Overview

Overview

Sonoma State University, one of the 23 campuses of the California State University system, is a relatively young institution.  In 2011-2012 Sonoma State University is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding. It began in 1956 as a satellite of San Francisco State University, with a small facility in nearby Santa Rosa.  One of its primary purposes at that time was to offer teacher education courses and programs to residents of the North Bay counties:  Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake and Solano.  In 1961, Sonoma State College officially opened its doors at a temporary facility in Rohnert Park, with an enrollment of 265 students, offering baccalaureate degrees, teaching credentials and selected masters degrees.  Sonoma State College moved to its present 274-acre Rohnert Park site in 1966 when its first two buildings, Stevenson and Darwin Halls, were completed.  By then there were more than 1,000 students enrolled.  In 1978, University status was granted and the name of the institution was changed to Sonoma State University. Built on the site of a former seed farm, the campus today has a beautiful park landscape that is widely acclaimed.  Yet, while the “face” of the university has changed significantly in many ways, the heart of the institution has remained constant. Sonoma State University has always been student-focused and committed to the highest standards in teaching.  The quality of our students and graduates and the investment of the community in this institution are clear evidence of the success of Sonoma State University. Today the campus has an enrollment of approximately 8,000 students, 86% of whom are undergraduates. With 40% of the student body living on campus, Sonoma State University is one of the most residential campuses in the CSU system. Sonoma State University offers 45 bachelor degree programs, 16 master’s degree programs, a doctorate in education, and nine credential and nine certificate programs.