CSUMB Grad Studies

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.

04/28/2026

Luis Camara, chair of the Cinematic Arts and Technology department, and CART lecturer Gabrielle Galanter worked with director Rodrigo García to develop the new Spanish-language, seven-part Netflix series “Santita,” which debuted April 22 and starring Paulina Dávila and Gael García Bernal. It is the first television foray for the married pair of faculty members from Cal State Monterey Bay.

The Spanish-language series, starring Gael García Bernal and Paulina Dávila, was written by Luis Camara and Gabrielle Galanter of CSUMB's CART program.

04/24/2026

Congratulations to all of the presenters who did an outstanding job today in San Jose at the 2026 Student Research Competition 💐 Can’t wait to see the results at the awards ceremony tomorrow morning!

04/24/2026

Approximately 43% of undergraduate students at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) benefit from federal Pell grants. A delegation of 115 CSU advocates came together in Washington, D.C. for Hill Week​ April 13-16, impressing upon members of Congress the importance of saving the Pell Grant and supporting Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs).

University partners came together during Hill Week to raise awareness of federal issues relating to the Pell Grant, Emerging Research Institutions and AI.

04/06/2026

Hiernonymus, a sky-blue, human-sized egg – which would require a two-story-high chicken to produce it naturally – has shown up at the Cal State Monterey Bay in many places. “He” has legs with striped blue tights and tennies, and flowers bursting from the top of his dome. He’s the creation of Pete Howley, a visual and public art major, a junior transfer, and a senior at age 62.

Howley’s not your typical Otter. He is … egg-ceptional.

The mysterious Hieronymous the Egg has shown up in several campus locations.

03/30/2026

Cal State Monterey Bay is leading the effort to help bring in more federal funding to the Emerging Research Institutions of the CSU. Though a smaller campus within the system, the university is highly engaged in research activity and had the third highest level of sponsored programs funding per capita in the CSU in 2023.

As the largest system of federally designated emerging research institutions, the CSU is finding ways to bring in more federal funding and grow its research activity.

03/26/2026

The benefits of regenerative agriculture go beyond just soil health, enhancing a plant’s inner chemistry and nutritional value, according to emerging research. That was the topic for this year’s second President’s Speaker Series, held on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

“I want to be clear: this isn’t a metaphor. Food literally is medicine,” said Erin O’Dwyer Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford’s Prevention Research Center and the event’s keynote speaker. “Whole, real foods contain compounds that interact with our biology in profound ways we are only beginning to understand.”

One of the key questions that audiences were encouraged to ask is how their food was grown.

03/20/2026

Cal State Monterey Bay has received a transformative $15 million gift commitment from Montage Health to expand nursing education and address critical healthcare workforce shortages in the tri-county region.

The investment will establish the Montage Health Helen Baszucki School of Nursing in the College of Health Sciences and Human Services (CHSHS) and support the development of two new programs: a four-year pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).

Montage Health has made a gift commitment of $15 million to bolster CSUMB's nursing education program.