Writing Program

Writing skills are essential to success in the professional world. WSU’s nationally ranked Writing Program supports, tutors, and assesses writing to help students communicate effectively. Before beginning the junior year, all students must assemble a Writing Portfolio. Required for graduation, the portfolio is used to evaluate students’ readiness to write at the requisite level for upper-division courses in their major.

Common Reading Program

Each year the University chooses a single book to be read by all freshmen. Professors, residence hall staff, librarians, and others explore topics raised in the book. They link topics to course content and special extracurricular programming. Professors also share information from their research that relates to the book’s themes. Students learn the value of research, the power of ideas, and ways in which different disciplines approach similar problems.

Innovations that foster student success

The Transformational Change Initiative takes a multipronged approach to helping students succeed in college and beyond. First, it tailors instruction to actively engage students with coursework and encourage collaboration with peers. Then, it provides parents with a handbook of activities to do with their students. These activities help students identify their most important values. The handbook shows students how those values could help them make decisions on issues they encounter in college. Finally, the program provides students with experiential learning opportunities to further hone their problem-solving skills.

Honors College that prepares top students for influential careers

The Honors College attracts top students in all majors from across the United States and around the world. Honors alumni have long and distinguished records of leadership and impact throughout their careers.
The Honors College curriculum lets students choose among dozens of specialized classes in place of required general education courses. Class sizes are typically capped at 25 students. Honors students complete a thesis project, researching with a mentor an academic question of importance to them. They document their analysis and conclusions, and orally present their work to faculty evaluators.

Top training for future broadcast journalists

The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication offers the only comprehensive broadcast journalism program in the state of Washington. Noted for combining professional skill building and theory, the program is one of just a few nationwide that airs a daily, student-produced television newscast: Murrow News 8. The College houses 3 nationally acclaimed media outlets, including Northwest Public Radio, Northwest Public Television, and the student-run Murrow News Service. Students produce stories for media outlets nationwide. They have won national and regional Emmys for their television productions.

Foreign (and domestic) correspondence opportunities

Accomplished students in the Murrow College of Communication have the chance to report stories from abroad. The Murrow Backpack Journalism Program takes top journalism students to distant lands: the Galapagos Islands, Guatemala, Costa Rica, China, Sri Lanka, and more. Equipped with the latest video, audio, and web technology, travelers produce multimedia content for blog posts, final projects, and even publication by professional media.

A similar program, Backpack Environmental, sends journalism students to destinations around the U.S. Students profile the field research of environmental scientists in the Center for Environmental Research, Education, and Outreach (CEREO).

Fast track to a doctoral degree in life science disciplines

The STARS (Students Targeted toward Advanced Research Studies) program allows select students in biochemistry, genetics and cell biology, microbiology, or neuroscience to earn a doctorate in as little as 7 years after leaving high school. The program immerses freshmen in research and provides them with one-on-one mentorship from faculty members.

Path to success for low-income students in engineering and computer science

The Academic Redshirt program prepares promising students from low-income households to succeed in engineering and computer science disciplines. If you’re selected, you’ll be given the academic foundation you need to prepare for the demands of these fields. Plus, first-year coaching on study skills and habits readies you for the challenges that lie ahead.

Summer research opportunities

Dedicate your summer to conducting research alongside award-winning professors. Investigations span a wide range of fields, among them engineering, plant sciences, health sciences, and environmental sciences. The summer concludes with a symposium showcasing your work. Summer research programs are hosted by WSU faculty and funded by the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates, US Department of Agriculture, and faculty grants.