Sonoma State University

Located in California's premier wine country 1 hour north of San Francisco, Sonoma State is a small campus with big ideas. With a tradition of promoting intellectual and personal growth, leadership opportunities and technological proficiency, SSU offers its students a friendly, safe and informal atmosphere on a beautiful campus setting. Currently, campus housing accommodates students in both apartment and residential suite style facilities.

While SSU generally accepts all qualified students who apply from high schools in its service area, 80 percent of the freshmen and 55 percent of the junior transfer students come from outside the North Bay region. With 34 percent of the student body living on campus, it is one of the most residential campuses within the California State University system.

Why Sonoma State University

Academic Profile

The SSU educational experience fosters intellectual, cognitive, social and personal growth. The faculty and staff provide collaborative relationships with students and an education that fosters ethical exploration, civic engagement, social responsibility, and global awareness combined with a solid foundation in an academic discipline. Many classes average fewer than 40 students, allowing close interaction between students and faculty.

SSU has a commitment to graduating students who have the ability to think critically and ethically and can effectively use information technology. There is a strong move to develop a global perspective in much of the curriculum to prepare students for the needs of the 21st century workplace.

The University is comprised of six schools: Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Education, Extended & International Education, Social Sciences and Science and Technology. Degrees are offered in 46 majors and 47 minors at the bachelor's level and 15 at the master's level. There are nine credential programs and eight undergraduate and graduate certificate programs. SSU also offers one of the only Wine Business Institutes in the country.

Accreditation

Sonoma State University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the California State Board of Education. The School of Education is accredited at the state and national levels by CCTC and NCATE. The School of Business and Economics is accredited by AACSB-International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Many departments and programs are individually accredited.

Athletics

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 13 sports: five for men and eight for women. SSU is a member of the NCAA Division II and competes in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, the premier intercollegiate Division II athletic association in the country. It is also a member and part of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). Eleven of SSU's sports are in the CCAA, water polo is in the WWPA, and men's tennis is a Division II independent.

Sonoma State athletics got its start in 1964 with the school's first men's basketball team. Through the years, the Seawolves have had much success including national championships in 1990 (women's soccer), 2002 (men's soccer) and 2009 (men's golf).

Awards and Honors

One of the most requested campuses in the CSU system and regularly named a “Best Regional University” by U.S. News & World Report. SSU has also been named one of the “most wired” campuses in the nation by Princeton Review. It is the only California university invited to be a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, the prestigious group of 25 universities and colleges across the nation committed to providing superior liberal arts and sciences education to their students.

Student Life

Residential Life department and the Center for Student Leadership, Involvement & Service organize a wide variety of social and educational activities to ensure there activities for students. This can run the gamut from karaoke, community service events, video game contests, live music shows, comedy contests, lectures, trips to local Bay Area theatres, sporting events, museums, and much more. The alcohol and drug education program has become a model for other CSU campuses. The campus has a student newspaper and a student run radio station. For more information on events, visit the Seawolf Calendar.

More than 100 clubs and organizations are available to accommodate a wide range of interests from ethnic and international to special hobbies and pursuits. A community service program supported by the Associated Students, JUMP (Join Us Making Progress) offers students the opportunity to serve in numerous volunteer programs and gain experiences relevant to their education. Some of the many JUMP projects are Adopt-a-Grandparent, Study Buddies, Bodega Bay Homework Project, and Serving Our Unfed People.