The mission of the university is to develop in its students capacities for critical analysis, aesthetic appreciation, sound judgment, and apt expression that will sustain a lifetime of intellectual curiosity, active inquiry, and reasoned independence. A Puget Sound education, both academic and co-curricular, encourages a rich knowledge of self and others, an appreciation of commonality and difference, the full, open, and civil discussion of ideas, thoughtful moral discourse, and the integration of learning, preparing the university's graduates to meet the highest tests of democratic citizenship. Such an education seeks to liberate each person's fullest intellectual and human potential to assist in the unfolding of creative and useful lives.
A student completing the undergraduate curriculum will be able to
- think critically and creatively;
- communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing;
- develop and apply knowledge both independently and collaboratively
and will have developed
- familiarity with diverse fields of knowledge and the ability to draw connections among them;
- solid grounding in the field of the student’s choosing;
- understanding of self, others, and influence in the world; and
- an informed and thoughtful sense of justice and a commitment to ethical action