Founded more than 30 years ago, the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies was one of the first in the nation dedicated to Mexican-American history and culture and is the only department of its kind in the UC system.

The graduate program was established in 2003 and is the first in the United States to establish a Ph.D. in Chicano Studies. The program also includes a Master of Arts degree. Undergraduates are offered an interdisciplinary program that fosters a historical, political, social, and cultural understanding of the heterogeneous Chicano and Chicana experience. It builds upon the critical inquiry of traditional disciplines, as well as upon a host of innovative approaches, most notably in gender, ethnic, sexuality, border, and global studies. Upon graduation undergraduates will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree.