Meta Majors

A meta major is a new way to begin your college journey by focusing on what you want to do in the world, not just what you plan to major in. As the central organizing structure of CAL Advance, meta majors bring you together with peers from many different majors who share similar interests, values, and goals for making an impact after graduation.

This approach helps you build a supportive community on campus, explore career possibilities, and discover how different fields of study can lead to meaningful professional pathways. By starting with purpose and possibility, meta majors help you see how a liberal arts education can open doors to a wide range of futures. 

What will you learn and do in your meta major?

  • Focus on how your passions can link to improving the world.
  • Meet established professionals and young alumni doing work you might want to pursue.
  • Meet current students and faculty who can guide you and provide opportunities to get involved.
  • Gain exposure to a variety of potential career mentors.
  • Take your first steps toward an on- or off-campus internship, research position, and/or study abroad — all of which can position you for success.

Meta Majors

Explore digital tools, financial literacy, and creative ways to turn ideas into ventures and solutions. This pathway may appeal to you if you’re curious about how new ideas become products, companies, or technologies that shape the future.

Registered Student Organizations (RSO)

  • American Marketing Association (AMA): The American Marketing Association chapter at San Diego State University connects students of all majors to real world industry-leading professionals. We host community networking events, social events, and personal brand building workshops. Our goal is to help our members best prepare for their future careers post college!
  • Entrepreneur Society: The purpose of the Entrepreneur Society is to foster a vibrant culture of entrepreneurship on campus, empowering students to develop entrepreneurial mindsets and launch their own ventures. We are open to all majors. We provide support for students creating their own businesses, from coming up with the ideas to making dreams a reality. We also invite out great guest speakers -- from CEO's of firms that do several hundred million dollars in business, to recent graduates that are in start-ups, we have successful entrepreneurs & movers & shakers tell their story.

Career Resources

Discover teaching, research, and the transformative power of learning. You may find this pathway a good fit if you enjoy helping others learn by asking big questions and exploring how knowledge is created and shared.

Registered Student Organizations (RSO)

  • Student California Teachers Association (SCTA): Student CTA strives to be a recognized and collaborative organization that inspires and fosters exemplary future leaders in education. We believe (1) in developing qualified, skilled and passionate future educators prepared to address evolving challenges in the profession, (2) political action is a way to be proactive and informed to gain a personal understanding of the issues that concern your profession in order to publicly influence positive change, (3) community service helps future educators develop, foster and improve the community and creates positive relationships, and (4) in supporting a diverse membership and working together to promote a public education system that values the diversity of our state.
  • All for Education (AFE): All for Education (AFE) is a network of student leaders who believe equitable education is the key to creating a just and anti-racist society. We seek to learn from our communities in order to serve our communities. Through outreach and engagement, we strive to be change agents by creating spaces for open dialogue and activism. We value intersectionalities, identities, and inclusivity. Our duty is to not remain neutral. We Teach, Learn, and Care.

Career Resources

Gain insight into law, public policy, justice, and the institutions that shape civic life. This pathway is a strong fit if you’re interested in debate, fairness, civic leadership, or how laws and policies influence society.

Registered Student Organizations (RSO)

  • IGNITE at SDSU: The purpose of this organization is to empower young women to engage in local & national politics, champion women’s rights, celebrate female achievements in the public sphere, build a supportive community of like-minded individuals, and cultivate political ambition, civic engagement, and leadership skills in order to develop the next generation of women leaders.
  • Mock Trial: The purpose of this organization is to bring co-curricular learning and growth opportunities to students while attending competitions against other institutions and in the process, developing critical thinking and public speaking skills, as well as knowledge of legal practices and trial advocacy.\
  • City Planning Association SDSU: City Planning Association SDSU is a student-led organization focused on organizing events that promote sustainable campus and region-wide policies, increase interest in city planning, and enrich the academic experience of students enrolled in the Master of City Planning program. A previous successful effort includes a Student Success Fee Academic Related Program grant that allowed all Master of City Planning students to attend an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2023 American Planning Association National Planning Conference in Philadelphia.
  • Pre-Law Society: To provide San Diego State University students with information about the LSAT, law school application process, law school itself, as well as the legal field as a whole.

Career Resources

Make a difference through community leadership, advocacy, or international engagement. You may be drawn to this pathway if you care deeply about social challenges and want to work with others to create meaningful change.

Registered Student Organizations (RSO)

  • Associated Students: The Associated Students (A.S.) at San Diego State University is the official student-led government and nonprofit corporation that represents the student body, offering leadership opportunities, campus programming, and managed facilities. It operates the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, manages recreational facilities like the Aztec Recreation Center (ARC), and funds various events and services to enhance the campus experience.
  • College of Arts and Letters Student Council: The CAL Council is one of seven College Councils that acts as a liaison between student organizations and SDSU student government (Associated Students). CAL is the largest college council representing over twenty active student groups and clubs on campus.
  • Campus Community Commission: The CCC is a key component of Associated Students SDSU. The commission focuses on building strong community relationships and communications with all college area residents. The CCC works with local community planning groups, local community groups, and SDSU PD. The commission strives to educate all SDSU students.
  • Community Service Commission: The commission serves as a community relations liaison between A.S. and SDSU and fosters positive relationships with local community planning groups, local law enforcement representatives and more.

Career Resources

Specific resources and links for these fields

Improve human and environmental health at both the individual and systemic levels. This pathway may resonate with you if you’re motivated by questions about well-being, sustainability, and the health of people, communities, and the planet.

Registered Student Organizations (RSO)

  • Save Soil SDSU: The purpose of this organization is to raise awareness about soil health and the messages of Save Soil—the global movement—among students at SDSU and the surrounding San Diego community. As 52% of the world's agricultural soil is already degraded, Save Soil--the global movement--aims to raise the support of 4 billion people (60% of the world’s electorate) to drive policies in democratic nations, including the U.S., towards revitalizing soil health by increasing the organic content in soil to a minimum of 3-6%.
  • Sustainability/Green Love Commission: Green Love is the Sustainability Commission which operates within the Campus Life Council of the Associated Students auxiliary of SDSU.  It's mission is to continue advocating for, educating about, and representing sustainable progress on campus and in the community.

Career Resources