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34 San Quentin students begin Cal State LA liberal studies degree
Cal State Los Angeles has begun a 21-month bachelor’s program at San Quentin, the prison’s first undergraduate degree program. The inaugural cohort started classes in August in the facility’s new learning center.
Thirty-four incarcerated students at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center have begun a bachelor’s degree program in Liberal Studies from California State University, Los Angeles, marking the first time the prison has offered a bachelor’s degree.
Classes began in August, and the 21-month program was announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Oct. 22. Cal State LA prepared faculty from Cal State East Bay and San Francisco State University to teach the cohort.
The classes are held in San Quentin’s 80,000-square-foot Learning Center, which opened earlier this year. The $239 million campus includes classrooms, a library, technology and recording facilities, and a community workspace.
The program adds a four-year degree option to educational offerings that already include an associate’s degree through Mount Tamalpais College. A separate bachelor’s program proposed by UC Berkeley is not expected to begin until 2028.
Jorge Lopez, who is serving a 50-years-to-life sentence for murder, told KTVU he felt fortunate to have the chance to pursue a degree while incarcerated. Josh Henderson, who oversees correctional education programs, said the learning center’s views of the bay moved some students, including people who had not seen the water in decades.
Newsom’s office said 432 people at San Quentin are enrolled in adult education and 495 in college classes. The new program expands access to higher education inside the prison as California continues to invest in education-focused facilities and programming.