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Immigration Rights and Resources for the Campus Community

Critical Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies, B.A.

Critical Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies is a leading academic discipline that prepares students to help transform the world. As a community of scholars, teachers, and learners from the interdisciplinary fields of ethnic studies, women’s studies, and multicultural queer studies, we aim to create a just and sustainable world by analyzing systems of inequality and strategies for empowerment and agency. With a critical examination of race, class, gender, sexuality, dis/ability, and nation as intersecting categories of identity, we aim to dismantle systems of oppression through knowledge, activism and resistance. Our critical approach is intersectional and comparative; our focus is local, national, and transnational.

Why this program

Multiple internship options allow students to put theory into practice and to connect their campus experience to a broader community involvement.

Our students and faculty take part in the Campus Dialogue on Race and the Social Justice Summit and produce CouRaGeous Cuentos where students become published authors.

We host Humboldt’s annual Hip Hop Conference where students organize, perform, and present for the event.

group of students

Academics & Options

The program brings together disciplines such as the arts, politics, economics, history, popular culture, and sociology to provide a skill set focused on enacting social change on the local and global scale

Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies, B.A. Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies, B.A. MAP Critical Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, B.A. Transfer MAP

Did you know?

CHECK IT, a bystander intervention movement led by students, originated in CRGS through our Act to End Violence course and was recognized at a White House event hosted by then-Vice President Joe Biden.

Our journal production, CouRagGeous Cuentos is a collaboration between college and high school students in publishing their testimonios.

We offer certificates in Ethnic Studies, Women’s Studies, and Multiculutural Queer Studies that focus on social justice, empowerment, and transformation.

group of people tabling

Careers

Graduate with core skills in critical thinking, research, writing, and organization. The curriculum foregrounds dialogue and active learning and students gain strong communication and leadership skills. Graduates will be prepared to enter fields like politics and government, law, business, social services, activism, community organizing, as well as graduate school.

  • Education
  • Community Organizing
  • Social Work
  • Government & Public Policy
  • Social Services
  • Violence Prevention
  • Counseling
  • Law
  • Health Care Journalism
  • Marketing and Business
  • Broadcast and Social Media
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Criminology & Justice Studies, B.A.

Criminology & Justice Studies students find an active and supportive departmental culture that surrounds coursework in social theory, methods, inequalities of crime and justice, law, policy, action. Faculty members teaching in this major come from multiple disciplines central to addressing current issues facing the U.S. systems of justice and law. Students learn about the social construction of (il)legalities, how race, class, gender and sexuality impact the criminal justice system, and how much of what they think they know about crime is actually false.

Why this program

Undergraduate students have access to a variety of hands-on learning and research experiences that are typically reserved for grad students at other universities.

Small class sizes allow you to connect with professors and peers in ways you wouldn’t at other universities.

Graduates will have a solid foundation to effect social change in legal professions, community activism, research, and the criminal legal system. 

A professor poses for a selfie with three students at graduation ceeremony

Academics & Options

Our program prepares students to be transformative leaders in a variety of locations, from probation and legal advocacy to community activism and policy research. 

Criminology & Justice Studies. B.A. Criminology and Justice Studies, B.A. MAP
Criminology and Justice Studies, B.A. Transfer MAP Course Rotations

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Pathway

Earn your B.A and M.A. in just five years (three years for transfer students) with our Blended Bachelor’s and Master’s Program

You can complete either a Sociology B.A. or a Criminology & Justice Studies B.A, then continue on to receive a Public Sociology M.A. 

Sociology B.A. / Public Sociology M.A. Contact our Graduate Program Coordinator
Criminology & Justice Studies B.A. / Public Sociology M.A.

Did you know?

Faculty members teaching in this major come from multiple disciplines central to addressing current issues facing the U.S. systems of justice and law.

Our campus provides a sense of care, support and belonging, and better prepares students to approach their chosen fields through a lens of social justice.

We strive for societal and economic improvement, demonstrated in our personal passions and the professions that we pursue.

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Careers

Graduates have solid skills that look good on a resume, but also have the critical thinking skills to be successful in a wide variety of careers. You will be able to use your sociological imagination to understand issues faced by people and groups that interact with the criminal justice system.

