Graduate Degree Programs
The Department of Biology has 11 permanent faculty who are actively involved in a wide range of disciplines, including ecology and evolutionary biology, molecular and cell biology, physiology, functional morphology, and organismal biology. Three additional faculty from other departments on campus have expertise in biology and are adjunct members of the graduate program.
The Master of Science degree in Biology is a thesis research program. Students complete coursework that allows them to master the concepts and techniques of their chosen discipline.
They also conduct original research under the direction of a member of the faculty, and write up their findings as a Master's Thesis. Typically, students take two to three years to complete their graduate degree requirements.
Students that graduate with a MS in Biology from Sonoma State University will:
- demonstrate a strong knowledge base in their sub-discipline of biology
- display critical thinking
- demonstrate a mastery of research approaches
- have effective written and oral communication skills
Graduates of this program find themselves with an enhanced understanding of biology and first-hand experience in the practice of science. Many of our students go on to doctoral programs, others use their degree to pursue careers in teaching, research, environmental consulting, resource management, industry, and various health professions.
For more information about earning a graduate degree in Biology visit:
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Personalized and experiential learning, expert and accessible faculty, and deep industry connections are among the reasons that our alumni mention when asked why their degree represents the right return on investment for them and their families.
We are committed to supporting your life-long career path by challenging you in ways that will strengthen your ability to lead ethically and effectively in today's business environment.
For more information about earning a graduate degree in Business visit:
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Our Counseling program emphasizes the role of human relationships to heal and empower. We seek to educate a community of ethical, self-aware, and socially-engaged counselors who possess the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to competently promote the health and development of diverse individuals, couples, families, and communities.
Our 60-unit graduate program offers two professional specializations:
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling (with eventual licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist and/or as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor)
- School Counseling with a Pupil Personnel Services Credential.
For more information about earning a graduate degree in Counseling visit:
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Students in the MS in CHRM program learn to identify, document, evaluate, and preserve cultural heritage and cultural resources, as mandated by policy and legislation, and guided by scientific and ethical standards. The program aims to produce graduates who excel in the methods and techniques appropriate for filling positions in CHRM, and who have the theoretical, legislative, analytical, and practical skills necessary for the identification, assessment, and evaluation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, along with its interpretation and preservation for a diverse array of engaged communities. Students who successfully complete the program will be qualified to hold management and supervisory positions within all sectors of the heritage and cultural resources management (CRM) industries. Graduates meet the qualifications for professional certification in the United States, but are also well grounded in international heritage legislation and practice.
For more information about earning a graduate degree in Cultural Heritage & Resources Management visit:
Cultural Heritage & Resources Management Website
For more information about how to apply visit:
The fully online bisynchronous program leading to an M.A. in Early Childhood Education (ECE) will help you to expand your understanding of the characteristics of learning and development of children ages 0 to 8 and hone your expertise in teaching young children and working with their families. With a growing emphasis at federal and state levels on the importance of high-quality education during the preschool and primary years, leaders in early childhood education are sought by schools and agencies throughout California.
The M.A. in Early Childhood Education qualifies teachers for the California Child Development Permit at the Multi site Director level. For those candidates who hold a clear teaching credential, graduate credits may count as professional development units for salary advancement in your school district and for credential renewal and you will be eligible to teach in TK classrooms.
For more information about earning a graduate degree in Early Childhood Education visit:
Early Childhood Education Website
For more information about how to apply visit:
Sonoma State University’s College of Education, Counseling, and Ethnic Studies School of Teacher Education and Leadership offers a Master of Arts in Education degree with four distinct concentrations. Each of these concentrations reflects the philosophy, purpose, and goals of the School of Teacher Education and Leadership and the College of Education, Counseling, and Ethnic Studies. In our M.A. program, students critically examine educational theories and research through a variety of empirical and theoretical lenses with a focus on social justice to develop an informed educational vision and innovative pedagogy in a variety of educational settings. Students have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty and colleagues to examine and influence current educational practice through research, project development, and advocacy. We expect graduates to emerge from their work at Sonoma State University as leaders in their fields and agents of change.
Four Areas of Concentration:
- Teaching
- Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
- Special Education
- Reading and Language (not accepting students for 2027-2028 academic year)
For more information about earning a graduate degree in Education visit:
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Note: The master's degree in Educational Leadership program is not accepting students for the 2027-2028 Academic Year.
The MA in Educational Leadership is designed for school administrators, teachers, and education professionals who aspire to a leadership role in PK-12 education. Required classes for the MA includes 24 units of coursework from the Administrative Services Credential Program.
The Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Sonoma State University is a graduate program focused on interconnection between electrical engineering hardware and computer science software. The 32-unit curriculum blends relevant academic coursework with practical engineering experience, thereby addressing the evolving demands upon engineering in our progressively technology-driven world. The program is recognized as a Professional Science Master's program by the Council of Graduate Schools.
For more information about earning a graduate degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering visit:
Electrical & Computer Engineering Website
For more information about how to apply visit:
Note: The master's degree in English program is not accepting students for the 2027-2028 Academic Year.
Welcome to the Master of Arts in English at Sonoma State University. We offer options of completing your degree with an emphasis in literary criticism, creative writing, and rhetoric/English education.
As a whole, we seek to foster scholars and writers who are engaged in dialogue across their discipline-specific course of study. We encourage MA students to explore their interests across our curriculum. Together with their colleagues and faculty mentors, the MA cohort participates fully in the life of the English Department.
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The History MA program provides a broad context for understanding the human experience in the past, and the curriculum is designed for the student to gain mastery over historical methodology in pursuit of their own areas of inquiry and goals. Furthermore, the program stresses the ability to apply the skills learned to allow students to study in a manner that may be largely self-directed and autonomous. This is especially important since MA graduates pursue a wide range of professional careers and personal goals.
The course of study requires 30 units, at least half of which must be taken at the 500 level in courses dedicated to graduate students only. The remainder can be at the 300/400 level. Students take core courses in historiography, research methods, and historical writing and presentation. In addition, they choose from a range of chronological, thematic, and methodological courses, including courses in public history, college teaching, oral history, and digital humanities. Interested students may take electives in other departments, including Women and Gender Studies, Art History (museum studies), and modern languages. Within the History Department, students may choose concentrations in areas such as Colonial and Revolutionary America, Nineteenth Century U.S., Twentieth Century U.S., Recent U.S., U.S. Women’s History, Ancient Rome, Medieval Europe, Early Modern Europe, Atlantic World, Modern Europe, British History, Imperial Spain, Modern Russia, Latin America and the Borderlands.
Students are strongly encouraged to explore different aspects of historical work during your time in the graduate program. You may undertake internships or research assistantships, work in special collections, serve as an embedded tutor in a classroom, work with a faculty mentor to explore college-level teaching, lead the History Society, publish in or edit the History Journal, and present your work in a variety of venues throughout the course of their graduate career. Because SSU students come from a variety of backgrounds – from recent graduates to mid-career professionals to high school teachers to retirees who finally have an opportunity to explore a passion – you may learn as much from peers as from the faculty who lead your classes.
For more information about earning a graduate degree in History visit:
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For over 50 years the Department of Nursing has been educating nurses. To date we have educated more than 4,000 nurse practitioners, nurse educators, and nurse leaders to serve our region, state, country, and world.
We are proud of our reputation for preparing excellent, well-qualified professionals. Our students are educated to practice in a variety of settings including community health agencies, advanced practice settings, and acute care settings.
Our core values include:
- Providing a foundation for lifelong learning
- Practicing nursing with a broad cultural perspective
- Developing professional leadership and active citizenship
- Fostering flexibility and resilience for a career in nursing within a dynamic world
- Contributing to the health and well-being of a community within a perspective of the world at large
The Family Nurse Practitioner Program in the School of Nursing at Sonoma State University offers a Master of Science in Nursing with FNP emphasis. We offer a four-semester, two-year, 46 semester unit full-time option and a six-semester, three-year, 46 semester unit part-time option. The program is currently offered in the geographic service areas of Sonoma State University, Chico, Redding and Turlock, Modesto, Stockton and Merced. The program accepts students from all geographic areas in Northern and Central California with the acknowledgment that students will be required to attend some seminars and labs on the SSU campus.
For more information about earning a graduate degree in Nursing visit:
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Note: The master's degree in Public Administration program is not accepting students for the 2027-2028 Academic Year.
Offered primarily as an evening program, the master's degree in Public Administration provides a rigorous 40-unit curriculum that emphasizes the background and skills required to effectively analyze, formulate, and implement public policy in local, state, and national government, and to achieve similar programmatic goals in nonprofit agencies.
The program recognizes a need for a strong combination of theoretical and practical learning. Students choose from two concentrations: 1) Public Management; or 2) Nonprofit Agency Management.
For more information about earning a graduate degree in Public Administration visit: