California State University-Bakersfield

cal state bakersfield majors

Top-Notch, Transformative Public Education at CSUB

California State University-Bakersfield appears in our ranking of 100 Affordable Public Schools With High 40-Year ROIs.

Ranked the West’s sixth-best value by Washington Monthly, California State University-Bakersfield is a coed, doctoral-granting WSCUC member in the San Joaquin Valley that offers 45 bachelor’s and 22 graduate degrees, including five fully online, plus a Dual Enrollment Program at a 21:1 student-faculty ratio. For instance, the B.S. in Engineering builds 120-unit, ABET-accredited emphases for Biosystems & Agriculture, Petroleum, or Management with hands-on Materials Engineering Research Lab practice and Tau Beta Pi membership. Chaired by Dr. Kris Grappendorf, the 120-unit B.S. in Kinesiology provides opportunities to intern with Bakersfield Heart Hospital, research in the Human Performance Lab, join the ACSM, travel to Brisbane, and participate in the Dance Marathon.

Online on Blackboard, the M.A. in Education – Curriculum & Instruction delivers a 30-credit, CAEP-accredited track toward California’s K-12 Reading Added Authorization with 12 months of 6000-level courses like Literacy Assessment and Teaching for Diversity before the master’s exam. Directed by Dr. Douglas Dodd, the M.A. in History follows a 30-credit, thesis-optional plan where post-grads can pledge Phi Alpha Theta, attend the History Forum Speaker Series, engage in the Center for Archaeological Research, and intern at Bowers Museum. Other Bakersfield degrees include the B.S. in Economics, B.S. in Geology, B.S. in Agricultural Business, B.A. in Music, B.S. in Applied Mathematics, M.A. in Spanish, M.S. in Counseling Psychology, M.S. in Biotechnology, M.S. in Nursing, and Ed.D. in Education Leadership.

About California State University-Bakersfield

California State University-Bakersfield originated in August 1967 when the CSU Chancellor’s Office authorized the building of a new 94,000-square-foot branch in the Central Valley. In Fall 1970, President Paul Romberg opened the doors to the California State College Bakersfield. In 1982, the California State University-Bakersfield name was adopted. In 1989, CSUB graduated Congressman Kevin McCarthy of the 23rd district. In 1994, the 500,000-volume Walter W. Stiern Library was erected. In 2000, the California State University-Bakersfield Extended University Division was launched. In 2003, CSUB received the Hispanic-Serving Institution status. One decade later, Bakersfield joined the Western Athletic Conference for NCAA Division I athletics. In 2014, CSUB unveiled the Dr. Jacquelyn Kegley Center for Student Success. By 2015, California State University-Bakersfield had its first Gold LEED-certified building. In 2018, CSUB invested $27 million to triple the Student Union in size.

Endowed for $25.7 million, California State University-Bakersfield now employs 605 faculty teaching 9,368 undergrad and 1,448 post-grad Roadrunners on its 375-acre Kern County campus or online with 120+ clubs like the Chinese Student Association for 78 percent retention. In 2019, Bakersfield won the AASCU Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher Education Award. In 2018, CSUB received a Kappa Sigma Leadership Conference Award. California State University-Bakersfield accepted the 2019 IMA Brummet Award for Educators too. The U.S. News & World Report named CSUB the 97th top engineering school and 137th best social work college. On Niche, CSUB boasts America’s 204th best criminal justice program and 382nd best athletics. The New York Times applauded California State University-Bakersfield for the third-best social mobility. College Factual ranked CSUB 202nd for liberal arts teaching.

