Welcome to the one-stop resource of California education and college degree information. We're prooud to provide this website to all potential students interested in learning more about the fine colleges and universities located in the state of California.

Use the list of college degree programs below to find colleges and universities in California offering the areas of study that interest you.

• Vocational & Technical Training Schools
• Undergraduate Degree Programs
• Graduate Schools

Vocational & Technical Training Schools

California Colleges & Universities has found 66 technical training and vocational schools in California. These schools that offer diplomas, certificates, and associate degrees are located in the following cities:

Undergraduate Degree Programs

California Colleges & Universities has found 48 colleges offering undergraduate degree programs in California. These schools that offer bachelor degrees are located in the following cities:

Graduate Schools

California Colleges & Universities has found 32 universities offering graduate degrees in California. These schools that offer masters and doctorate degrees are located in the following cities:

Thinking of moving to California for college? Below is a resource of information pertaining to some fun (and sometimes useful) California state facts and information.

• California State Icons
• California State Climate
• California Culture
• California State Economy
• California Geography
• California State History

California State Icons

State Colors
Blue and Gold are the official colors of the state and are used on the Great Seal and by the state's university system, too.

State Mineral
Native gold can still be panned from streambeds in California. Our state has produced more gold than any other state in the Union.

State Nickname
Because modern California began with the discovery of gold, it is called the Golden State. And many people also say our state is the land of golden sunshine.

State Animal
The only California grizzly bear seen today is the one on the State Flag or State Seal. The last grizzly in the state was killed in the 1920s. But when it still roamed the state's forests, the huge, powerful bear lived up to its fierce-sounding scientific name, Ursus horribilis californicus.

State Insect
The California Dog-face Butterfly (Zerene eurydice) is found only in California.

State Marine Mammal
The mighty California Gray Whale (Eschrichtius gibbosus) travels in groups called "pods" off the Pacific coast each winter and spring. Gray whales are 30 to 50 feet long and weigh as much as 40 tons.

State Reptile
The Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a species that's lived in California for thousands of years.

State Fish
The California Golden Trout (Salmo aguabonita) swims in icy mountain streams.

State Bird
The California Valley Quail (Laphortyx californica) lives throughout the state.

State Tree
The California Redwood has two forms - the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and the Sierra Redwood (Sequoiadendron gigantea). Redwoods are among the most ancient living things, and they're found only in California and its neighbor to the north, Oregon.

California State Climate

California has a Mediterranean-type climate that is characterized by general sun and warmth with rain mainly in the winter. Climate does vary greatly based on distance from the ocean and elevation. There are five main climatic zones which exist in the state.

• Coastal climate: This area contains most of the state's population. It varies greatly up and down the coast.
• Desert climate: Characterized by great daily and annual variations in temperature with very little rainfall.
• Foothill climate: 1,000 to 3,000 ft. in elevation with climate similar to valley regions but with more rain and less fog.
• Mountain climate: This is the sole region for heavy snow, accented with fairly cold winters and bright, sunny summers.
• Valley climate: Characterized by high temperature and low humidity in the summer and low temperature and high humidity in the winter. Both the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys exhibit this type of climatology.

Rainfall varies from 80 inches in Del Norte County (North Coast) to as low as 3 inches in Imperial County (Desert). 

California Culture

California is one of the most ethnically diverse regions of the world. The ethnic breakdown of the California's population as of March 2001 is as follows:

• American Indian/ Eskimo/ Aleut 1.0%
• Asian/Pacific Islander 12.5%
• Black (non-Hispanic) 6.7%
• Hispanic 31.5%
• Caucasian (non-Hispanic) 48.3%

Among the states, California has the largest number of senior citizens living within its borders. More than four million California residents are more than 60 years of age.

California State Economy

• California's top industries include: tourism, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, telecommunications, engineering services, aerospace and entertainment (including motion pictures, TV, and recording). The state is geared for the future with continuing advances in microelectronics, bio-technology and environmental technology. California produces more than $1 trillion worth of goods and services each year.
• California generates 13% of the United States Gross National Product.
• Currently, California has the fifth largest economy in the world, and is the nation's number one exporting state.
• More than 2.6 million small businesses account for 98 percent of all employers in California. 