  • Attorney
  • Community Organizer/Activist
  • Conflict Mediator
  • Criminalist
  • Crisis Response Team Worker
  • Domestic Violence Service Provider
  • Drug Counselor
  • Law Enforcement
  • Legal Advocate
  • Public Defender
group of students hugging smiling for the camera

Related Programs

Sociology
Public Sociology

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Computer Science, B.S.

In an era of rapid technological advancements, the computer science field has exploded in the last few decades, opening doors to a wealth of careers that not only are dynamic but also address issues in today’s world. Through a rigorous and balanced core of mathematical, theoretical and practical computational knowledge, the Computer Science program encompasses the breadth of computer science in industry, service, and research.

Why this program

As a freshman you'll be part of a Place-Based Learning Community called Representing Realities which immerses you in the world of mathematical and computational modeling. You’ll also build connections with students who are as passionate about modeling the world around us as you.  

Tackle everything from solving issues relevant in the local community to playing with the latest VR-based video game technology at the Humboldt Library’s Makerspace. 

The Math and Computer Science Lab has dozens of workstations connected to the campus network for access to campus and Internet resources.

a laptop with a bunch of computer parts laying around it

Academics & Options

We prepare students for roles across computer science in industry, service, and research. Our approach to computer science includes a rigorous and balanced core of mathematical, theoretical, and practical knowledge.

Computer Science, B.S. Computer Science, B.S. MAP Computer Science, B.S. Transfer MAP

Did you know?

Computer and Information Technology jobs are projected to grow 12 percent by 2028.

To calculate how (and how often) people used spaces in the Humboldt Library, Computer Science students helped launch SpaceUse, open source software designed to record seating information on a tablet and produce reports on the data.

Indian Natural Resources, Science and Engineering Program (INRSEP) + Diversity in STEM provides academic and research support services to first generation, low income, and historically underrepresented STEM students with a focus on American Indian and Indigenous students.

Teacher standing over two students in the library

Careers

With a Computer Science degree (and the technical, communication, and critical thinking skills that come with it), there’s so much you can do!

  • Commercial Banking Computer Programmer
  • Computer Game Developer
  • Computer Hardware Engineer
  • Computer Systems Analysts
  • Cryptologist
  • Data Mining Specialist
  • Database Developer
  • Information Systems Programmer
  • Medical Systems Administrator
  • National Security Analyst
  • Telecommunication Designer
  • Web Architect
Students working with computer parts

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Communication, B.A.

Communication is how ideas change over time. The skills that we teach in Communication are vital for success in any field. Facilitation, leadership, critical thinking, digital communication, presenting ideas, and problem-solving are some of the most sought after skills by employers. Our graduates become business leaders, community organizers, culture changers and scholars. Students gain practical experience in interpersonal, small group, social advocacy, digital communication, nonverbal, organizational, and intercultural communication. Our majors also take classes generating focused critical skills to better understand culture, gender, social advocacy and theories of communication. Our students get a far-reaching set of skills and the practice to apply those skills to our world.

Why this Program

Take advantage of a brand new cutting edge curriculum rolling out in 2024!  Nine new courses added to the major including Crisis and Negotiation, Food Studies, Digital Communication, Sustainable Development Communication, Rhetoric of Science and Leadership Communication.

Our students are encouraged to develop job and life skills by taking advantage of all the resources and activities we offer. Students can join the Communication Club, get field experience, develop their advocacy skills on the Speech and Debate team and present at academic conferences.

Field experience with a local nonprofit organization, public relations firm, in the public relations department of a larger organization, a volunteer organization, a government agency, or some other organization gives you the opportunity to both put your knowledge to work and to learn more about the way communication works in the real world.

students at a table with a presentation behind them

Academics & Options

Employers look for job candidates with skills in oral communication and interpersonal communication, as well as in critical analysis and teamwork. Our students excel in many careers.

Communication, B.A. Communication, B.A. MAP Communication, B.A. Transfer MAP

Did you know?

We are a close-knit community, you will have multiple opportunities to work closely with Communication faculty, honing your understanding and skills in the field of Communication.

We have a tutoring program called Communication Wizards where students learn how to coach and tutor other students in Communication.

