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California State University, Chico

Academic Programs and Departments

Across our seven departments, we harness the power of arts and ideas to challenge thinking, fuel imagination, and build the collaborative skills you need to shape the world.

  • Art students show their work at Jacki Headley University Art Gallery

    Art and Art History

    We are dedicated to developing students’ critical thinking, creativity, visual literacy, and technical skills, while deepening their knowledge of art history.

  • Students in a Religious Studies class visit the Chico History Museum to learn about the history of Chinese

    Comparative Religion and Humanities

    Our department is dedicated to the scholarly interpretation of religion and the nuanced analysis of cultural traditions, preparing students to critically engage with a complex, interconnected world.

  • Student reads next to library window with fall colors in the background

    English

    In Chico State’s English Department, we make sense of language in its stunning diversity. We cultivate readers, writers, teachers, editors, researchers, thinkers, and problem-solvers.

  • A collection of vintage photographs and letters arranged on a wooden table, evoking nostalgia and memories of the past.

    History

    The History Department is a community engaged in that most serious and intellectually rewarding of pursuits, the study of the past, the living past, that continues to shape our present and our future.

  • Two students working collaboratively on laptops

    Languages and Cultures

    Majoring in a language means studying the language and culture of the people and places where the language is spoken.

  • Dancers with arms out stand in front of a vibrant blue background.

    Music, Theatre and Dance

    We provide the space, the stages, and the high-caliber ensemble opportunities students need to excel. Here, dedication is matched by industry-grade facilities, rigorous classes, and non-stop performance opportunities.

  • Student reads on campus lawn

    Philosophy

    The great virtue of philosophy is that it teaches not what to think, but how to think. Because of this, a philosophical education is a valuable foundation for just about any career and just about any sort of life.

  • Two students observing a tree

    Wildland Stewardship

    Explore how science, culture, and creative thinking come together to shape and protect wild spaces.