About PDC

Over twenty-five years ago, Coachella Valley civic leaders began to call for a local public four-year college. The group's efforts lead to California State University, San Bernardino establishing a branch campus on the College of the Desert campus. From the beginning our efforts were to serve Coachella Valley students locally with programs that met local Coachella Valley needs. In 2002 we moved to our permanent location on Cook Street.

We offer our students the resources of a large, comprehensive university through the San Bernardino campus. At the same time, the Palm Desert Campus offers the supportive environment of a small campus with small classes and more opportunities for contact with instructional faculty.

The faculty and staff of the Palm Desert Campus are committed to your success, committed to serving the Coachella Valley, and committed to maintaining an environment on campus that honors diversity and provides all students the opportunities to fulfill their dreams of a higher education.

Welcome,

Fred E. Jandt, Ph.D.
Dean

Mission Statement

Parallel to the Mission Statement of California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), the Palm Desert Campus (PDC) mission reflects the goals of providing students, in a nurturing and high quality academic environment, with a repertoire of skills to face the challenges of a dynamic, multicultural, technology based society. PDC’s mission explicitly recognizes the responsibility placed on the campus to advance the mission of CSUSB. In addition, PDC will continue to make productive use of its resources to develop community partnerships and establish PDC as the educational leader in the Coachella Valley.

Vision Statement

The Palm Desert Campus will be a community of scholars committed to the teaching-learning process which values diversity, emphasizes quality, and commits to serving the region. It will reach out to students through face-to-face classrooms, distributed learning, and online programs. It will continue to seek collaborative partnerships to integrate educational, cultural, social, technological, and economic life with the region. It will strive to meet critical regional and state needs and provide responsible and creative leadership for the future.

Student Profile

As of Fall 2010

Number of Students
1000

Graduate Students
22%

Undergraduate Students
78%

Gender
68% Female
32% Male

Ethnicity

Students Working
80% Work Full-Time

Average Age- Undergraduate
33 years old

Median Age- Undergraduate
25 years old

Average Age-Graduate Student
36 years old

Median Age-Graduate Student
33 years old

Alumni
3,200

Academic Program Statistics

Degree Programs
16 Degrees and Credentials

Largest Undergraduate Majors
Liberal Studies 18%
Psychology 14%
Nursing 10%
Accounting 10%
English 7%
Management 7%
Criminal Justice 6%

City of Student Residence
29 Palms 2.5%
Bermuda Dunes 2.7%
Cathedral City 11.5%
Coachella 7%
Desert Hot Springs 5%
Indian Wells 0.7%
Indio 24.1%
Joshua Tree 0.2%
La Quinta 12.4%
Palm Desert 15.4%
Palm Springs 7%
Rancho Mirage 2.5%
Thousand Palms 3.4%
Yucca Valley 4.3%