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About Willamette University

Founded in 1842, Willamette University is the first University in the West. With small class sizes fostering in-depth conversations, guidance from notable professors, and a nurturing environment, Willamette is committed to elevating students’ aspirations and propelling their careers to the next level.

Willamette University includes two undergraduate colleges and four graduate schools:

Willamette College (formerly known as the College of Arts & Sciences) is the residential undergraduate liberal arts college in Salem that has been the heart of Willamette University since its founding in 1842. It offers a wide range of undergraduate programs from Music to Business, Archaeology to Public Health. Willamette’s undergraduates experience a modern 21st-century curriculum that seeks to develop broad capacities for life-long learning and to prepare students for meaningful engagement with today’s most pressing challenges.

The Pacific Northwest College of Art, founded in 1909 as the museum school and now housed in beautifully redesigned historic space in downtown Portland, is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. It offers undergraduates the BFA degree in fields such as Animated Arts, Sculpture, Illustration, and Creative Writing, helping them develop professional practice skills and prepare for fulfilling and sustainable creative lives. PNCA’s Hallie Ford Graduate School offers full-time and low-residency MA and MFA degrees in fields including Visual Studies, Print Media, Critical Studies, and Creative Writing.

Willamette’s Law School, founded in 1883, has been a staple of the legal scene in the Pacific Northwest for generations, having trained and educated some of the region's most influential and powerful historical figures, business leaders, and politicians. Students are trained to practice law effectively, ethically, and logically through Willamette's world-class professors, clinical law programs, and internships with legal employers.

The top-ranked Atkinson Graduate School of Management provides a world-class management education. No matter the stage of one’s career, from early-career to mid-level professional to seasoned executive, Willamette has the perfect program for management students.

Launched in May 2023, the School of Computing & Information Sciences uses cutting-edge technology and an advanced curriculum to prepare students to succeed and be leaders in a 21st-century world of data and programming. Fortune Magazine named it the best master’s in data science program in Oregon and the Northwest for 2024.

Willamette University Mission Statement

Through nationally distinctive programs connecting liberal education to professional practice, Willamette University prepares graduates to turn knowledge into action and lead lives of achievement, contribution, and meaning.

Values

In addition to the mission statement, the University has a statement of shared values that guides its approach to mission fulfillment.

Influenced by its historic roots in The United Methodist Church, Willamette University is an independent, nonsectarian institution that embraces:

  • The dignity and worth of all individuals;

  • A commitment to diversity, service, leadership, and sustainability in communities and professions;

  • The ethical and spiritual dimension of education; and

  • Education as a lifelong process of discovery, delight, and growth, the hallmark of a humane life.

University Motto

Non nobis solum nati sumus — Not unto ourselves alone are we born

Accreditation

NWCCU

Willamette University has been accredited continuously by Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) since receiving initial accreditation on April 8, 1924. NWCCU accredits Willamette University at the baccalaureate, master, and doctoral degree levels. The Commission most recently reaffirmed the accreditation of the institution in Spring 2020, on the basis of a Mission Fulfillment and Sustainability evaluation. The institution's next comprehensive evaluation review is scheduled for Fall 2026.

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to accredit postsecondary institutions.

Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality evaluated through a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.

Willamette’s accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities is not partial, but applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.

Inquiries regarding an institution’s accredited status by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities should be directed to the administrative staff of the institution or directly to the Commission: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, 8060 165th Avenue N.E., Suite 100, Redmond, WA 98052, 425-558-4224.

School of Law Accreditation through the ABA

Willamette University School of Law is approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association at 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL, 60654, 312-988-6738.

American Studies Program Accreditation through CEA

The Willamette University American Studies Program is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) for the period April 2020 through April 2030, and agrees to uphold the CEA Standards for English Language Programs and Institutions. CEA is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the U.S.

Atkinson Graduate School of Management Accreditation

All Willamette MBA degree programs and the undergraduate Business Administration program are accredited for business administration by AACSB International — The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB International accreditation assures program quality and promotes excellence and continuous improvement in undergraduate and graduate education for business administration worldwide. AACSB International accreditation is the most recognized form of professional accreditation an institution and its business programs can earn.

Willamette's Early Career and Career Change MBA program is also accredited for public administration by NASPAA — the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration. The mission of NASPAA is to ensure excellence in education and training for public service and promote the ideal of public service. NASPAA Standards are the global quality benchmark used by graduate public service programs around the world. The Willamette MBA is one of only two MBA programs in the world dually accredited by NASPAA and AACSB.

Other Disciplinary Accreditations

Willamette's Music programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, and the undergraduate chemistry program is accredited by the American Chemical Society.

About this Catalog

The information in this catalog applies to the 2025–2026 academic year and is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of August 2025. Willamette University reserves the right to modify or change academic programs, requirements, policies, and other matters described herein without prior notice, in accordance with established university procedures.

Any such changes will be published, and students are responsible for staying informed of current policies and requirements. Individual faculty or staff members are not authorized to make exceptions to official university policies, and verbal agreements or informal arrangements may not be honored.