CSUMB Grad Studies

08/20/2026

Are you considering furthering your education but unsure of how to navigate the financial side of graduate school? Don’t let uncertainty about finances hold you back from pursuing your next step.

GradSense is a website designed to help you make informed financial decisions about graduate school by breaking down key decisions. Does grad school fit with your goals? What’s the cost and value? And what funding sources are available?
Take control of your future with GradSense! 💪
https://gradsense.org

07/29/2026

Cal State Monterey Bay has maintained its excellent rating in Money magazine’s Best Colleges 2026 report, released June 23. For the fourth year running, CSUMB received 4.5 out of a possible five stars.

Money has consistently rewarded the California State University system with high ratings and, last year, deemed it the best public university system in the country.

For the fourth year in a row, CSUMB received a 4.5-star rating.

07/24/2026

The California State University (CSU) is helping lead a first-in-the-nation effort to prepare Californians for an AI-enabled future through AI-Ready California, a new statewide AI literacy micro-credential pilot program.

AI-Ready California is a fully online, fre​e program designed to meet the growing demand for AI skills in California workplaces.

“Students are now engaging in AI-enhanced education and developing critical skills that are preparing them to enter a workforce where AI will be a permanent collaborator. With the launch of AI-Ready California, we will now be able to help not only students but rather all community members evolve in the age of AI.”

California pilot program to expand access to AI learning through university-industry-government partnership.

07/10/2026

With an eye on preparing students to adapt and thrive in today’s work and life, the CSU Chancellor’s Office has established the Learning Innovation for Future-Forward Teaching (LIFT) program. The one-year funding opportunity invites individual CSU faculty members or teams to design and test teaching innovations that intentionally embed durable skills into undergraduate courses and programs.

Three of Monterey Bay's projects were chosen, focusing on AI in the classroom, psychology and critical thinking. Read about these and the other 60 projects about AI adoption within the academic environment by clicking the link below.

https://genai.calstate.edu/communities/faculty/csu-artificial-intelligence-educational-innovations-challenge-award-showcases

06/25/2026

Four projects were selected as the winners of the California State University’s first-ever Regional Pitch Contest, and CSUMB in collaboration with Bakersfield, Fresno, & San Luis Obispo was one who will receive $100,000.

These CSU campuses are partnering to create a regional talent network that expands access to internships and early-career opportunities across participating campuses. “This proposal, CSU-TX: CSU Talent Exchange, grew from recognizing that we could better serve students and regional employers by working as one coordinated CSU network,” said Andrew Lawson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Cal State Monterey Bay.

The contest challenged campuses to work together to develop solutions to student-identified issues on a regional level.

06/10/2026

Many CSUMB students are caring for family, working full ​​​​time, or simply live too far from campus for a “traditional” college experience. To meet the needs of those students, Cal State Monterey Bay offers fully online degree programs.

Meet Julia Ulm, a Masters of Business Administration graduate who was named CSUMB’s 2026 Outstanding MBA Student of the Year.

https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/news/Pages/Online-Degree-Grads-Class-of-2026.aspx

06/05/2026

“The more oppressive the climate, the more important Pride becomes, and the more people have to share their expression and create that solidarity. ...Pride is an opportunity for expression, for resistance and for fun,” says CSUMB professor, Shannon Snapp, about June being Pride Month.

Recent trends bring additional weight to the annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.

05/27/2026

An Otter first, Adriana Gutierrez and her sister, Joanna Lopez Gutierrez received master’s degrees at CSUMB's 30th commencement, while two of their younger siblings will be honored with bachelor’s degrees! A twin sister also graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State.

Five kids, five degrees, just like that. And four of them are Otters!!

Garnering two master's degrees and two bachelor's degrees, the Gutierrez family shows its devotion to higher education.

05/07/2026

With a master's degree in business analytics and his sights set on the legal profession, Fabian Cruz-Ruiz said had it not been for the CAMP and TRIO programs and the scholarship support he received at CSUMB, he doesn’t think it’s likely he’d be where he is now.

With a master's degree in business analytics and his sights set on the legal profession, Fabian Cruz-Ruiz said he wouldn't be where he is without the help of scholarships.

04/30/2026

One of the pillars of CSU Monterey Bay is a commitment to contributing to the community, voiced in the founding vision statement, which promises collaboration beyond the university boundaries. Service-learning has been a requirement from the start and many students say "their service-learning experiences have been transformative."

As part of the university's mission from the beginning, student volunteer hours have made a lasting impact in the local community.