The College of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA) is the artistic and cultural heart of California State University, Chico. In HFA, you get to participate in film, lecture, and reading series; musical and theatrical performances; and exhibitions that enrich your quality of life. HFA is home to students majoring in disciplines in our seven departments and to thousands more who take courses in languages and literatures, history, philosophy, religion, and the visual and performing arts to meet many General Education requirements. With exciting and engaging courses, extra-curricular opportunities, and degrees that will last a lifetime, it is not unusual for students to double major or to pair the study of a language or a minor in our college with a major in another discipline.

HFA is what college is all about: exploration of new and exciting ideas in a discipline that you love, having the chance to work closely with fellow students and experience lively and spirited debates, taking advantage of internships in the community or overseas, and mastering important foundational skills that are transferrable across many career paths. 

Through curricular, co-curricular, and pre-professional experience, you gain "soft" or human skills such as empathy, creativity, written and oral communication, and critical thinking. Combined with "hard" or technical skills such as the ability to conduct research, create various forms of art, compose, design, write and speak a foreign language, critique, and edit, you are prepared to succeed in today's global economy. You also join our network of alumni who are K-12 and university educators, public historians, lawyers, real estate agents, editors, published authors, professional artists and musicians, designers, and entrepreneurs; they work in IT fields and for tech companies such as Google and Oracle.

When you’re not in class, there’s a lot to keep you engaged on campus. You'll likely find something to enjoy in the more than 200 performances and exhibitions a year through the School of the Arts, the performing and visual arts center of the University. Let your creativity flow as you collaborate on the Watershed Review, a journal of creative writing; ME: Multicultural Echoes, an international languages literary magazine; or The Historian, essays by students. Visit our galleries, studios, concert halls, and theatres that feature faculty and student performances as well as guest artists. You are encouraged (sometimes required) to take part in our art, music, and theatrical presentations that are seen by thousands of campus and community members every year. HFA is also home to The Janet Turner Print Museum, the Jacki Headley University Art Gallery, and the Humanities Center.

Departments