San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. As part of the 23-campus

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univer ...

system, the university offers 118 different

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

s, 94

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

s, and 5

doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...

s along with 26

teaching credential A United States teaching credential is a basic multiple or single subject credential obtained upon completion of a bachelor's degree, from a college or university that holds regional accreditation, and prescribed professional education requirement ...

s among six academic colleges.SF State Facts 2009–2010
San Francisco State University It is

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper *The Classified, a 1980s American roc ...

among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The university was founded in 1899 as a state-run

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

for training school teachers, obtaining state college status in 1921 and

state university A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, territory or federal district. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country. State unive ...

status in 1972. The 141-acre campus is located in the southwest part of the city, less than two miles from the

Pacific coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the P ...

. San Francisco State has 12 varsity athletic teams which compete at the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

level, most as members of the

California Collegiate Athletic Association The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. All of its current members are public universities, and upon ...

. San Francisco State is an

Hispanic-serving institution A Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) is defined in federal law as an accredited, degree-granting, public or private nonprofit institution of higher education with 25% or more total undergraduate Hispanic or Latino full-time equivalent (FTE) stud ...

(HSI) and is eligible to be designated as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander serving institution (AANAPISI). San Francisco State's past and present faculty and alumni include 21 Pulitzer Prize winners, 16

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

winners, 49

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

winners, 10

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

winners, 12

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

laureates, 4 billionaires, and 1

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

History

* 1899 – Founded as San Francisco State Normal School, in the first year enrollment was 31 women, and the campus originally located on Powell Street near Clay Street. * 1901 – First graduating class. * 1906 – The 1906 earthquake and fire forces the school to relocate from

Nob Hill Nob Hill is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States that is known for its numerous luxury hotels and historic mansions. Nob Hill has historically served as a center of San Francisco's upper class. Nob Hill is among the highes ...

to a temporary campus at the Grant School in Oakland, followed by a new campus at Buchanan and

Haight Street Haight Street () is the principal street in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, also known as the Upper Haight due to its elevation. The street stretches from Market Street, through the Lower Haight neighborhood, to Stanyan Street in the ...

s. * 1921 – Renamed San Francisco State Teachers College * 1923 – First Bachelor of Arts degree awarded * 1929 – First known African-American to graduate from the school is teacher Grace Hackett. * 1935 – Renamed San Francisco State College * 1953 – Current campus near

Lake Merced , image =Lake Merced at SFSU.jpg , caption = , location = San Francisco, California , coords = , type = Reservoir , inflow = Spring , outflow = , catchment = , basi ...

opens; it is formally dedicated in October, 1954. * 1966 – Beginning of the era of campus protests led by student organizations including the Black Student Union,

Third World Liberation Front In 1968, the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF), a coalition of the Black Students Union, the Latin American Students Organization, the Filipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) the Filipino-American Students Organization, the Asian American P ...

, and

Students for a Democratic Society Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a national student activist organization in the United States during the 1960s, and was one of the principal representations of the New Left. Disdaining permanent leaders, hierarchical relationships ...

. They protested college policies and off-campus issues such as the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

with

sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to m ...

s, rallies, marches, and teach-ins, sometimes clashing violently with police. * 1968–1969 – A lengthy

student strike Campus protest or student protest is a form of student activism that takes the form of protest at university campuses. Such protests encompass a wide range of activities that indicate student dissatisfaction with a given political or academi ...

erupted in November, led by the Black Student Union and the

, who demanded an

Ethnic Studies Ethnic studies, in the United States, is the interdisciplinary study of difference—chiefly race, ethnicity, and nation, but also sexuality, gender, and other such markings—and power, as expressed by the state, by civil society, and by indivi ...

program and an end to the Vietnam War. It was a major news event for weeks in the aftermath of the assassination of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

The strike ended in March 1969 with an agreement to create the School (now College) of Ethnic Studies. * 1972 – Received university status as California State University, San Francisco * 1974 – Renamed San Francisco State University * 1975 –

Cesar Chavez Cesar Chavez (born Cesario Estrada Chavez ; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later mer ...

Student Center opened its doors to students * 1993 – Downtown campus opened * 1994 – A mural depicting

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of ...

was painted on the student union building, commissioned by the Pan-African Student Union and African Student Alliance. The mural's border contained yellow

Stars of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorativ ...

and dollar signs mingled with skulls and crossbones and near the words "African Blood." The next week, after demonstrations on both sides, the school administration had the mural painted over, and subsequently sand blasted. Two years later a new Malcolm X mural was painted, without the controversial symbols. * 1999 – Celebrated 100th birthday * 2007 – Downtown Campus opened at 835 Market Street * 2013 – The Science Building was found to have "unsafe levels" of airborne mercury, lead and asbestos in the basement as a result of reports that pesticide-laden Native American artifacts were previously stored with a material now known to be highly hazardous. As a result of the contamination, over $3.6 million was spent for remediation of the pervasive contamination. University Administration terminated several employees who reported the contamination, resulting in several wrongful termination and whistle-blower lawsuits, including one by the recently hired director. In July 2014, Cal/OSHA cited the university for various health and safety violations in the Science Building, which included SFSU failing to locate asbestos in the building and warn employees about the hazards of mercury. SFSU previously ran into trouble with its Environmental Health and Safety program when the director prior, Robert Shearer, was accused of taking bribes from a waste disposal firm in exchange for at least $4 million in university funds. Etnic Studies Hunger Strike SF State

* 2017 – A group of Jewish students accused SFSU of encouraging

anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Ant ...