California State University-Bakersfield Accreditation Details

On February 24, 2012, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission voted to reaffirm the Level V accreditation at California State University-Bakersfield through the next Spring 2022 review under President Lynette Zelezny, Ph.D., who was nominated for Carnegie’s Professor of the Year Award. Located 269 miles north via Interstate 5 in Alameda, this two-state Pacific Region accreditor is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and California Department of Education. The following discipline-specific accreditations are also current:

  • Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
  • Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation
  • Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration
  • Council on Social Work Education Office of Accreditation
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

California State University-Bakersfield Application Requirements

Getting into California State University-Bakersfield is classified as “non-competitive” by Peterson’s since 100 percent of the 3,390 female and 2,039 male applicants were admitted. First-year Roadrunners still must be high school graduates with 15+ college-prep academic units. The Dual Enrollment Program is only available for Kern, Delano Joint Union, and Chaffey Joint Union High School districts. California residents need a minimum eligibility index score of 2900 with the SAT or 694 with the ACT test. Non-resident scores increase to 3502 and 842 respectively. International students need at least 61 TOEFL iBT, 6.0 IELTS, or 550 SAT reading scores. Bakersfield transfers must hold 60 semester or 90 quarter credits with GPAs over 2.0. The Graduate School requires a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree and minimum 2.5 GPA. Certain programs, such as the M.A. in English, require 3.0 GPAs. Many master’s programs also seek at least 148 GRE or 500 GMAT composite scores.

California State University-Bakersfield has undergrad filing periods of October 1st to November 30th for Fall and August 1st to August 31st for Spring starts. All documents must arrive by February 15th or October 1st. The Graduate School assigns unique deadlines for each program though. For example, the M.A. in Spanish considers candidates until June 30th and November 30th. The M.S. in Counseling Psychology closes on February 17th. M.S. in Geology cohorts must file before February 28th. Prospective Roadrunners submit the CSU Application online for $70. Official transcripts are forwarded to 9001 Stockdale Highway in Bakersfield, CA 93311. Tests are directly sent using SAT/GRE code 4110 or ACT code 0201. Contact (661) 654-3036 or [email protected] about further steps.

Tuition and Financial Aid

For 2019-20, California State University-Bakersfield is billing in-state undergrads $7,418 annually. Non-resident bachelor’s tuition and fees are $16,922 each year. The Western Undergraduate Exchange drops the rate to $10,923. Living at the San Joaquin Valley campus’ dorms like Entwood Hall adds $12,984 for room and board. CSUB budgets $950 for transport, $1,704 for personal expenses, and $2,058 for textbooks/supplies. Annual full-time attendance equals about $25,114 in-state, $34,618 out-of-state, and $28,619 for Westerners. The Graduate School charges Californians $8,852 and non-residents $11,228 each year. Note the Master of Business Administration requires an extra $396 per unit. Ed.D. in Education Leadership cohorts pay $13,514 yearly.

According to the NCES College Navigator, the Office of Financial Aid in Student Services Building Room 10 gets 93 percent of new full-time CSUB Roadrunners enrolled with an average assistance of $10,549 for $13.27 million combined. University funds include the Dr. Beth Rienzi Merit Scholarship, Don Hopkins Advertising Club Scholarship, Cheryl Maglischo Scholarship, Bill Burton Jazz Memorial Scholarship, Kathleen Van Horn Scholarship, Richard Graves Memorial Scholarship, Varanasi Family Scholarship, Louis Barbich Scholarship, Armand Hammer Fine Arts Scholarship, Filipino Excellence Scholarship, and Claude Fidler Scholarship. The $6,000 Howard C. Christiansen Scholarship has a May 15th deadline for full-time engineering majors with minimum of 3.0 GPAs. The Beaver Family French Scholarship provides $4,655 each Spring for short-term study abroad sessions in France. Federal resources, such as the Pell Grant or Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, require FAFSA applications coded 007993. Golden State natives also pursue the Cal Grant, Middle-Class Scholarship, State University Grant, Transfer Entitlement Award, Chafee Grant for Foster Youth, and more.

Search four WASC-accredited schools for 65+ in-demand, value-added degrees placed 75th overall by PayScale at the California State University-Bakersfield website.