As the liberal arts core of the university, the College of the Pacific is the oldest and largest academic unit, offering courses in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the fine and performing arts. The College collaborates closely with Pacific's other eight schools, and offers the foundational coursework for the University's professional programs.

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Mission Statement

The founding school of the University, College of the Pacific (1851) educates all students by combining a rigorous liberal arts curriculum with opportunities to develop engaging partnerships in business, education, engineering, health sciences, law, and music. Supported by faculty committed to personalized education, the College champions experiential learning through undergraduate research and creative activity, fieldwork, internships, and study abroad. College of the Pacific challenges students and faculty to cultivate and exercise intellectual curiosity and conviction in the pursuit of meaningful personal and professional lives.

Experience Our Personal, Student-Centered Approach

At many larger universities and colleges, students often get "lost" during their first year. We work hard to prevent that from happening in the College of the Pacific by providing one-on-one faculty advising, small class sizes and accessible academic support services.

Close faculty-student relationships are characteristic of the College of the Pacific. Our faculty members take a personal interest in students' development throughout their university career and often stay in contact beyond graduation.

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Be Inspired by Our Faculty Scholars

Our faculty members are widely recognized for their innovative teaching practices. They are also known for their own cutting edge research and creative work in the arts, letters and sciences.

Meet Geological and Environmental Sciences professor Lydia Fox.

Flexible Degree Options

Many of our students double major, combine majors and minors, or even combine degrees across different schools at Pacific. The College of the Pacific offers 31 majors and 36 minors. And you can even design your own major or minor within the College. In all, over 80 undergraduate areas of study are available across the University of the Pacific's different schools and colleges.

Renowned General Education Program

During your first year, we encourage you to explore a variety of subjects. Through the general education curriculum you will be exposed to all major areas of learning in the arts, letters and sciences and have the opportunity to develop and refine critical thinking skills, written and oral communication skills, ethical reasoning and intercultural understanding. These are skills and qualities that enrich any career path, and that will give you a competitive edge over students trained in narrower programs.

Gain Practical Experience

You will find many opportunities to gain real-world experience through a variety of placements in internships, fieldwork, research projects and fellowships. This experience outside of the classroom helps prepare you for professional or graduate school and gives you an edge when starting your career.

Political science major Kyle Wohlgemuth describes his summer in Salzburg, Austria.