Overview of the Key Aspects and History of the Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies Program at California State University, Northridge

California State University, Northridge, colloquially known by students, faculty, and citizens in the region as "CSUN" (pronounced SEE-sun), features one of the most prominent, competitive, and influential urban jazz studies programs of all the major universities and colleges on the west coast of the United States of America. Despite the fact that it is a public, state-subsidized university, not a traditional music conservatory or a private institution, CSUN boasts a rich history of jazz education and vocational jazz and studio music training. Since the 1960s, the CSUN music program has developed into a key cultural institution in Southern California. CSUN alumni have exerted a significant influence on the Los Angeles studio music scene as well as the jazz and improvised music scenes on a national level, and the jazz program in particular attracts some of the most talented undergraduate students in the region. Below is a brief overview of some key institutional facts and statistics pertaining to the university as a whole, which will serve as a preface to a more detailed discussion of the structure, culture, history, and curriculum of the jazz studies program at California State University, Northridge.