The Communication faculty work in the Telonicher building: a real house that seems more like “home” than an office. Our department office area is literally a living room where students end up hanging out with each other and their professors discussing Communication theories and debating current events.

two students smiling at the camera with a presentation behind them

Careers

Businesses need people who are thinkers and communicators. Our program provides an educational approach emphasizing important business skills that prepares students for success in their chosen career.

  • Advertising
  • Business Management
  • Education
  • Journalism
  • Law
  • Marketing
  • Mediation
  • Politics
  • Public Relations
  • Radio & TV Broadcasting
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Child Development Elementary Education (Liberal Studies, B.A.)

There’s nothing more rewarding than teaching children of all abilities and backgrounds and in the process, helping them build a foundation for academic and personal success. Our two Child Development Bachelor of Arts programs put you on the path to teaching elementary school students or teaching children who have mild to moderate disabilities. Both programs are grounded in contemporary teaching methods and led by caring faculty who emphasize practical experience working with children, preparing you to hit the ground running after graduation.

Why this Program

Our faculty stay abreast of the most recent research related to the field of Child Development. Research projects, which involve students, are conducted by individual faculty members, as well as by the department as a whole.

Child Development majors work side by side with faculty to provide feedback and support for students in specific classes.Students have opportunities to work in the community, gaining valuable professional experiences that integrate theory into practice. 

This program is a pathway to a teaching credential. It is subject matter approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and offers at least 24 units of Child Development to meet the CTC subject matter requirements for the PK-3 Early Child Education Specialist Instruction Credential.

Two student teachers sitting on the ground with

Concentrations

The Liberal Studies, B.A. has a core set of courses that focus on 21st century teaching approaches and emphasize the traditional disciplines taught in elementary schools. The Child Development/ Elementary Education Concentration is designed for students who wish to become elementary school teachers in grades K-6. Students take courses in traditional disciplines taught in elementary schools alongside courses focusing on developmental characteristics of children.

The Liberal Studies Child Development Integrated Special Education Credential Program (LSCD SPED ITEP) allows students to complete a B.A. in Liberal Studies and a Preliminary Special Education Credential in four years. In this unique California Subject Matter approved program, with a col- laboration between the Department of Child Development and the Special Education Credential program in the School of Education, students apply for the credential program in their third year. Students who are not admitted to the Cre- dential Program or find new career paths can change their major to Child Development & Family Relationships or Liber- al Studies Child Development/Elementary Education (LSCE).

Minors

American Indian Education American Sign Language and Special Populations
Early Childhood Development Family Studies

Did you know?

  • Our faculty partner with local tribes and organizations to provide professional development, consultation, and early college learning experiences.
  • The Child Development Lab founded in 1968 by Dr. Emilia Tschanz, will be relocated to a newly remodeled Trinity Annex in Fall 2023, serving multiple generations of families.
  • Several of our students are athletes, parents, and volunteers/leaders in the Youth Educational Services program. Many of our alumni work as professionals in the community and provide mentorship and networking to current students through experiential learning or visiting our professional development class.
two kids sitting on the ground playing with blocks

Careers

The program is designed for students who wish to become elementary school teachers in grades K-6. Students take courses in traditional disciplines taught in elementary schools alongside courses focusing on developmental characteristics of children.

Meet our alumni
Student teacher sitting on the ground

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Chemistry, B.A. & B.S.

Find your future at Humboldt. Hands-on learning forms the basis of our Chemistry program. In our close-knit classrooms, you’ll get to know your professors, connect with your fellow classmates, and get real-world experiences and first class instruction. Our modern instrumentation, such as NMR, FTIR, HPLC, GCMS, and a computational laboratory, are all available to undergraduate students. Our program provides a sense of care, support and belonging, and better prepares students to approach their chosen fields through close faculty contact and hands-on experience.

Why this Program

Read more

In our first-year learning community, you’ll chemically analyze a river water sample to determine the human impact on the natural environment.

We have active undergraduate research programs where you have the opportunity to specialize in a particular area of chemistry.

Participate in the Free Radicals Chemistry Club, our department’s award winning student affiliate of the American Chemical Society.

students standing on rocks by the river studying
Read more

Degrees & Requirements

The B.A. degree provides less specialization in chemistry and greater opportunity for studies in other fields. This curriculum is recommended for those who wish to obtain a Standard Teaching Credential with Specialization in Secondary Teaching, students who wish to add a second major, and students switching from majors with different core courses.

