Future grad students, get a feel of what PLU has to offer and what campus is like.
Welcome to PLU
Ranked as one of the best graduate schools in America, Pacific Lutheran University offers a wide range of graduate programs that prepare students for advanced careers as business owners and leaders, financial consultants, marketing data analysts, music instructors, nurse administrators and practitioners, school administrators and teachers, social scientists, writers and more. We welcome diverse students with any undergraduate degree. Graduates receive benefits from supportive small classes, individual support, and curriculum that is informed by real world practice and industry trends. Join us on this virtual campus tour to learn more about our community and campus/space.
Mortvedt Library
Our library is comprised of three floors, each of which is accompanied by a varying sound level, providing study spaces for any kind of studier, loud and silent alike. Our library is home to over half a million books, but in the event that you need a resource we don’t have, you can also utilize our online interlibrary loan system that allows you to request titles to be sent to our campus from elsewhere. The library is also home to new and improved study rooms and our Center for Student Success (CSS). CSS encompasses our Academic Advising, Academic Assistance and Writing Center resources on campus. Offering both walk-in hours and appointments, Academic Assistance and the Writing Center are fantastic resources that offer student tutoring and revisions in any academic discipline. Academic Advising is responsible for ensuring our students are on track to graduate, are fulfilling their necessary major/general education requirements, and can offer guidance in declaring a major or minor.
Hauge Administrative Building
The Hauge Administration Building, or “Admin” for short, is home to a variety of different spaces and services on campus. While our Division of Humanities is headquartered on the second floor of the building, the rest of the second floor is mainly comprised of classroom spaces, in which every single student will have at least one class during their time here at PLU. On your way to class you can grab a coffee or snack to-go from the Lute Cafe, one of three cafes on campus. The lower level of the building is where our School of Education is headquartered, in addition to the university Welcome Center, where you might check-in for an on-campus tour. Admin is also home to our Office of Student Financial Services (SFS) which is where students can go with questions about scholarships, payment plans, billing statements, loans, and any other general financial aid questions. Because 97% of all PLU students receive some form of financial aid, this is a great resource on campus to keep in mind!
Xavier Hall
Xavier Hall used to be PLU’s library before we constructed Mortvedt Library in the 1970s, but it is now home to the headquarters for our Division of Social Sciences, in addition to Norquist Lecture Hall. Norquist Lecture Hall, sometimes thought of as PLU’s “Harry Potter Hall,” is one of three large lecture halls on campus, and while it is not the largest lecture hall on campus, it serves as a great demonstration of what class sizes at PLU can look like. The average class size at PLU is 18, so classes like those held in Norquist actually account for the minority of classes at PLU!
Red Square
While Red Square isn’t the geographic center of campus, it’s sometimes referred to as the center of campus because it’s a space most students walk through every single day. Red Square is the forefront of upper campus and is home to several events throughout each school year, including our New Student Orientation (NSO) Block Party, our Winter Tree Lighting Ceremony, and our student favorite Dog Days! Block Party is the final event of NSO weekend that celebrates the completion of NSO with a DJ, involvement booths, inflatable obstacle courses and snacks. The Winter Tree Lighting Ceremony is a wonderful tradition we have on campus that marks the start of the holiday season with the lighting of all of the trees surrounding Red Square. Dog Days are days we have on campus around midterms and finals when members of the local community bring their certified emotional support animals to campus for our students to spend time with to relieve some of the stress of exams.
Karen Hille Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
The Karen Hille Phillips Center (KHP) is home to Eastvold Auditorium, one of two primary performing arts centers on campus, in addition to being home to our University Chapel on the upper level and our Studio Theater. Eastvold Auditorium is where our theatre performances take place, showcasing several shows a year. Our Studio Theater, or Black Box Theater, showcases several entirely student-produced, student-directed shows every year and is also one of five LEED (Leader in Environmental and Energy Design) certified buildings on campus. It has the highest LEED rating a building can achieve, making it an extremely sustainable building representative of PLU’s commitment to sustainability.
Mary Baker Russell Music Center
The Mary Baker Russell Music Center (MBR) is where all of our music practice spaces, group rehearsal rooms, and our second primary performing arts center, Lagerquist Concert Hall, are located. Lagerquist Concert Hall is primarily used for live music performances and is also home to the Mary Fuchs Organ, which is the largest collegiate organ west of the Mississippi. PLU has over twelve music ensembles (vocal and instrumental) and they perform over 100 shows a year in Lagerquist. One of the most popular shows that takes place in the hall is our winter concert series in which all of the ensembles do joint shows to mark the beginning of the holiday season.
Morken Center
Morken Center for Learning and Technology is home to our School of Business, in addition to our Engineering 3-2 Program, our computer science classrooms, and many of our mathematics classrooms. Morken is another LEED certified building on campus and the abundance of natural light in the space makes it a student favorite study spot on campus. It is also home to PLU’s state-of-the-art computer labs and Kelley Cafe, one of three cafes on campus. Our School of Business, headquartered in Morken, is another nationally-accredited program at our university and they have over 150 partnerships with Tacoma-Seattle businesses and companies, making it easy for our business students to have constant access to hands-on experience off campus. Our Engineering 3-2 Program allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering in three years at PLU and then places students at one of our partner institutions--Columbia University in New York, or Washington University in St. Louis--for another two years where they can earn a second bachelor’s degree in engineering.
