or undergraduate courses. Courses taken entirely online have an additional fee of $35 a credit The school also offers numerous scholarship and grant opportunities, along with a very helpful and dedicated Financial Services team and payment option plans to assist with covering the costs of attending.

Because of the relatively low-cost of attendance, students will be able to get a bigger Return on Investment (ROI) for their time, which is always a plus. The ROI is further increased when a student obtains a scholarship or grant from the school.

The school’s cost of attendance, financial services team, payment plans, scholarships, and grants combine to make Portland State University a relatively unique specimen in the educational world.

Notable Portland State University Alumni include:

  • Barbara Roberts; the 34th Governor of the state of Oregon
  • Anna J. Brown; a well-respected United States Federal Judge
  • Betty Roberts; the first woman to serve on the Oregon Supreme Court
  • D. Scott Davis; the current United States Postal Service CEO
  • Mike Richardson; publisher and founder of Dark Horse Comics, a highly popular comic book producer
  • Freeman Williams; holder of the second-highest NCAA score in NBA history, among many others.

Portland State University’s Website: https://www.pdx.edu/

PSU’s Accreditation: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)

PSU’s Values and Mission Statement: https://www.pdx.edu/portland-state-university-mission

Portland State University’s Motto: Doctrina urbi serviat – “Let Knowledge Serve the City”

PSU’s Mascot: Victor E. Viking

PSU’s School Colors: Green and White

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