This B.S. fulfills the requirements for professional training established by the American Chemical Society, a national certifying agency. It is designed for students who will seek research positions in industry and governmental agencies and also prepares students who intend to continue study into the graduate level.

Many students majoring in Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology as well as Environmental Science, Engineering, Oceanography and Physics opt to enhance their degrees with a Minor in Chemistry

Minor Requirements

Career Outcomes

With a strong foundation in chemistry, you’ll be highly prepared for your future. Our degrees offer excellent preparation for job placement and graduate or professional school. Nearly all of our students go where they want to go after graduation.

  • Analytical Chemist
  • Biochemist
  • Chemical Engineer
  • Environmental Consultant
  • Forensic Chemist
  • Geochemist
  • Inorganic Chemist
  • Organic Chemist
  • Pharmacologist
  • Physical Chemist
Two students with goggles on using chemistry equipment

Did you know?

You’ll get to know your peers in the first year Stars to Rocks place-based learning community, which will familiarize you with Humboldt and the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, and introduce you to new friends.

Our small class sizes and experienced instructors provide a meaningful education, and you’ll gain support from your fellow students.

Chemistry students with additional skills or a highly specialized emphasis have special advantages in the job market.

Place-based Learning Community - Stars to Rocks
Meet the Faculty
Careers & Alumni
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Business Administration, B.S.

The School of Business promotes an inclusive and rigorous educational environment. We focus on ethics, active learning, entrepreneurial thinking, and strategic sustainability. Our core curriculum provides a strong foundation of business principles. Our concentrations of Accounting, Finance, Economics, Marketing, and Management & Entrepreneurship enable you to specialize in the area of your interest.

Employers today need people who are able to communicate effectively and solve problems. Our programs emphasize critical thinking, communication, and a breadth of knowledge—the building blocks for lifelong learning.

Why this program

We provide you with hands-on learning experiences. Opportunities include place based learning communities, student led clubs, business competition, and others.

Our competitive internship program provides experiential learning opportunities in local business community settings.

Our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) internship program provides students with tax preparation experience in assisting community members file tax returns.

Students sitting at desks in class and in groups

Concentrations

Serving as the universal language of business, accounting expertise paves the way for a multitude of opportunities across every industry sector. Representing approximately 16% of all available professional jobs, an accounting graduate may work for any type of organization, including businesses, governmental entities, and non-profit organizations. In addition to robust job opportunities, strong job growth is projected in the field. Accounting graduates may opt to work in public accounting where they prepare or audit the financial statements or sustainability reports of businesses, do tax work for companies or individuals, or offer financial consulting services. 

Find salary info at the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Economics concentration provides the basic analytical foundations of how business firms operate and maximize their overall goals of profits and sustainability. Topics include small business development, consumer behavior, efficiency of firms, labor market policies, different market structures, effective use of resources and global competition. The impact of different types of government policies are analyzed in a broad context. The Economics concentration provides strong analytical skills that facilitate higher level critical thinking.

Find salary info at the Bureau of Labor Statistics

A finance degree can prepare you for careers in businesses and government offices and help you make better personal financial decisions. Our approach to how enterprises can create value and solve social and environmental problems are unique among universities. The bachelor's degree in finance at Humboldt provides not only theoretical knowledge and technical skills to our students but also prepares them for professional certification such as Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Financial Analyst Program (CFA) so that our graduates can compete in the rapidly changing technology-driven world of finance.

Find salary info at the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Today, most workers in America are either self-employed or work in a small business. These companies need employees who understand all functional areas of business and can think strategically about new opportunities. The  Management & Entrepreneurship concentration is for students who want to explore their potential and create original business opportunities, as well as for those who want to develop hands-on skills that will give them valuable business management skills. The learning focuses on effectively starting and managing businesses, including in e-commerce, the service industry, and social entrepreneurship. Students will learn how to identify opportunities that create economic value within the ever-evolving realities of the 21st century business context, effectively utilize technology to make decisions, and to do so while operating in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Students who acquire these skills will also be able to work in any existing organizations seeking growth.  

