As of December 2022, students no longer have to write a Pathway essay to complete their Undergraduate Core requirements at SCU. This update goes into effect immediately, including for those who petitioned to graduate in Fall 2022.
This change will not affect the courses you have taken or are planning to take, as the Pathway course requirement has not changed and is still in effect.
For more information, here’s a video from Andrew Ishak, the Director of the Core Curriculum
If you wrote your pathway essay in Fall 2022, reserve your free Official Pathway Essay t-shirt.
This email was sent out on December 14 to the SCU campus community:
Dear Campus Community:
We write today with some important information regarding an Undergraduate Core requirement.
As of today, students no longer have to write a Pathway essay to complete their Undergraduate Core requirements at SCU. This update goes into effect immediately, including for those who petitioned to graduate in Fall 2022.
This change will not affect the courses you have taken or are planning to take, as the Pathway course requirement has not changed and is still in effect. As a reminder, all students, except Engineers and transfer students, take four classes in their declared Pathway to complete this requirement.
This update to the Core curriculum has been made in consultation with faculty, staff, students, and administrators across the university. The Pathway courses and essay have been part of the SCU Undergraduate Core since 2009. While the intention of the essay is still strongly supported, the implementation has proved challenging. Because of this, there has been growing widespread support for elimination of the essay portion of the Pathway requirement.
If you have any questions or concerns about this change, you can find more information here, or please reach out to one of us.
We hope you have a wonderful holiday break.
Sincerely,
Andrew Ishak, Director of the Undergraduate Core Curriculum
Katie Heintz, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies