Pride Points
We are a campus of opportunity, especially for first-generation students. Our student body closely mirrors the ethnic diversity of the Valley.
College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology is internationally regarded for providing classroom instruction with hands-on experience on our 1,011-acre farm. Fresno State Wines produced by the Viticulture and Enology Department’s student-run winery since 1998, have won more than 300 gold, silver and bronze medals in national and international awards in competition with commercial wineries.
The Craig School of Business, its graduate program and the Entrepreneurship program consistently garner national attention and rankings.
The Classics program has been successfully preparing graduate students for the finest doctoral programs in the country such as Harvard and Princeton for more than two decades.
The Smittcamp Family Honors College is a competitive, highly sought-after program that accepts 50 high-school seniors from throughout the state each year from the 500-600 who apply.
Nursing program/Health Policy Institute – We produce the majority of the medical and health care professionals in the region and are working to expand the nursing program. Faculty and students are conducting pioneering research to understand and address the special health problems of Central California through several university-sponsored health-related institutes.
We offer three doctoral degrees: an independent educational leadership degree; a joint physical therapy degree with UC San Francisco; and a joint nursing practice degree with San Jose State.
Our Creative Writing program and Master of Fine Arts degree program count several nationally known poets and writers as alumni and faculty.
The Henry Madden Library – the largest research library in Central California – opened in January 2009 and offers the newest and best library features in the country. The building design won an award from the American Institute of Architects.
The Downing Planetarium and Downing Planetarium Museum provide an opportunity each year for 25,000 visitors, mostly children, to scan the artificial heavens and get hands-on science experiences.
Our criminal justice/victimology programs include a Victim Services Certificate Program, Victim Services Summer Institute and victimology major. Work is under way to develop a joint doctorate program in criminology with an emphasis on victimology.
The International Center for Water Technology and the Claude Laval Water Energy Technology (WET) Incubator at Fresno State are in the forefront of efforts to meet the needs of a thirsty world.
The Office of Community and Economic Development links the University's intellectual power to innovation-driven economic development initiatives to improve the competitiveness and prosperity of the region.
University High School, a Fresno Unified School District charter school located on the Fresno State campus, offers its students the opportunity to take college courses. The school is currently ranked 10th among both state and national charter high schools by U.S. News & World Report.
The Maddy Institute at Fresno State provides non-partisan, interdisciplinary and fact-driven analysis of public policy issues impacting our region and state. The institute also provides practical training for local officials and civic leaders, fellowships for Fresno State students with local state and federal legislators, and symposia and extension courses on a range of topics relating to public policy and public administration.
The Kremen School of Education and Human Development prepares the majority of the region’s teachers to do their part in solving key problems faced by Central California schools. We’re also preparing the educational leaders this region needs through the Central Valley Educational Leadership Institute.
The Rehabilitation Counseling Program in the Kremen School is considered a leader in hands-on, real-world rehabilitation counseling. It is the largest program in the country and, excluding doctoral programs, is third in the nation; among all programs it is ranked 17th by U.S. News and World Report. In the last 10 years the program has brought almost $11 million in external grants to the Valley.
Faculty and student applied research is growing. Our faculty, ninth largest among the campuses in our system, ranks fourth-largest in grant and contract production. For example, in 2008, the College of Science and Mathematics was awarded a five-year, $4.5 million federal grant to develop a state-of-the-art biomedical research facility in which researchers can take advantage of new technologies to research health issues. We are one of 19 universities in the country to receive the award.
Community service, coordinated by the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, is a hallmark at Fresno State. In the 2010-2011 academic year, faculty, staff and students provided 1,053, 481 hours of service for the good of the region. The economic impact of their efforts is an estimated $26 million, measured by national philanthropic standards.
Nearly all of our tenured faculty – 96 percent – hold doctoral or other terminal degrees in their areas of study.
Fresno State is one of 72 universities among the over 3,000 in the country awarded the University Community Engagement certification by the Carnegie Foundation.