California State University, Long Beach (sometimes Long Beach State or CSULB) is a campus of the California State University system located in Long Beach, California, at the southern coastal tip of Los Angeles County.

The campus was established in 1949 as the "Los Angeles-Orange County State College"; the next year it became Long Beach State College. It acquired its current name in 1972. Today the campus spans 323 acres across 84 buildings. The university operates with the lowest student tuition fees in the country, at 1,200 USdollar per student.

Table of contents
1 Academics
2 Students
3 Notable Alumni
4 External Link

Academics

The university has seven academic colleges
  • Arts
  • Business Administration
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Health & Human Services
  • Liberal Arts
  • Natural Sciences and Mathematics
plus an Interdisciplinary Studies program.

The university's educational goals reflect its large population of students and faculty. There are numerous classes and majors to choose from. Liberal Arts and Sciences represent the general education core while a variety of classes make up general education electives; students rarely study the same subjects but all GE classes focus on the development of writing and critical thinking skills.

Students

As of Fall 2001, CSULB had approximately 33,000 students, making it the second most populous campus of the CSU system.

As a commuter school (a school whose majority of students travel to school from home), its diversity reflects the geographic location of the university. It attracts urban as well as suburban students, and a large number from every minority group in California.

In terms of athletics, Long Beach State is home to one of the top women's volleyball teams in the nation. Seasonally ranked in the top 25, every year the team prepares for one of the most competitive schedules in women's volleyball. In 1998 the team took national No.1 rank from Penn State and went on to win NCAA finals as well as world finals against China claiming World No.1. Long Beach State is a member of the Big West Conference.

Notable Alumni

  • Steven Spielberg - filmmaker who was a student from 1965-1969 and 2001-2002, earning a B.A. in Film.

External Link