CSUMB Overview
Committed to the success of every student, CSUMB takes advantage of its small enrollment of 4,000, small class sizes, and talented teaching faculty to prepare you to achieve big things.
The faculty includes renowned authors, internationally acclaimed authorities, breakthrough researchers, and winners of extraordinary honors. More importantly, because CSUMB emphasizes excellence in instruction, faculty members dedicate themselves to mentoring students. As reported in USA Today, national researchers have recognized CSUMB as one of the top “20 schools that create a campus culture that fosters student success” and for “an unshakable focus on student learning...”
Founded in 1994, the university offers sophisticated technologies and spacious, modern facilities. Intel Corporation ranks CSUMB number 12 among the nation’s top 50 campuses for wireless Internet accessibility. The Chapman Science Academic Center opened in 2003 with state-of-the-art science and computer labs. A new signature building, the $64-million Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library, will open in 2008.
CSUMB serves California’s multicultural population, particularly working to create access to quality higher education for traditionally underserved populations. Both closeknit and diverse, the campus community embraces differences and fosters lifelong connections. The U.S. News & World Report rankings place CSUMB first for ethnic diversity and second for economic diversity among public liberal arts universities. And The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education names CSUMB a "Publisher’s Pick."
Praising CSUMB for placing students at the heart of the enterprise, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation team reported that “CSUMB is a product of scholarship at its best—rigorous, ethical, socially responsible, and respectful of the values and strengths of a diverse group of people who have adopted a common vision and sense of purpose.”
CSUMB’s overall academic program helps you grow through real-world experience, discussion of global issues, and service learning. U.S. News & World Report has listed CSUMB service learning among its “outstanding examples of academic programs that are believed to lead to student success.”
Developing breadth of knowledge and depth of skills that will allow you to advance steadily in a chosen career or shift jobs as the world changes, CSUMB’s interdisciplinary majors cover nearly 100 academic fields as concentrations and incorporated areas of study. We also offer dozens of minors, master’s degrees, and teaching credentials. This catalog provides details on all of these offerings.
In a region of California famous worldwide for its productivity and beauty, CSUMB geographically and intellectually connects the Salinas Valley and Monterey Bay communities surrounding it.
CSUMB has transformed part of the former Fort Ord army base into a 1,387-acre residential campus featuring impressive new and refurbished facilities. Ample campus housing includes apartments, suites, and residence halls. Campus growth will continue in the next few years, with a thoughtful master plan [CSUMB.EDU/masterplan] guiding construction of several new facilities such as the $64-million Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library [CSUMB.EDU/library].
Campus activities abound. Intercollegiate athletics (NCAA Division II), intramural and club sports, boating education, outdoor recreation, athletic facilities, hiking and cycling trails, and disc golf courses promote competition and fitness. Student organizations offer a variety of political, musical, academic, special interest, social, and socially conscious activities. Musical groups, plays, and open mikes provide outlets for performers. And guest writers, entertainers, musicians, politicians, educators, and others fill evenings and minds.
Minutes away, the Monterey Peninsula offers the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Carmel, Pebble Beach, 17-mile drive, and much more. The bay offers sailing, scuba, surfing, and kayaking, while the surrounding land invites sunning, cycling, hiking, and camping.