About the Imperial Valley Campus

The Imperial Valley Campus is a branch campus of SanDiego State University serving the desert area of southeast-ern California. It is accredited as an integral division ofSDSU and operates under the same academic calendar.Established in 1959 by an act of the State legislature, thecampus has two locations in the Imperial Valley: Calexicoand Brawley. Offering the last two years of undergraduateeducation, graduate programs, and fifth year credentialprograms for teacher preparation, the campus acceptsstudents who have at least 60 transferable units from com-munity colleges or other accredited institutions. In addition,the Imperial Valley Campus offers, as part of its FreshmanScholars Program, first and second year undergraduateeducation to a select cohort of students planning to majorin criminal justice, liberal studies, or psychology. The cam-pus offers students the advantages of smaller classes andindividual contact with the faculty. The Imperial Valley Cam-pus faculty are multinational in their classroom orientationand background. Interactive television provides students inCalexico the opportunity to participate in some classesbroadcast live from the campus in San Diego. The ImperialValley Campus schedules many of its classes in three-hourblocks so that students who work full time can earn 9-12units a semester by attending classes once or twice aweek. Occasional classes are also offered on the week-ends.The over 900 students at Imperial Valley Campus havethe opportunity to be involved in a rich campus life. Studentclubs, student government, lectures, art exhibits, andmusical events enhance the students’ education at SDSU –Imperial Valley Campus.

The Imperial Valley Campus is located on two sites inImperial County which has a population of approximately160,000 people. Calexico is 120 miles east of San Diego,60 miles west of Yuma, Arizona, and 120 miles south ofPalm Springs. Interstate 8 and State Highways 111 and 86connect the County to the rest of the country and state. TheCalexico location, six blocks from the Mexican border,provides the opportunity for involvement in a biculturalenvironment. Just across the border is Mexicali, a city ofmore than one million people.

The Brawley location is 24miles north of the Calexico site. It is surrounded by richagricultural fields, as agriculture is the largest industry inthe Imperial Valley.Imperial Valley is one of the richest agricultural centers inthe country. It has a desert climate with mild winters and lit-tle rainfall. Because of this, the area has a great potential forthe development of alternative energy sources. Geothermalenergy is already being produced in the area and solar andwind energy are both potentially important sources forfuture development. The desert also offers the opportunityto study a fragile ecological environment. Significantarchaeological discoveries have been made in the area andthere is continuing archaeological fieldwork.

The Imperial Valley is a vast open area that has manyplaces for people to enjoy the outdoors. These include theGlamis dunes, the Salton Sea, which is the state’s largestinland lake, and the Laguna mountains. There are alsoother recreational attractions within easy driving distanceof the campus including the Sea of Cortez, the ColoradoRiver, and the Pacific Ocean.