Find salary info at the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Marketing graduates are valuable additions to any organization offering products, services, programs, initiatives and ideas—including for-profit, non-profit and government organizations. The marketing major is also a great place to start when thinking about running your own business.

All our marketing classes explicitly engage students with the leading business trends of the 21st century: To develop strategies for long-term profitability while conserving environmental resources and creating value for society as a whole. Marketing students create sustainable marketing strategies, a skill set increasingly desired by many organizations.  

Our graduates find exciting and rewarding careers in a virtually unlimited number of fields. Whether they work as advertising and promotions specialists, marketing managers, research analysts, small business owners, sales representatives, logistics experts, outreach coordinators, event planners, writers, editors, graphic designers, technical analysts or consultants, marketing graduates succeed because they approach their roles from the perspective of the ultimate customers of an organization.

Find salary info at the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Did you know?

  • Our program prioritizes strategic sustainability for competitive advantage.
  • Small classroom sizes enable deeper connection with instructors and your peers.
  • We provide competitive paid internships ($1,250 to $2,500) for gaining practical experience.
  • Various scholarships are available to qualified business students.
  • We strive for environmental and social justice to go hand in hand with business goals.
Meet the Faculty
Business Scholarships
student with a phone camera taking a selfie of her and the clas

Careers

Businesses need people who are thinkers and communicators. Our program provides an educational approach emphasizing important business skills that prepares students for success in their chosen career.

  • Accountants and auditors
  • Budget Analysts
  • Cost Estimators
  • Financial Analysts
  • Financial Examiners
  • Fundraisers
    Human Resources Specialists
  • Loan Officers
  • Management Analysts
  • Market Research Analysts
  • Personal Financial Advisors
  • Project Management Specialists
  • Purchasing Managers, Buyers, and Purchasing Agents
  • Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents
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Botany, B.S.

Cal Poly Humboldt is an incredible place to study botany. Our faculty are dedicated to teaching excellence and hands-on learning, instructing courses that utilize specialized equipment, impressive natural collections, laboratory facilities, and the ecologically diverse field sites of our region. Extensive opportunities for research prepare our students for a wide range of careers in biology. Come be inspired!

Why this Program

Surrounded by a wide range of habitats, from coastal to mountain wilderness, Cal Poly Humboldt is located in the perfect environment for field research. 

The Bachelor of Science in Botany program is a community. You’ll get to know our faculty, who are dedicated to student excellence and provide authentic research opportunities for students. 

Hands-on work with vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, fungi, and algae provide fundamental experiential training for students at the organismal level. 

group of students standing in the forest

Academics & Options

Learn and appreciate the biological processes unique to plant life with a dedicated learning community and the best botanical collections in the CSU system.

Programs & Courses Botany Major Requirements Botany Major Academic Plan (MAP)

Did you know?

First-year students take part in Among Giants, our place-based learning community, where you’ll venture into redwood forests, mountains, dunes, and marshes to study animals, identify ferns, and examine the soil. 

The Greenhouse Club invites students from all majors to participate in greenhouse activities that include propagating plants, practicing integrated pest management, and basic horticulture skills around the greenhouse area. 

The Biology Seminar is a quasi-weekly research seminar series with national and international participation.

Ways to get involved
Biological Sciences Facilities & Collections
student taking a photo of a plant

Careers

Favorable opportunities can be expected for biological scientists with advanced degrees and for bachelor's candidates with outstanding educational and experiential backgrounds. Employment in the life sciences is expected to grow due to recent advances in genetic research, advances in biological technology, and efforts to conserve the environment.

  • Herbarium Curators
  • Naturalists
  • Plant Physiologists
  • Technical Writers
  • Plant Ecologists
  • Environmental Consultants
  • Botanists
  • Horticulturists
  • Science Librarians
  • Plant Pathologists
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Biology, B.S.

Cal Poly Humboldt is an incredible place to study biology. Our faculty are dedicated to teaching excellence and hands-on learning, instructing courses that utilize specialized equipment, impressive natural collections, laboratory facilities, and the ecologically diverse field sites of our region. Extensive opportunities for research prepare our students for a wide range of careers in biology. Come be inspired!

Biology majors study organisms and how they function in the natural world. You can be a general biology major or focus your studies by choosing a concentration.

Why this Program

The perfect environment for laboratory and field research. Our facilities are surrounded by ancient redwoods and are near the Pacific Ocean, pristine rivers, mountains, and wetlands.

We are dedicated to student excellence through hands-on learning. Work with faculty, staff, and students to get involved in research and other activities.

Humboldt is home to extensive natural collections, accessible research facilities, and specialized advanced equipment like electron microscopes and a CT scanner.

Students gathered around a professor in the forest

Program Concentrations

This concentration is designed to allow a wide range of flexibility in designing a program to meet an individual student’s needs.

This concentration is designed for biology majors interested in understanding the cellular and molecular processes that govern biological form and function. The coursework includes training in the questions and experimental methods required to study organisms at the genetic, molecular, and cellular levels. Our laboratory facilities provide unique hands-on training that prepares students for graduate studies, medical school, and jobs in scientific laboratories.

This concentration is designed for students who are interested in a hands-on approach to understanding how living organisms interact with one another and the environment, and the consequences of these interactions for biodiversity and ecosystem function.

This concentration provides a broad, laboratory-oriented background in the study of microorganisms of all kinds (bacteria, algae, fungi, protozoa, viruses, etc.), including structure, identification, physiology, genetics, ecology and parasitism, artificial culture, and experimental technique.

This concentration is for students who want to teach biology at the secondary (high school) level. One additional year of courses (after the B.S.) can lead to a teaching credential. 

Did you know?

The Coral Sea is Humboldt’s 90-foot ocean going research and teaching vessel, students can collect and observe marine plants and animals in their natural environment. 

The Humboldt Vertebrate Museum houses a legacy collection of more than 15,000 specimens. 

We hold a quasi-weekly research seminar series with national and international participation.

Ways to get involved
View Biological Sciences Facilities & Collections
Coral sea boat from a distance

Careers

Favorable opportunities can be expected for biological scientists with advanced degrees and for bachelor's candidates with outstanding educational and experiential backgrounds. Employment in the life sciences is expected to grow due to recent advances in genetic research, advances in biological technology, and efforts to conserve the environment.

  • Field Biologists
  • Ecologists
  • Microbiologists 
  • Physiologists
  • Marine Biologists
  • Geneticists
  • Cell Biologists
  • Developmental Biologists
  • Biotechnology Researchers
  • Biochemists
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Art, B.A.

Art is a potent and positive force for change in contemporary society, and Cal Poly Humboldt’s Department of Art + Film is dedicated to educating the students who will shape the culture of our collective future. The hands-on techniques that you’ll learn in our small, intimate classrooms, studios, and galleries will allow you to address issues, ethics, history, and culture with a unique and personal vision in your career.

Art Education

Art Education gives students the tools they need to help others create and appreciate art. Our curriculum provides the foundation to successfully teach art in K-12 schools, higher ed, museums and galleries, and community settings, and prepares students to enter California's mandatory fifth-year, single-subject teaching credential program. Humboldt's Art + Film Department offers an approved subject matter waiver program through the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Art Studio

Art Studio offers small classes with individual attention and large, well-equipped studio facilities. In studio courses, students learn processes and strategies used in creating works of art in various media through problem solving assignments and accompanying instruction. Students are given the opportunity at the upper division level to concentrate on a particular studio area in depth, allowing them to prepare a portfolio for further professional opportunities or for postgraduate study.

Art Studio Areas of Focus

Cal Poly Humboldt's Ceramics program is designed to give students the experience and skills needed to express themselves in every aspect of the medium. Beginning and Intermediate Ceramic courses focus on developing basic forming and glazing skills at both high and low temperatures. Students are exposed to a variety of aesthetic approaches and are helped to develop their creative imagination, visual perception, and understanding of visual form. Advanced level ceramics courses, emphasize the development of a personal style and help prepare students for a career in art. Instruction at this level is largely on an individual basis.

Though Cal Poly Humboldt is a small, intimate school, we are equipped with a comprehensive 8,500-square foot ceramics facility. The studio includes two separate kiln rooms with 14 electric and 4 gas kilns, a large glaze room with spray booth, a plaster mold making area, a clay mixing and storage area, a small room for slide lectures, throwing and hand building areas, an outdoor area kiln area for raku and soda firings, and a separate studio space for our BFA and selected advanced level students.

Ceramics Faculty

The Digital Arts + Graphic Design area utilizes digital media and technology as tools for creative problem solving and artistic expression. Our program emphasizes experimentation, creative thinking, and diverse applications of research with a focus on visual communication.

Our computer lab features up to date Mac computers with industry standard software, printing, scanning and other tools. Students have extended access to the lab, and access an Adobe CC license to work across campus or on a personal device. Together, we develop projects around animation, motion graphics, AR/VR, typography, print, packaging, web and layout design, as well as multimedia approaches. Throughout these projects, students are encouraged to use art and design as pathways that evolve their own learning and ability to express themselves.  The Digital Arts + Graphic Design area promotes creative risk takers, collaborative thinkers, and inquisitive innovators that are ready to integrate experimentation and visual communication in their creative practices and professional lives.

Humboldt students educated in an emphasis in digital art have gone on to attain graphic design, film & video, and digital media positions with companies local, regional and beyond. Students may also pursue graduate studies and careers as educators or diverse commercial industries looking for creative thinkers with a rich practice in visual communication.

Graphic Design Faculty

Drawing

Integral to the art curriculum, drawing is one of the most important areas within our department. By developing a strong foundation in drawing, students engage in a process fundamental to many other studio disciplines. Our drawing program offers students an exciting and diverse balance of styles and techniques.

Beginning Drawing courses introduce the basics of line, form, perspective, composition, foreshortening, and proportion, as well as various drawing materials and techniques. Through demonstrations, lectures and critiques, students develop a strong base of technical skill, the ability to assess their own and others' artwork, and the proficiency to think critically and conceptually about drawing. In addition, students are exposed to many styles and characteristics of historical and contemporary drawing.

In our upper level classes, students are encouraged to experiment with new techniques, processes and materials as well as to begin to identify and clarify the content of their art work as it pertains to personal visual expression or style. In addition to courses in Beginning Drawing, we offer Intermediate Drawing as well as Life Drawing I and II.

Painting

The painting program at Humboldt strengthens technical skills and provides in-depth faculty mentoring, yet gives students the freedom to develop a personal style and approach.

The lower division painting courses develop and refine perceptual and technical skills. These foundation courses expose students to the fundamentals of painting: materials, techniques, pictorial organization, form, and color. Once students have developed this technical foundation, the upper division courses provide the opportunity to explore personal vision while delving more deeply into the theories and methods of both traditional and contemporary painting.

In addition to our regular studio courses, we offer workshops on topics such as encaustic, mixed media, landscape, and figure painting. Our studio facilities are open and available from 7:00 am until midnight, seven days a week.

Drawing and Painting Faculty

The Jewelry and Small Metals program provides a strong technical, historical and aesthetic education, blended with creative thinking and artistic problem solving. Students concentrate on the thinking and creating, of wearable jewelry, conceptual work, functional and non- functional objects and small-scale sculpture.

Students can expect visual stimulation through technical demonstrations and samples, contemporary and historical slide shows, videos, and art objects.

The lower division classes stress basic fabrication methods, soldering skills, proper tool usage and safety. The upper division classes build on your foundation skills, offering enameling, raising, anodizing and more. The emphasis at the upper levels is on developing your personal artistic vocabulary and practice.

Although there is an emphasis on non-ferrous metals, exploration is encouraged in a variety of materials including acrylic and resins, tagua nut, leather, handmade papers, exotic woods, found objects and other non-metal materials.

Our studio is well equipped for basic fabrication techniques, chasing, forming and raising, casting, forging, enameling, aluminum anodizing, etching, and basic finishing and polishing processes. Divided into bench and large equipment areas, the studio is a clean and safe environment complete with metal and wood bandsaws, spray etcher, sand and bead blasters, drill presses, bending break, rollers, belt sanders, rolling mills, anvils, and a large assortment of forming hammers and stakes. Every student is assigned a large complement of hand tools for their use during the semester.