, and excluding Jewish student pro-Israel activist groups from campus activities. These students filed a court case, however a federal judge dismissed the suit in 2018. In 2019 the university granted Zionist student groups equal rights with other student groups. * 2020 – SFSU faculty

Rabab Abdulhadi Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi (born 1955) is a Palestinian-born American scholar, activist, educator, editor, and an academic director. She is an Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, Race and Resistance Studies, and the founding Director of Arab and ...

and Tomomi Kinukawa were hosting a virtual class lecture on

Zoom (software) Zoom, stylized as zoom or Zoom Meetings is a proprietary videotelephony software program developed by Zoom Video Communications. The free plan allows up to 100 concurrent participants, with a 40-minute time restriction. Users have the option ...

Leila Khaled Leila Khaled ( ar, ليلى خالد, born April 9, 1944) is a Palestinian refugee, terrorist, and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Khaled came to public attention for her role in the TWA Flight 840 hijacking ...

, a Palestinian political activist with a militant history, when the Zoom canceled the broadcast due to the support of a pro-

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

stance. The event brought SFSU into a tense national news debate.

Presidents

* Frederic Lister Burk (1899–1924) * Archibald B. Anderson (1924–1927) * Mary A. Ward (1927; interim president) * Alexander C. Roberts (1927–1945) *

J. Paul Leonard John Paul Leonard (1901–1995) was an American educator, and university president. He was the 5th President of San Francisco State University (SFSU) serving from 1945 to 1957; and the 5th President of American University of Beirut serving from ...

(1945–1957) * Glenn Dumke (1957–1961) * Frank L. Fenton (1961–1962) *

Paul A. Dodd Paul Albert Dodd (July 26, 1902 – August 22, 1992) was an American educator, economist, and labor arbitrator. He served as professor of economics at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1928 to 1962, and was appointed as the firs ...

(1962–1965) * Stanley F. Paulson (1965–1966) *

John Summerskill John Henry Summerskill (March 26, 1925 – June 14, 1990) was a Canadian educator who served as the seventh president of San Francisco State University in the 1960s. Prior to this he was vice president for student affairs at Cornell University. I ...

(1966–1968) * Robert R. Smith (1968) *

S. I. Hayakawa Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa (July 18, 1906 – February 27, 1992) was a Canadian-born American academic and politician of Japanese ancestry. A professor of English, he served as president of San Francisco State University and then as U.S. Senator fro ...

(1968–1973) * Paul F. Romberg (1973–1983) *

Chia-Wei Woo Chia-Wei Woo (), , was the founding president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His work included raising funding and recruiting outstanding faculty for the university. With Chung Sze Yuen, Woo created an institution, in ...

(1983–1988) * Robert A. Corrigan (1988–2012) *

Leslie Wong Leslie Eric Wong (born 1949) is an American academic, university administrator, and psychology professor. He was President of Northern Michigan University and San Francisco State University. Personal and educational background Wong is of Chinese ...

(2012–2019) *

Lynn Mahoney Lynn Mahoney (born 1964) is an American university president, author, and social historian. Mahoney is the president of San Francisco State University (SFSU) since July 2019, and is the first woman to hold this role. Her scholarly work has focuse ...

(2019–present)

Academics

Fall Freshman Statistics

In Fall of 2021, the university had 1,801 instructional faculty, of which 706 (or 39 percent) were on the tenure track. The university's academic colleges are: * Liberal & Creative Arts * Business * Education * Ethnic Studies * Health and Social Sciences * Science and

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

In addition, the university has a College of Extended Learning. There is also an unofficial eighth college, the Experimental College, which allows students to teach each other. SF State is on the semester system. The university awards bachelor's degrees in 115 areas of specialization, master's degrees in 97, and a doctor of education (Ed.D.) in educational leadership. It jointly offers three doctoral programs: a doctorate in education in partnership with

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

with a concentration in special education, and two doctorates in physical therapy with

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It co ...

. The most popular undergraduate majors are Business Administration, Biology, Kinesiology, Engineering, English, Communication Studies, Psychology, Criminal Justice Studies, Sociology, and Cinema. The student-faculty ratio at San Francisco State University is 23:1, and 27.1 percent of its classes have fewer than 20 students.

Accreditation

The university is accredited by the WASC Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities. The College of Business is accredited by the

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, also known as AACSB International, is an American professional organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to ...

(AACSB International). The School of Engineering is accredited by the

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology The ABET (incorporated as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.) is a non-governmental organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied and natural sciences, computing, engineering and enginee ...

(ABET).

Distinctions and rankings

In 2020, San Francisco State was ranked the 19th top university in the United States by

PayScale Payscale is an American compensation software and data company which helps employers manage employee compensation and employees understand their worth in the job market. The website was launched on January 1, 2002. It was founded by Joe Giordano a ...

and CollegeNET's Social Mobility Index university rankings. In 2022, th
Philosophical Gourmet Report
listed San Francisco State University as one of the top eight universities to earn a

terminal Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together * Terminal (telecommunication), a device communicating over a line * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devic ...

MA in philosophy. SFSU was one of the first California State University campuses to offer a doctorate of education. It was also instrumental in the establishment of the International University of Kyrgyzstan (1993). The university is the only one in California to offer a bachelor's degree in technical and professional writing. It is also the only university in the California State University system to offer a master's degree in Classics. In 2011, SFSU ranked 18th among the top 20 undergraduate schools whose alumni went on to be admitted to the

State Bar A state bar association is a bar association that represents or seeks to represent the attorneys practicing law in a particular U.S. state. Their functions differ from state to state, but often include administration of the state bar examination f ...

; many subsequently ran for public office. The university's College of Extended Learning offers the only

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

-approved paralegal studies program in San Francisco. The Cinema Department, in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, was named one of the world's best film schools by ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' in 2019. SFSU was also listed as one of the nation's top 25 film schools by ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'', having produced many leading filmmakers, with over 13

wins among its alumni. The Sutro Library, located within the J. Paul Leonard Library, houses the largest collection of

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

records west of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

Diversity

In 1969, the longest

in U.S. history resulted in the establishment of the college of

and increased recruiting and admissions of students of different and varied ethnic backgrounds. In 2010, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' ranked San Francisco State as the 11th most diverse college in America, citing 51% minority students. Among 121 Western Universities, San Francisco State was ranked sixth in terms of campus diversity by ''U.S. News & World Report'' in 2013. In 2016, San Francisco State was ranked as the most diverse student body among the 100 largest American universities by Priceonomics. San Francisco State has the second largest Asian and Filipino American enrollment percentage in the Cal State system.

Main campus buildings

Academic buildings

* Burk Hall (BH) * Business (BUS) * Creative Arts (CA) * Ethnic Studies & Psychology (EP) * Fine Arts (FA) * Health & Social Sciences (HSS) * Hensill Hall (HH) * Humanities (HUM) * Liberal and Creative Arts (LCA) * J. Paul Leonard Library (LIB) * Science (SCI) * Sutro Library (in LIB) * Thornton Hall (TH) * Marcus Hall (MH)

Residence buildings, communities, and services

* City Eats Dining Center (DC) * Manzanita Square (MZS) * Mary Park Hall (MPH) * Mary Ward Hall (MWH) * Towers Junior Suites (TJS) * The Towers at Centennial Square (TCS) * The Village at Centennial Square (VCS) * University Park North (UPN) * University Park South (UPS) A dormitory building, Verducci Hall, was imploded in 1999, having sustained damage from the

1989 Loma Prieta earthquake The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of ...

Conference facilities

* Seven Hills Conference Center * Towers Conference Center Note: The Downtown Campus has a conference room. The Bay Conference Center is located in the Romberg Tiburon Campus.

Student life and Administrative services

* Administration (ADM) * Cesar Chavez Student Center (CCSC) * Children's Campus (formerly Child Care Center) (A.S. ECEC) * Mashouf Wellness Center (MWC) * Student Health Center (SHS) * Student Services (SSB)

Athletic facilities

Cox Stadium Cox Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium on the campus of San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California. Tenants SFSU men's and women's soccer and track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests bas ...

* Gymnasium (GYM) * Maloney Field File:San Francisco State University sign.jpg, File:SFSU Humanities Building.jpg, File:Sfstate.jpg, File:SFSU Campus ThorntonHall Nov2012.JPG, File:SFSU Campus HensillHall Nov2012.JPG, File:SFSU Business Building.jpg,

Satellite campuses

In addition to the main campus, the school also has three satellite campuses. The Downtown Campus is part of the Lam Family College of Business and the College of Extended Learning and is located in the office area of

Westfield San Francisco Centre The Westfield San Francisco Centre is an upscale shopping mall located in San Francisco, California, managed by the Westfield Group and co-owned by Westfield and Brookfield Asset Management. It is anchored by Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's, and inc ...

. The Sierra Nevada Field Campus is located in Sierra County near

Yuba Pass Yuba Pass is a mountain pass on State Route 49 in Sierra County in the U.S. state of California. The pass lies at an elevation of about 3.4 air miles west of Sattley, on the divide between the North Yuba River and the Middle Fork Feather R ...

and the

Sierra Valley Sierra Valley is a large mountain valley located west of the crest of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range in Plumas and Sierra Counties, north of Interstate 80. Geography An intermontaine valley at approximately elevation, Sierra Valle ...

and offers accredited courses to the general public. The Romberg Tiburon Campus is a 53-acre research campus located in

Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat a