California State University, San Marcos
Academics

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How strong are the academics at California State University, San Marcos?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

24:1
Student to faculty ratio
34
Average class size
28%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

Cal State San Marcos has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 24:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
10-19
179
20-29
610
30-39
563
40-49
317
50-99
60
100+
43

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at California State University, San Marcos:

78%
First-year retention rate
28%
4-year grad rate
55%
6-year grad rate

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are California State University, San Marcos' most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Business Administration and Management, General
Psychology, General
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
Sociology, General
Computer Science
124.2
206.76
289.32
371.88
454.44
537

The Full List

Major Graduates
Area
  • Women's Studies 10
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 1
  • Women's Studies 1
  • American Indian/Native American Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 161
  • Biotechnology 29
  • Biochemistry 23
Business
  • Business Administration and Management, General 537
  • Business Administration and Management, General 1
Communication
  • Speech Communication and Rhetoric 158
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies 21
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies 4
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 193
  • Computer Science 2
Education
  • Early Childhood Education and Teaching 89
  • Early Childhood Education and Teaching 2
Engineering
  • Computer Software Engineering 36
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 23
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 56
  • English Language and Literature, General 2
Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
  • Human Development and Family Studies, General 99
Foreign Languages
  • Spanish Language and Literature 18
  • Linguistics 7
  • Spanish Language and Literature 3
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 294
  • Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist 70
History
  • History, General 68
  • History, General 1
Homeland Security
  • Fire Protection, Other 18
Liberal Arts And Sciences
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 146
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Mathematics, General 26
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • International/Globalization Studies 7
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 1
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 1
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Studies 42
Parks
  • Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General 164
  • Exercise Science and Kinesiology 0
Physical Sciences
  • Chemistry, General 14
  • Physics, Other 13
Psychology
  • Psychology, General 306
  • Psychology, General 2
Social Sciences
  • Sociology, General 236
  • Criminology 178
  • Political Science and Government, General 67
  • Social Sciences, General 62
  • Economics, General 27
  • Anthropology, General 12
  • Criminology 10
  • Sociology, General 9
  • Geography 2
  • Political Science and Government, General 1
  • Geography 1
  • Economics, General 1
  • Social Sciences, General 1
  • International Relations and Affairs 0
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Visual and Performing Arts, General 80
  • Music, General 9
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 6
  • Music, General 1
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CollegeIQ® relies on data from government and private resources. Always confer with the individual college or university for the most recent data. Learn more about our data and methodology.

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