Faculty Info Manual | Faculty Affairs and Development

California State University, San Bernardino

California State University, San Bernardino offers a challenging and innovative academic environment. The university seeks to provide a supportive and welcoming social and physical setting where students, faculty and staff feel they belong and can excel. The university provides students the opportunity to engage in the life of the campus, interact with others of diverse backgrounds and cultures, as well as participate in activities that encourage growth, curiosity and scholarly fulfillment. Through its branch campus in Palm Desert, the university mission extends to the Coachella Valley.

Building on a tradition of close student contact with faculty, staff and administrators, the university is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of its students and the communities it serves by providing learning opportunities driven by teaching and research excellence, intellectual interaction and creativity.

The university is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in Inland Southern California, improving the region’s quality of life through the skills, knowledge, experience and engagement of its faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Location and History

The city of San Bernardino is situated at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains, which form the northeastern boundary of the San Gabriel Valley. The valley's western terminus, 60 miles away, is the Los Angeles basin and the beaches of the Pacific Ocean.

The historic San Bernardino Valley is part of inland Southern California, an area encompassing all of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The university is within the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area and also serves more distant locations in the two counties, the Colorado River communities of Blythe and Needles; the high desert area including Victorville and Barstow; the low desert, Coachella Valley region including Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Indio; the mountain communities of Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead and Idyllwild; the Hemet Valley, including Hemet, San Jacinto and Perris.

The CSUSB Palm Desert Campus offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a doctorate in educational leadership, and teaching credentials and certificates. With more than 1,600 students, it is the Coachella Valley’s four-year public university and plays a vital role in educating and training the region’s growing population. For more information about the campus and its programs, visit www.csusb.edu/pdc.

Academic Plan

California State University, San Bernardino operates on the semester system. The fall and spring terms each consist of 15 weeks of instruction plus a final exam week. The university also offers a self-support summer semester allowing students to accelerate their progress and take summer courses. Summer semester has two five-week sessions and one 10-week session in the term.

Most lecture/discussion/seminar courses are offered for three units of credit and meet three hours per week. Each unit of credit typically requires two hours of out-of-class study and preparation in addition to the hour of direct instruction in the class. Laboratories and activity-based courses meet for 2-3 hours of instruction a week for each unit of credit.

Colleges of the University

The academic program of the university is offered through five colleges—Arts and Letters, Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration, Education, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences—organized into departments and schools.

College of Arts and Letters

The College of Arts and Letters offers a dynamic and caring community of students, faculty and staff members united by a passion for the arts and humanities. Taught by faculty who are experts in their fields, its classes and programs provide students with tools for success in a world that values written and oral communication skills, analysis, critical thinking and creativity. The college inspires students to learn and prepare for the rapidly changing cultural and employment environment of the 21st century.

College of Business and Public Administration, Jack H. Brown

The Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration offers a student-centered learning community that prepares students to become productive members in business, government and global society. With award-winning faculty members, the college provides quality undergraduate and graduate programs that positively affect students’ development as professionals. The college is proud to house research institutes and business centers that provide a range of professional services to governments, communities and individuals. The college’s programs hold the highest accreditations, such as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs. In addition, the online master of public administration program was ranked No. 28 in the nation by the online business education and career guide ValueColleges.

College of Education

The College of Education is home to an extensive teacher preparation program, including six different teaching credentials, sixteen master’s programs, a doctoral program in educational leadership, and nine certificate programs. A degree, credential or certificate from CSUSB’s College of Education is one of distinction among local school districts and the community. The college’s faculty members are committed to providing the best quality training for those seeking a professional career in education. All programs are accredited in their respective areas, and the college is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

College of Natural Sciences

The College of Natural Sciences is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and health of the communities it serves by promoting educational, social, economic, scientific and cultural advancement through the fields of biology, chemistry, computer science, geology, health science, kinesiology, mathematics, nursing and physics. The college consists of nine departments and offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as curricula for pre-professional students in medicine, veterinary medicine, nutrition, physical therapy and dentistry. Students in this college are prepared for science and health-related jobs in the public or private sector, a career in teaching, or graduate or professional education. The faculty, many of whom are experts from industry or the research community, includes a number of minority and women professors and mentors — an important component of the university.

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, which houses nine academic departments and schools, combines cutting-edge research and award-winning teaching to prepare students for a wide range of professions, for graduate school and for advanced professional study that explores a variety of human issues. Students can choose from many academic departments, including psychology, social work and criminal justice, which provide them with professional integrity and knowledge to communicate effectively across disciplines and cultures. Faculty and staff are dedicated to providing friendly, personal guidance and mentoring to the students in order to provide them with every possible opportunity to learn and succeed. With its innovative undergraduate and graduate programs and centers of excellence, the college empowers students with the critical thinking, communication and problem-solving capabilities that today’s employers seek.

College of Extended and Global Education (CEGE)

The College of Extended and Global Education (CEGE) provides lifelong learning opportunities for different stages in your life ranging from high school, college, career to retirement. We also extend the resources of the university into the community, region, nation, and around the world.