Portland State University – Ranking, Majors and Tuition
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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
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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