San Diego State University
San Diego State University (SDSU, State) is a public research university in San Diego,
and is the largest and oldest higher education facility in San Diego County. Founded
in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university in the
23-member California State University (CSU), and is considered the flagship campus
of the entire system. SDSU has a student body of more than 34,000 and an alumni
base of more than 260,000. The university awards 189 types of bachelor's degrees, 91
different master's degrees, 22 types of doctoral degrees including Ed.D, Ed.S, DPT,
J.D.,
Au.D,
Ph.D.
programs
in
collaboration
with
Claremont
Graduate
University,[10]UC Davis, UC Riverside, UCSD, and UCSB. The university also
offers 26 different teaching credentials.[16] SDSU offers more doctoral degrees than
any other campus in the California State University system, while also enrolling the
largest student body of doctoral students (534) in the entire system. In 2013, SDSU
enrolled the most doctoral students in its entire history.
The Carnegie Foundation has designated San Diego State University a "Research
University with high research activity," placing it among the top 200 higher education
institutions in the country conducting research. In the 2009–10 academic year, the
university obtained $150 million for research, including $26 million from the National
Institutes
of
Health.
The
university
"Doctoral/Research-Extensive."
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be
classified
Faculty
as
Scholarly
Productivity Index (FSP Index) released by the Academic Analytics organization of
Stony Brook, NY, SDSU is the number one small research university in the United
States for four (4) academic years in a row. SDSU sponsors the second highest
number of Fulbright Scholars in the state of California, just behind UC Berkeley.
Since 2005, the university has produced over 40 student scholars.
Sixty percent of SDSU graduates remain in San Diego, making SDSU a primary
educator of the region's work force. Committed to serving the diverse San Diego
region, SDSU ranks among the top ten universities nationwide in terms of ethnic and
racial diversity among its student body, as well as the number of bachelor's degrees
conferred upon minority students.
San Diego State University is a member of the American Association of State
Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the National Association of State Universities
and Land-Grant Colleges, and the Southwest Border Security Consortium.
History
Established on March 13, 1897, San Diego State University first began as the San
Diego Normal School, meant to educate local women as elementary school teachers.
It was located on a 17-acre (6.9 ha) campus on Park Boulevard in University Heights
(now the headquarters of the San Diego Unified School District). It opened with seven
faculty members and 91 students; the curriculum was initially limited to English,
history and mathematics. In 1923, the San Diego Normal School became San Diego
State Teachers College, "a four-year public institution controlled by the state Board of
Education."
By the 1930s the school had outgrown its original campus. In 1931 it moved to its
current location on a mesa at what was then the eastern edge of San Diego. In 1935,
the school expanded its offerings beyond teacher education and became San Diego
State College. In 1960, San Diego State College became a part of the California
College System, now known as the California State University system. Finally in
1970 San Diego State College became San Diego State University (SDSU).
John F. Kennedy, then the President of the United States of America, gave the
graduation commencement address at San Diego State University on June 6, 1963.
Kennedy was given an honorary doctorate degree in law at the ceremony, making
SDSU the first California State College to award an honorary doctorate degree. In
1964, this event was registered as California Historical Landmark #798.
Since 1968, SDSU's Astronomy Department has owned the Mount Laguna
Observatory located in the Cleveland National Forest. It operates the observatory
concurrently with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
For the beginning of the 2006–2007 academic year, SDSU expanded its classrooms
and support space by more than 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) with the opening of
three new buildings, the College of Arts and Letters, the Calpulli Center and Donald P.
Shiley BioScience Center. The buildings, respectively, feature high-technology
classrooms, upgraded health and wellness facilities, and scientific research
laboratories.
In April 2012, his Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama spoke at SDSU's Viejas Arena as part
of his "Compassion Without Borders" tour.
Academics
Admissions
San Diego State University is consistently one of the most applied-to universities
within the California State University system (surpassed only by Long Beach),
receiving nearly 76,000 undergraduate applications (including transfer and first time
freshman) for the Fall 2013 semester. Of those 76,000, SDSU accepted nearly 26,000
for an admission rate of about 34% across the university.
For Fall 2013, SDSU received 20,309 applications for transfer admission (having 60
or more units) and accepted 5,181 for a transfer admission rate of 25.5%.
Since 2008, SDSU has become the most selective campus in the California State
University system, receiving over 50,000 applicants with a record low admission rate
of 31.2% that year, edging out Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) in
percentage accepted. A lack of state funding led SDSU to have the lowest admission
rate in the CSU system in Fall 2010 (29.9%), besting Cal Poly's 32.5%. As of Fall
2012, SDSU has the second-lowest admission rate in the CSU system (31.3%), tied
with Cal Poly and just behind CSU Long Beach (30.9%).
SDSU's average SAT score was the second highest in the CSU for the Fall of 2012, at
1087, behind Cal Poly's 1231 (out of 1600; the writing section is not considered). The
average high school GPA of incoming freshmen for Fall 2012 was the second highest
in the CSU system, at 3.61.
