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AB 2693

California State University: California Maritime Academy.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by David Alvarez and 2 co-sponsors

The CSU would gain statewide authority to award doctoral degrees and jointly award them, while expanding branding protections for Cal Maritime.

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 17). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
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Bill Summary · AB 2693

Summary of AB 2693 (2025-2026) – California State University: California Maritime Academy

Purpose and intent

  • AB 2693 aims to expand the California State University (CSU) system’s authority and branding in the area of doctoral education and to modernize the treatment of CSU campus names and abbreviations, with a specific focus on California Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime) and related CSU abbreviations.
  • The bill would authorize the CSU to jointly award doctoral degrees statewide, remove the University of California’s (UC) objection authority over CSU doctoral programs, and set new review, governance, and reporting requirements to implement this broader doctoral capacity.
  • It also adds Cal Maritime-related abbreviations to the list of state-owned names and abbreviations that cannot be used without CSU Trustees’ permission, expanding protections against misuse.

Key provisions and changes

Doctoral degree authority and governance

  • The CSU would be authorized to award doctoral degrees statewide (not limited to professional/applied doctorates or non-duplicative fields), expanding beyond current constraints that limit CSU doctoral offerings and require duplication non-duplication reviews.
  • The CSU could jointly award doctoral degrees with independent higher education institutions (without needing prior approval from the California Postsecondary Education Commission to address duplication concerns), and could remove the UC’s existing right to object to CSU doctoral proposals based on duplication.
  • The CSU’s process for proposing doctoral programs would be revised:
    • CSU campuses seeking to offer a doctoral program must submit a detailed plan to the chancellor’s office, including program description, curriculum, justification, workforce demand, financial plan, enrollment projections, and alignment with regional needs.
    • The Trustees of the CSU would oversee approval and implementation, with the ability to implement programs at one or more CSU campuses.
    • A cap is set to approve no more than 10 new doctoral programs per academic year.

Revisions to Education Code related to doctoral authority

  • The bill would repeal and replace existing sections (66046.1 and 66046.2) to reflect the expanded CSU authority, and renumber sections accordingly (66046.5, 66046.3, 66046.4, etc.).
  • It would require an annual or near-term evaluation by the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) of the new doctoral programs, with a comprehensive report due by December 31, 2028, including:
    • Number of CSU campuses proposing/doctrinal programs
    • Types and implementation status of programs
    • Enrollment, completion, and impact on accessibility, quality, and affordability
  • The law would make the LAO evaluation operative through December 31, 2030, after which the provision would be repealed.

Names and abbreviations protection (Cal Maritime focus)

  • The bill expands the list of names and abbreviations deemed the property of the state to include “Cal Poly Maritime” and “Cal Poly Maritime Academy,” extending protections against use without CSU Trustees’ permission.
  • It clarifies misuse penalties as misdemeanors and aligns naming protections with broader CSU branding protections.

Administrative and fiscal notes

  • The bill states no state reimbursement is required for the local agencies/school districts due to the act creating a new crime or function or changing penalties (statutory declaration related to costs).
  • It includes standard fiscal committee references but does not provide an appropriation in the bill text.

Who is affected

  • California State University system: Expanded authority to develop and award doctoral degrees statewide; new governance, review, and enrollment, funding, and program implementation requirements.
  • CSU campuses: Responsible for proposing and developing doctoral programs under the new framework; subject to trustees’ approval and annual limits on new programs.
  • Independent higher education institutions: Potential collaborators for joint doctoral degree programs with CSU.
  • UC: The bill removes UC’s formal objection authority over CSU doctoral proposals (a governance shift).
  • Cal Maritime and other CSU-associated names: Increased legal protections for brand and campus abbreviations, specifically adding Cal Poly Maritime-related terms to the protected list.

Timelines and procedures

  • Proposals: CSU campuses must submit detailed program plans to the chancellor’s office for trustee review and approval.
  • Annual cap: The Trustees may approve up to 10 new doctoral degree programs per academic year.
  • Evaluation: LAO to conduct a statewide evaluation with a report due by December 31, 2028; inoperative after December 31, 2030 (with repeal scheduled for 2031).
  • Effective dates: Bill amendments are drafted to become operative as specified in the statute, with amendments reflected in the Education Code sections referenced.

Overall assessment

AB 2693 is a multi-faceted bill that seeks to modernize California’s doctoral education landscape by empowering the CSU to offer a broader array of doctoral programs statewide, streamline governance by reducing inter-system duplication objections, and strengthen CSU branding protections for campuses like Cal Maritime. It emphasizes workforce alignment, regional access to advanced degrees, and a phased implementation cap, accompanied by an evaluative requirement to monitor impacts on accessibility, affordability, and quality.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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