Located in California's premier wine country one hour north of San Francisco, Sonoma State is a small campus with big ideas. With a tradition of promoting intellectual and personal growth, leadership opportunities and technological proficiency, SSU offers its students a friendly, safe and informal atmosphere on a beautiful campus setting. Currently, campus housing accommodates students in both apartment and residential suite style facilities.

While SSU generally accepts all qualified students who apply from high schools in its service area, 80 percent of the freshmen and 55 percent of the junior transfer students come from outside the North Bay region. With 34 percent of the student body living on campus, it is one of the most residential campuses within the California State University system.

Academic Profile

The SSU educational experience fosters intellectual, cognitive, social and personal growth. The faculty and staff provide collaborative relationships with students and an education that fosters ethical exploration, civic engagement, social responsibility, and global awareness combined with a solid foundation in an academic discipline. Many classes average fewer than 40 students, allowing close interaction between students and faculty.

SSU has a commitment to graduating students who have the ability to think critically and ethically and can effectively use information technology. There is a strong move to develop a global perspective in much of the curriculum to prepare students for the needs of the 21st century workplace.

Mission

Sonoma State is a regionally serving public university committed to educational access and excellence. Guided by our core values and driven by a commitment to the liberal arts and sciences, Sonoma State delivers high-quality education through innovative programs that leverage the economic, cultural, and natural resources of the North Bay. 

Supporting themes
As a member of the 23-campus California State University system, Sonoma State is proud to serve a diverse student population on our beautiful campus, at our environmental preserves, and at satellite centers throughout the region. Located north of San Francisco in California’s wine country, Sonoma State drives the economic, cultural, and educational engines of the North Bay. Sonoma State University prepares students for meaningful citizenship in a complex world.

Core Values

• Diversity & Social Justice
• Sustainability & Environmental Inquiry
• Connectivity & Community Engagement
• Adaptability & Responsiveness

Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences. ~Audre Lorde

Our mission is to educate and act at individual, institutional and societal levels for systemic transformation and community healing. We work across all campus constituencies for equity and inclusion, including closing equity gaps; promotion community engagement; sharing promising practices; training against racism and anti-Blackness; and facilitating difficult dialogues.

Employment Opportunities

Why work at Sonoma State University?
As one of the most requested campuses in the California State University system, Sonoma is a mid-size comprehensive university, focusing on the liberal arts with a strong emphasis in the arts and sciences. Sonoma State University is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty, staff and administrators to reflect the diversity of the State of California.

The University comprises six schools: Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Education, Extended Education, Science and Technology, and Social Sciences and offers 42 bachelor's and 15 master's degree programs. Sonoma State University faculty and staff are engaged in a broad array of high–quality academic programs, research and creative activities, and a wide range of community and professional service activities. Employees are committed to the University’s mission of preparing students to be learned men and women.

Sonoma is regularly named a “Best Regional University” by U.S. News & World Report and has also been named one of the “most wired” campuses in the nation by Forbes magazine. It is the only California university invited to be a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, the prestigious group of 25 universities and colleges across the nation committed to providing superior liberal arts and sciences education to their students.