HSU Academic Programs Ranked among the Top in California

Humboldt State has been recognized among the best universities in California for several of its academic programs.

HSU was ranked second in wildlife and forestry, third in botany, and fifth in criminology schools by Plexuss, an online network for prospective college students.

See all of the rankings on the Plexuss website.

HSU’s Forestry and Wildlife freshmen participate in the Klamath Connection, a place-based learning community that offers students a unique way of studying one subject from the perspective of different disciplines.

The Botany program also offers students a place-based learning community, Among Giants, that focuses on the biodiversity of the North Coast. Evidence shows that students involved in place-based learning communities have higher rates of academic success.

Criminology & Justice Studies students at HSU research crime trends, and how the criminal justice system handles race, class, gender and sexuality, and are involved in service-learning projects in the community.

Plexuss rankings are based on data from the Department of Education and prominent ranking sources.

HSU was named a top public university in the west by the U.S. News & World Report 2019 Best Colleges rankings. It was also ranked by Forbes as one of the nation’s top colleges and was ranked a “Best in the West” school by Princeton Review.

About Plexuss

Our rankings have been years in the making and are based on student demand and preferences. Thousands of our students told us they wanted to be able to search rankings information intuitively and dynamically. Students also asked for more in-depth rankings of the programs and institutions they were most likely to attend. In addition to student feedback, our rankings and methodology incorporate extensive input from education partners, data scientists, employers, parents, and high school counselors.