Expand your knowledge of Chicana/o culture, history, social science, language and the arts with our Chicano and Chicana Studies major.
Why Study Chicano and Chicana Studies?
Chicana/o history and culture are interwoven into the fabric of what defines California and the United States as a whole. It shapes our collective culture and perspective of the world.
The Chicana/o studies major provides a unique opportunity to serve and understand the Chicana/o community.
The major is excellent for students preparing to enter the fields of teaching or social work. It is also a preparation for students who want to enter graduate and professional fields such as history, sociology, psychology, library science, political science, social welfare, law and urban studies, as well as careers related to environmental justice.
Why Study Chicano and Chicana Studies at CSUN?
A Powerhouse Program
CSUN's Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies is the largest of its kind in the country, housing 25 full-time and 35 part-time professors. Between 160-170 class sections are offered every semester.
Helping to Form the Future
For more than five decades, the Department of Chicana/o Studies is proud to have worked with students from the San Fernando Valley and the greater Los Angeles and Ventura County areas, as well as students from throughout the country and the world.
Preparation for a Global World
Our program prepares U.S. students as well as exchange and foreign students to critically assess cultural expression, power relations, intellectual inquisitiveness and the process of student and community self-actualization in an increasingly global world.
What You'll Learn
The department offers three options for students.
In this program, you'll study a combination of lower- and upper-division core requirements. These are complemented by electives in three categories: social sciences, humanities and the arts, and education. Courses include:
- Regional Music of Mexico
- The Chicana/o in the U.S. Economy
- The Chicana/o Child
- Urbanization and the Chicana/o
- Language of the Barrio
The double major is designed for students who choose to major in Chicano and Chicana Studies as their second field of study. In this option, you'll take a combination of lower- and upper-division core courses. Electives include:
- Survey of Mexican Philosophical Thought
- Pre-Cuauhtemoc Meso-American Civilization
- Counseling the Chicana/o Child
- Cultural Differences and the Chicana/o
This option provides a pathway to teaching social science/history to 6th-12th graders. You'll study core coursework in economics, geography, history and political science. Upper-division courses include such topic areas as equity and diversity, urban studies and Mexican history.
Careers & Outcomes
Our majors have gone on to pursue employment in a broad array of fields. Sample job titles and employers are listed below.
Job Titles
- Teacher
- School administrator
- Social worker
- School counselor
- Lawyer
- Nonprofit director
Employers
- School districts
- Los Angeles County
- TreePeople
- National Park Service
- U.S. Forest Service
Teaching Credentials
If you're interested in teaching, choose the Chicana/o Studies Social Science Subject Matter Waiver. This option provides a pathway to teaching social science/history to 6th-12th graders. The program incorporates ethnic studies content and perspectives into state-adopted curriculum. Students who successfully complete the program are not required to take the California Subject Exam for Teachers (CSET) in the Social Sciences.