Rieke Science Center
The Rieke Science Center is home to the headquarters for our natural sciences on campus, in addition to housing all of our on-campus laboratory spaces and our largest lecture hall, Leraas Lecture Hall. There are a variety of laboratory spaces inside Rieke ranging from smaller, more intimate lab spaces on the lower level, to our large open-concept lab space on the upper level of Rieke. Rieke also houses our giant slug, Enrieke, who used to be on display at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma.
Foss Field
A multi-faceted space on campus, Foss Field is used for a multitude of events and activities throughout the year. It is home to our Fall Involvement Fair, the Homecoming Carnival, some Intramural Sports, PLU’s Interfaith Games, and it is also a student favorite sunbathing spot in the spring when the sun comes out and the temperature goes up!
Names Fitness Center
Names Fitness Center is the main workout facility for students on campus. The second level is our cardio center and the lower level is our weight training center. Also attached to the lower level is a small gymnasium sometimes using for physical education classes or for GroupX Activities. GroupX Activities are activities and fitness classes students can sign up to take each week throughout the school year ranging from yoga classes to zumba classes to high intensity interval training.
Olson Gymnasium & Auditorium
Olson Gymnasium is PLU’s main gymnasium on campus and is where our basketball and volleyball teams play and practice. It is also the home for PLU’s Department of Kinesiology, which offers a Bachelor of Science and Arts in Kinesiology, and a Master of Science in Kinesiology, and it is also home to the athletic training facilities for our varsity athletes. There are multiple labs, offices, and classroom spaces on both floors for both graduate and undergraduate students to get hands-on experience with studying human movement. Home sporting events are entirely free for students with their Lute cards, so Lute Legion, our student fan section, is always full of lively, supportive Lutes.
Pool
Our outdoor sporting facilities are comprised of a turf field, practice football field, track, baseball and softball diamonds, a soccer field, and a full golf course that has been converted into a frisbee golf course. While our swimming pool is, of course, where our swim team practices, it is also open to all students daily during select times. Our swimming pool is also where one of the most interesting intramural sports, innertube water polo, takes place every winter.
Memorial Gym
Back when PLU was Pacific Lutheran College, Memorial Gymnasium was PLU’s “big gym.” We have expanded quite a bit since becoming a university officially in the 1960s, so Memorial is now home to the headquarters for PLU’s Army ROTC program. Because Joint Base Lewis-McChord is located so close to our campus, many of our students are able to form partnerships with the base and our ROTC students also have access to a variety of resources offered by the base. PLU’s ROTC program has won the prestigious MacArthur Award three times since the program’s conception in 2001, demonstrating the rigor of the program and the dedication of our cadets.
Anderson University Center (downstairs)
Acting as a primary hub for various offices on campus, the lower level of the Anderson University Center, or “UC” for short, houses the Cave, our Associated Students of PLU (ASPLU) office, the Diversity Center (D-Center), Residential/Student Life offices, the Student Activities Board office, our on-campus radio studio, the Center for Faith and Spirituality, the Scandinavian Cultural Center, and the Lute Locker.
Anderson University Center (upstairs)
The upper level of the UC is where the Commons is located, which is the only large dining hall on campus. The Commons is comprised of four different food stations so there are always a variety of food options for students to choose from. Also on the upper level of the UC is Old Main Market (OMM), the largest of the three cafes on campus. OMM is a great place to grab late night snacks or grocery items for your dorm room. There is also a Multi-Faith Meditation and Prayer Space located on the upper level of the UC, welcoming of all PLU community members. The third floor of the UC is where PLU’s Counseling Center is located. PLU’s Counseling Center is available to all students via walk-in hours and by appointment.
Ramstad Hall
Ramstad Hall used to be PLU’s science hall, but it is now home to the headquarters for our School of Nursing on the second floor, our nursing simulation labs on the third floor, and our psychology labs on the first floor. One of the two simulation labs is equipped with automated responsive mannequins, and the other with fully equipped hospital/clinic beds. Students learn to suture, take vitals, and various practices during lab sessions.
Harstad Hall
When PLU was founded in the 1890s by Scandinavian immigrants, Harstad Hall was the entirety of campus. It was renamed in 1960 after our university founder, Bjug Harstad. It housed faculty offices, student dorm rooms, classrooms, a dining hall, and a chapel. Our campus has grown quite significantly since the 1890s, so Harstad Hall now functions as our only all women-identifying residence hall on campus with the RLC of Gender Equity and Women Empowerment. Harstad also houses our Campus Safety office on the lowest level of the building.
Garfield Street
While Garfield Street is technically located off-campus, it’s a popular place for students to hang out because it is home to several local eateries. There is almost any cuisine one could crave on Garfield, from pizza to sushi burritos and ramen. There are also two student favorite cafes off of Garfield street: 208 and North Lights Coffee. PLU’s cafe 208 provides students with yummy snacks and coffee in a relaxed, modern setting and North Lights Coffee follows a more traditional coffee shop setup, even hosting live music and community events.
Marriage and Family Therapy Program site
The Marriage and Family Therapy program is housed inside the Garfield Station at the junction of Garfield Street and C Street. Faculty offices and classrooms are in the same location, making it easier for faculty to interact with students. The program runs an on-campus Couple and Family Therapy Center which offers affordable, high-quality care to individuals, couples, and families. Every student in the program will spend their first semester of practica at the Center with a co-therapist from their class. Each therapy room is equipped with a one-way mirror which gives students the opportunity to observe other therapist-in-training perform therapy sessions.