California Geography

• California, the third largest state in land area, covers 158,693 square miles. 
• The average width of California is 150 to 200 miles.
• California has a coastline 1,264 miles long.
• At 14,495 feet, Mt. Whitney in Sequoia National Park is the highest point in the contiguous United States.
• Badwater in Death Valley National Park, at 282 feet below sea level, is the lowest elevation point in the United States.
• California has three active volcanoes: In the Cascade Mountain range are Mt. Lassen (elevation 10,457 feet)., a plug-dome volcano surrounded by volcanic hot springs; and Mt. Shasta (elevation 14,162 feet), which is characterized by strong granite peaks; and Mt. Mammoth (elevation 11,000 feet)., found in the Sierra Nevada, offers fantastic skiing.
• The nation's 11th National Marine Sanctuary extends along California's coast from just north of the Golden Gate south past Big Sur to San Simeon in Monterey County. The Monterey sanctuary encompasses 5,312 square miles (4,024 square nautical miles), making it the largest marine sanctuary in the United States.
• The San Francisco Bay is the largest natural harbor and estuary on the west coast.
• California has more than 420 recreational lakes. The largest natural lake, Clearlake, often referred to as "The Bass Capital of the West," has 43,000 acres of surface area and a shoreline of 100 miles, at an elevation of 1,320 feet.
• California has 4.1 million acres in National Park acreage and 1.3 million acres in State Park acreage.
• The largest trees in the world, a species of Redwood known as Sequoia gigantea, can be found in the Sierra Nevada.
• The oldest living thing in the world, the Bristlecone Pine tree, aged at nearly 5,000 years, can be found at an altitude of 11,000 feet in California.
• The tallest living thing in the world is the California Redwood found along California's North and Central Coast.

California State History

1542
The Portuguese-born sailor, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, became the first European to explore California, landing at San Diego on September 28. He went on to discover the Catalina Islands, the sites of San Pedro and Santa Monica and the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. The site of Cabrillo's first landing in California was made a national monument in 1913.

1579
Sir Francis Drake landed north of San Francisco Bay and claimed the territory for England.

1769
San Diego De Alcala, the first of 21 missions established by Franciscan padres under the leadership of Father Junipero Serra, was founded. The missions extend along a 650-mile trail, the El Camino Real, from San Diego to Sonoma. 
Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola (1723-86) led expedition from Mexico to establish settlements in Alta California; he arrived in San Diego June 29; on July 14, Portola's party discovered Monterey Bay; on November 2, San Francisco Bay. As commander, Portola served as Alta California's governor from March 1769 to July 1770.

1821
The Russian trading post, Fort Ross, was completed near Bodega Bay, enabling the Russians to further explore the northern California coast as they continued hunting for fur seals and sea otters.

1846
The Bear Flag Revolt achieved California's independence from the rule of Mexico. The flag used in this revolt is now the State flag.

1848
California became a U.S. holding with the Treaty of Guadalupe, which ended the Mexican War. 
James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's sawmill in Coloma in January 1848, along the south fork of the American River, thus kicking off the famous Gold Rush of 1849 from whence the term "49ers" was coined.

1850
California was admitted into the Union as the 31st state on September 9, 1850.

1860
California's famous mail courier service, the Pony Express, followed a route which began in Missouri and ended in Sacramento, California. The trips, lasting more than ten days depending on weather conditions, were the first of a kind connecting California's communication system with the Midwest. Riders changed mounts at postal stations which were 15 miles apart. The fastest delivery was a trip in six days, delivering the news of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

Late 1800's
The trans-continental railroad system was established with funding from the "Big Four," a group of men whose economic influence helped shape California's industrial industry--Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins, Collis P. Huntington, and Leland Stanford. The system included tracks throughout California's Sierra Nevada region as well as connecting New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Mexico, Utah, and Nevada for mining and travel opportunities.