Jewelry & Small Metals Faculty

Cal Poly Humboldt offers photography students the opportunity to master all aspects of the photographic process–from traditional darkroom black and white photography to color digital imaging.

Beginning level photography courses provide a strong foundation in camera functions, image editing, darkroom skills and digital processes, while simultaneously encouraging the expressive nature of the medium. At the intermediate and advanced levels, students are encouraged to work toward the development of their own personal style while producing a coherent portfolio. Course work includes use of a view camera, studio lighting, the black & white darkroom, mural printing, alternative processes, and digital photography. Throughout the photography curriculum, group critiques and exposure to historic and contemporary photographs enhance the level of discourse in the program.

Our strength lies in studio access. Our facilities include a chemical lab for black and white printing and a lighting studio. The digital lab is equipped with Mac computers and large format Epson printers for color printing. Our labs are open for extended hours for student use in order to provide abundant time for focused study and practice for the serious photographic artist. Students also have access to a variety of photography equipment, including: digital, 35mm and large format cameras, portable lighting kits, and a professionally equipped lighting studio.

Humboldt students educated in an emphasis in photography have gone on to pursue graduate studies and careers as educators, studio assistants, commercial photographers, and artists.

Photography Faculty

The printmaking program offers beginning through advanced instruction in a variety of processes: relief (woodcut, linocut, wood engraving), intaglio (etching, drypoint), planographic (waterless and stone lithography) and screen print (photo-silkscreen). Students receive a thorough grounding in print fundamentals. Color, black and white, unique, and edition printing are all covered in the curriculum. Traditional and contemporary print techniques are taught through a drawing-centered approach, with an emphasis on individualized conceptual expression.

Our print studio is housed in one large main room, where we have three etching, three lithography and one proof press, work tables and related print equipment. We have an additional small room upstairs which we use as a basic darkroom.

Students graduating with an emphasis in printmaking may elect to pursue graduate studies, work as a printer for fine art or commercial printing houses, or develop independently as an artist.

Printmaking Faculty

Cal Poly Humboldt's sculpture program gives students the tools to transform ideas into tangible three-dimensional form. From small, intimate objects to large, public sculptures, students develop the skills necessary to fabricate, carve, model and cast their own artistic vision.

Our approach to teaching sculpture combines discussions of contemporary sculptural issues with slide lectures, critiques and hands-on studio work. Our introductory coursework lays the foundation for three dimensional thinking and vocabulary. The intermediate-level courses introduce the technical side of working with metals and mixed media. Finally, our advanced courses encourage students to pursue a unique artistic vision with the skills developed throughout the program.

In addition to metal casting and fabrication, the sculpture lab also supports a large mixed media area with equipment for advanced mold making in urethane and silicone rubbers, body casting, water based resins with fiberglass reinforcement, fabrics and fibers, and experimental processes.

In addition to providing extensive studio experience and space, our program also offers several venues for students to exhibit their work, such as the annual Sculpture Walk.

Sculpture Faculty

Why this Program

Our facilities include a foundry, ceramics lab, printmaking studio, photography lab, galleries, and much more. You’ll get hands-on experience in many disciplines of your choosing.

Our small class sizes mean getting to know your professors and fellow students. Your connections will help you grow as an artist and intellectual.

The local area is well-known as an intimate but inclusive arts haven. You’ll interact with professional artists and show art in local galleries.

student pouring

Did you know?

Art is one of the largest majors at Cal Poly Humboldt.

There are three art galleries on campus, including the Goudi'ni Native American Arts Gallery, which highlights the work of contemporary and traditional Native American artists.

Every second weekend of the month, downtown Arcata puts on Arts! Arcata. It’s a self-guided celebration of visual and performing, and a great opportunity to meet local artists and get to know the community.

students working on ceramics

Careers

Our alumni have gone on to pursue careers that harness the creative thinking, critical inquiry skills, and communication skills they developed at Humboldt. Art students find a strong foundation in communication skills, informing and explaining ideas, describing and evaluating ideas, problems, and events, and observing people, data, and visual information.

  • Animator
  • Art Critic
  • Art Director
  • Curator
  • Exhibit Designer
  • Fashion Designer
  • Graphic Artist
  • Illustrator
  • Jeweler
  • Photographer
student painting a sculpture

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your future holds?

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