About Arts and Letters

Over 50 years of excellence

The College of Arts and Letters (CAL) was established in 1969 and is now the largest College at SDSU.   We are the home to 18 Academic Departments, 10 Interdisciplinary Programs, and 29 Centers and Institutes. 

We maintain academic excellence by supporting faculty scholarship and research that contributes not only to specialized knowledge but also to curriculum and pedagogy that is innovative and responsive to the intellectual and professional needs of our undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students.  

We encourage the intellectual and creative development of students by helping them to learn about themselves and others through international and interdisciplinary perspectives; students will gain the experiences necessary for the integration and application of knowledge. 

College Highlights

• Wiley University Services named our MFA in Creative Writing as one of the best MFA programs in the U.S. (2022).
• U.S. News & World Report ranks the International Business program (offered jointly with SDSU Fowler College of Business) in the top-15 overall among undergraduate programs across the nation, and in the top-10 among public universities and minority-serving institutions (MSI). 
• We are home to the oldest Women's Studies department in the United States.
• We are only the second college in North America to have a major in LGBTQ+ Studies, beginning in January 2012.
• Our Department of Geography offers a unique joint doctoral program with the University of California, Santa Barbara.