Portland State University

BACKGROUND

History/Location:
Portland State University is Oregon's urban public university. Founded in 1946 as Vanport Extension Center of the Oregon State System of Higher Education, it became Portland State College, a separate degree-granting institution, in 1955, and was re-named Portland State University in 1969. The Carnegie Foundation currently classifies Portland State University as a Doctoral-Granting University II. The 36-acre campus adjoins the central business district of Portland, Oregon, a city of 503,000. The Portland metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1.7 million.

Academic Schools and Colleges, Programs and Degrees:

The University comprises the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Urban and Public Affairs, and Engineering and Computer Science; Schools of Business Administration, Fine and Performing Arts, the Graduate School of Education, the Graduate School of Social Work, and Extended Studies. During the 2000-2001 academic year 2,194 bachelor's degrees, 1,199 master's degrees, and 38 doctoral degrees were awarded. The University offers bachelor's degrees in 55 fields, certificate programs in thirteen areas at the undergraduate level and sixteen at the graduate level, master's degrees in 53 fields, and doctoral degrees in ten fields. In 2000-2001 doctoral degrees were awarded in Educational Leadership, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Environmental Sciences and Resources, Mathematics Education, Social Work, Public Administration and Policy, Systems Science, and Urban Studies.

Faculty:

In 2000-2001 there were 692 budgeted instructional faculty FTE positions (including 84 FTE Graduate Assistants). The student/faculty ratio was 17:7. More than 75% of full-time instructional faculty were tenured. Average 2000-2001 AAUP instructional faculty salaries were $67,717 for full professors and $53,818 for all ranks (after 12-month salaries were converted to nine-month equivalents).

Enrollment:

Fall 2000 headcount enrollment excluding extension students was 17,241 (12,246 FTE) including 12,598 undergraduate students (9,135 FTE), and 4,643 graduate students (3,111 FTE). Sixty-one percent (7,664) of undergraduate students and 38% percent (1,751) of graduate students were enrolled full time. Fifty-five percent of undergraduate students and 60% of graduate students were female. Six percent of students pay out-of-state tuition. Eighteen percent of undergraduate students and 11% of graduate students are members of protected minority groups. Overall, 16% of PSU students who are citizens or permanent residents of the US are members of protected minority groups (8.6% are Asian, 2.8% African-American, 3.7% Hispanic, and 1.1% Native American). An additional 5.6% of the student body are international students, representing 79 nations. In addition to the students enumerated above, nearly 11,353 individuals each year enroll in credit-bearing courses offered through PSU's School of Extended Studies. Approximately 11% of PSU students live in campus housing, which is operated by College Housing Northwest, a private non-profit corporation.

Costs:

Annual tuition for full-time undergraduate students who were Oregon residents was $3,525 in 2000-2001; non-resident full-time undergraduate tuition was $12,291. Tuition for Oregon resident full-time graduate students was $6,519; for full-time non-resident graduate students, tuition was $11,127.

Institutional Affiliations:

PSU is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. It is a member of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) and the Association of Urban Universities. In athletics, PSU is a Division I member of the Big Sky Conference.