The fast-growing field of life sciences, which includes biotechnology, specialty health care and pharmaceutical production, is an emerging strength of the California economy. Higher education plays a critical role in fulfilling the needs of this highly skilled field, and the CSU is responding, producing 44 percent of the state's bachelor's degrees in health care and life sciences. Many of the CSU's campuses have been nationally recognized for the high quality of their science programs.

Information technology and technical disciplines are also critical areas of California's economy. The CSU is an important contributor to these fields with 45 percent of the state's computer engineering bachelor's degrees graduating from the system. The CSU has made a concerted effort to help the industry reflect California's diversity by reaching out to underserved students and women to increase their participation in engineering programs and related studies. This has been accomplished by creating numerous partnerships with organizations in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.​