Enrollment
The university reached its peak enrollment in 1987 with a student body of 35,945,
resulting in SDSU being the largest university in California and the 10th largest
university in the United States. Due to the overwhelming number of students and lack
of facilities and majors, the California State University Board of Trustees voted to cap
enrollment for SDSU at 33,000. However, in 1993 enrollment dropped to 26,800 (the
lowest since 1973) due to a financial crisis. Nonetheless, enrollment has fluctuated
through the years and rose back to nearly 35,000 (exceeding the cap) in 2008. For the
fall 2012 semester, the university had a total enrollment of 31,597 students —
approximately 26,000 undergraduates and 5,000 postgraduate students — making it
one of the largest research universities in the state of California.
In Fall 2013, the SDSU broke the record amount of Doctoral (Ph.D., Au.D., Ed.D.,
Ed.S., DNP, etc.) students enrolled in its history at 534 students. San Diego State also
has the highest amount of Doctoral seeking students enrolled across the 23-campus
CSU system.
Rankings and distinctions
From 2006 to 2010, SDSU was ranked the No. 1 most productive research university
among schools with 14 or fewer Ph.D. programs based on the Faculty Scholarly
Productivity Index. The school has since exceeded the "small research" limit by
adding more Ph.D. programs following 2010. SDSU has been designated a "Research
University" with high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation. Since 2000,
SDSU faculty and staff have attracted more than $1 billion in grants and contracts for
research and program administration. Resultantly, U.S. News & World Report ranks
San Diego State University as a "National University" (#165) whereas all other 22
campuses in the CSU are ranked "Regional Universities." SDSU is the largest
university in terms of enrollment in the San Diego metropolitan area. One in seven
adults in San Diego who holds a college degree attended SDSU. In 2013, SDSU was
lauded for its comprehensive endowment campaign efforts, which raised over $400
million from 2007 to 2013. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education
recognized SDSU for its overall performance in fundraising efforts.
SDSU is placed at 121 for US High School Counselor Rankings among all
universities in the nation.
In terms of Graduate School Rankings, QS Global 200 Business Schools Report ranks
SDSU's business school the 80th best in all of North America.
SDSU is also a top producer of U.S. Fulbright Scholars, the U.S. government’s
flagship international educational exchange program. SDSU has had more than 40
students receive Fulbright Scholarships since 2005. The university ranks as the No. 30
as the nation's best universities for Vets, according to Military Times Edge. SDSU
ranks among the top universities for economic and campus ethnic diversity according
to U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges 2012." Nearly 45% of all
SDSU graduates are the first in their family to receive a college degree.
Internationally, SDSU offers 335 international education programs in 52 countries.
Thirty-four SDSU programs now require international experience for graduation.
SDSU ranks No. 1 in California among universities of its type in California and No. 3
among all universities in California for students studying abroad as part of their
college experience. SDSU also ranks No. 22 among universities nationwide for the
number of students studying abroad. – Institute of International Education. Since 2000,
Nearly 12,000 students have studied abroad: a 900% increase in that time. SDSU’s
undergraduate international business program ranks No. 11 in the nation, according to
U.S. News & World Report’s "America’s Best Colleges 2012." SDSU is ranked No. 5
in Sports Management; No. 23 in the MBA/MA in Latin American Studies; and No.
46 in the MBA/Juris Doctor program by Eduniversal for each programs’ international
outreach and reputation in 2011. SDSU and Universidad Autónoma de Baja California
in Mexico offered the first transnational dual degree between the United States and
Mexico, in 1994, through the Mexus/International Business program. SDSU's
international business program also runs transnational dual degree programs with
Brazil, Canada, Chile and Mexico. SDSU’s Language Acquisition Resource Center is
one of nine sites selected by the U.S. Department of Education to serve as a National
Language Resource Center.
SDSU ranks No. 2 among universities of its type nationwide and No. 1 in California
for students studying abroad as part of their college experience.
SDSU is home to the first-ever MBA program in Global Entrepreneurship. As part of
the program, students study at four universities worldwide, including the United
States, China, the Middle East, and India. Corporate partners include Qualcomm,
Invitrogen, Intel, Microsoft, and KPMG. In 1970, SDSU founded the first women's
studies program in the country.
Modern Healthcare ranked SDSU No.2 Graduate school for physician executives in
relation to their Master's in Public Health program. SDSU is ranked No. 9 in Fortune
Small Business's "America's Best Colleges For Entrepreneurs" SDSU ranks 15th best
in the nation for the top colleges for engineering majors, and 6th best in California.
Rankings According to U.S. News & World Report: USNWR ranks SDSU's Business
School 86th in the nation. Additionally, its Part-Time MBA program ranks 93rd by
U.S. News & World Report. SDSU is ranked the 65th best Education School. Its
Engineering School ranks 132nd in the nation. SDSU's Audiology and Speech &
Language Pathology program rank 27th and 25th best in the nation, respectively. Its
Biological Sciences and Chemistry programs rank 92nd and 140th in the nation,
respectively. SDSU is home to the 26th best Clinical Psychology and 52nd best
Psychology program across the nation according to USNWR. Its Fine Arts program
ranks 72nd in the nation. San Diego State's Nursing and Healthcare Management
programs rank 127th and 54th respectively. Its Public Affairs and Public Health
programs rank 73rd and 30th, respectively. Its Rehab Counseling ranks 9th best in the
nation. Furthermore, SDSU's Social Work program ranks 60th best according to
USNWR. In respect to online graduate education, SDSU's program ranks 103rd in the
nation in 2013.