San Jose State University San Jose State University ( often abbreviated San Jose State or SJSU ) is a public university located in San Jose , California , United States . It is the founding campus of the California State University ( CSU ) system , and holds the distinction of being the oldest public institution of higher education on the West Coast of the United States . Located in downtown San Jose , the SJSU main campus is situated on , or roughly 19 square blocks . SJSU offers 156 different Bachelor ' s degrees , 90 Master ' s degrees , and 19 teaching credentials . The university does not confer Doctoral degrees . In the Fall 2012 semester , SJSU enrolled 30 , 448 students in over 130 different bachelor ' s and master ' s degree programs . SJSU ' s student population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation , with large Asian , Hispanic , and Eastern enrollments , as well as the highest foreign student enrollment of all master ' s institutions in the United States . Popular undergraduate majors at SJSU include business , engineering , visual and performing arts , nursing , psychology , justice studies , biology , kinesiology , journalism and computer science . Popular fields of study among graduate students include engineering , library and information science , education and social work . San Jose State University claims to provide Silicon Valley firms with more engineering , computer science and business graduates than any other college or university , and philanthropic support of SJSU is among the highest in the CSU system . SJSU ' s Engineering School is ranked one of the best in the world by Business Insider . SJSU sports teams are known as the Spartans , and compete in the Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) in NCAA Division I . History . Establishment . What is now San José State University was originally established in 1857 as the Minns ' Evening Normal School in San Francisco . The school was founded by George W . Minns . In 1862 , by act of the California legislature , Minns ' Evening Normal School became the California State Normal School and graduated 54 women from a three - year program . The school eventually moved to San Jose in 1871 and was given Washington Square Park at Fourth and San Carlos Streets , where the campus remains to this day . In 1881 , the first branch campus of the California State Normal School was announced , which later became the University of California , Los Angeles ( UCLA ) . A large bell was forged that year to commemorate the original California State Normal School location in San Jose . The bell was inscribed with the words " California State Normal School , A . D . 1881 , " and would sound on special occasions until 1946 when the college obtained new chimes . The original bell appears on the SJSU campus to this day , and is still associated with various student traditions and rituals . In 1921 , the school ' s name changed to the State Teachers College at San José . In 1935 , the State Teachers Colleges became the California State Colleges , and the school ' s name was changed again , this time to San Jose State College . In 1972 , upon meeting criteria established by the Board of Trustees and the Coordinating Council for Higher Education , SJSC was granted university status , and the name was changed to California State University , San Jose . Finally , in 1974 , the California legislature voted to change the school ' s name to San Jose State University . Campus . The SJSU main campus comprises approximately 55 buildings situated on a rectangular , area in downtown San Jose . The campus is bordered by San Fernando Street to the north , San Salvador Street to the south , South 4th Street to the west , and South 10th Street to the east . The South Campus , which is home to many of the school ' s athletics facilities , is located approximately south of the main campus on South 7th Street . California State Normal School did not receive a permanent home until it moved from San Francisco to San Jose in 1871 . The original California State Normal School campus in San Jose consisted of several rectangular , wooden buildings with a central grass quadrangle . The wooden buildings were destroyed by fire in 1880 and were replaced by interconnected stone and masonry structures of roughly the same configuration in 1881 . These buildings were declared unsafe following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and were being torn down when an aftershock of the magnitude that was predicted to destroy the buildings occurred and no damage was observed . Accordingly , demolition was stopped , and the portions of the buildings still standing were made into four halls : Tower Hall , Morris Dailey Auditorium , Washington Square Hall , and Dwight Bentel Hall . These four structures remain standing to this day , and are the oldest buildings on campus . Beginning in the fall of 1994 , the on - campus segments of San Carlos Street , Seventh Street and Ninth Street were closed to automobile traffic and converted to pedestrian walkways and green belts within the campus . San Carlos Street was renamed Paseo San Carlos , Seventh Street became El Paseo de César Chávez , and Ninth Street is now called the Ninth Street Plaza . The project was completed in 1996 . Completed in 1999 , the Business Classroom Project was a US $ 16 million renovation of the James F . Boccardo Business Education Center . Completed in 1999 , the US $ 1 . 5 million Heritage Gateway project was unveiled . The privately funded project featured construction of eight oversized gateways around the main campus perimeter . In the Fall of 2000 , the SJSU Police Department , which is part of the larger California State University Police Department , opened a new on - campus , multi - level facility on 7th Street . The new US $ 177 million Dr . Martin Luther King , Jr . Library , which opened its doors on August 1 , 2003 , won the Library Journal ' s prestigious 2004 Library of the Year award , the publication ’ s highest honor . The King Library represents the first collaboration of its kind between a university and a major U . S . city . The library is eight stories high , has of floor space , and houses approximately 1 . 6 million volumes . San Jose ' s first public library occupied the same site from 1901 to 1936 , and SJSU ' s Wahlquist Library occupied the site from 1961 to 2000 , at which point it was torn down to begin construction of the King Library . In 2002 , three of SJSU ' s six red brick residence halls were demolished and replaced with the new Campus Village residence complex . The US $ 200 million housing facility comprises three buildings ranging from seven to 15 stories tall . The project increased student capacity for on - campus housing to roughly 3 , 500 , and provides housing options for first - year students , upper - class students , graduate students and faculty , staff and guests of the university . Campus Village officially opened in 2005 . In 2006 , a US $ 2 million renovation of Tower Hall was completed . Tower Hall is the oldest and most recognizable building on campus . Additional on - campus facilities . In 2007 , the School of Library and Information Science opened a virtual campus in Second Life , complete with faculty offices , classrooms , student lounge and library e - resources . The project was supported by grants from a number of sources including the Soros Foundation . SJSU is home to the , three - story Nuclear Science Facility . It is the only nuclear science facility of its kind in the California State University system . Located on the main campus , the SJSU Aquatic Center features an outdoor Olympic - size swimming pool . The pool is open year - round and is believed to be among the largest outdoor pools in California . Located on the main campus , The Event Center Arena seats approximately 5 , 000 people for athletic events and over 6 , 000 for concerts , and features an attached recreation center that includes a basketball practice gym , racquetball courts , a weight room and a climbing wall . The SJSU Student Union is a four - story , stand alone facility that features a food court , the Spartan Bookstore , a multi - level study area , ballrooms , a bowling alley , music room , and a large game room . In June 2010 , a US $ 91 million renovation and expansion project of the SJSU Student Union commenced . The project is expected to take about 30 months to complete , with the new facility opening its doors sometime in 2013 . In May 2011 , construction of a new student health and counseling facility commenced . The project will cost an estimated US $ 33 million , and is scheduled to be completed in May 2013 . South Campus . Many of SJSU ' s athletics facilities , including Spartan Stadium and Blethen Field ( baseball ) , along with the athletics department administrative offices and multiple training and practice facilities , are located on the South Campus approximately south of the main campus near 7th Street . The south campus also is home to student overflow parking . Shuttle buses run between the main campus and south campus every 10 to 15 minutes Monday through Friday . Organization . As a member institution of the California State University System , San Jose State falls under the jurisdiction of the California State University Board of Trustees and the Chancellor of the California State University . The chief executive of San Jose State University is the university president . The current president is Dr . Mohammad Qayoumi . Qayoumi was named president of SJSU March 23 , 2011 . Qayoumi previously served as president of California State University , East Bay . San Jose State offers 69 bachelors degrees with 81 concentrations , and 65 masters degrees with 29 concentrations . The University is home to eight colleges and seven schools ( listed below ) : SJSU also is home to a burgeoning eCampus community called International and Extended Studies ( IES ) , which coordinates continuing education and professional development programs . Academics . Programs . San Jose State enrolls approximately 31 , 000 students in over 130 different bachelor ' s and master ' s degree programs . There are approximately 24 , 000 undergraduate students enrolled at SJSU , and 6 , 500 graduate students . The university generally does not offer doctoral degrees , however , it does offer a joint Ph . D . program in library science through Queensland University of Technology and a joint Ph . D . program in engineering through Mississippi State University . SJSU ' s School of Nursing will begin offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice ( DNP ) degree program in 2012 , and SJSU ' s College of Education recently launched an Ed . D . program in educational leadership in 2011 - 12 . The DNP program will be offered jointly in collaboration with California State University , Fresno . The Ed . D . program represents SJSU ' s first independent doctoral degree offering . As of fall 2009 , the fields of study in highest demand at SJSU were ( in descending order of popularity ) : business , engineering , visual and performing arts , nursing , education , psychology , justice studies , library and information science , biology , kinesiology , journalism , and computer science . Programs somewhat unique to SJSU include aviation science , transportation management , meteorology , software engineering , and sustainable and green manufacturing technology . Business - related programs account for the single most popular field of study at SJSU . As of fall 2009 , roughly 23 % of all undergraduates at SJSU were business majors . The university ' s College of Business , with almost 6 , 000 undergraduate and graduate students , is the second largest college at SJSU and among the largest business schools in the country . It is accredited by the AACSB International at both the graduate and undergraduate levels , a distinction held by less than 5 % of business programs worldwide . Engineering - related programs make up the second most popular field of study at SJSU . As of fall 2009 , the university ' s seven engineering disciplines accounted for roughly 12 % of all undergraduate majors . The university ' s Charles W . Davidson College of Engineering , with over 4 , 700 undergraduate and graduate students and approximately 350 faculty and staff members , is the third largest college on campus behind the College of Applied Sciences and Arts and the College of Business . As of fall 2009 , visual and performing arts programs accounted for roughly 8 % of all undergraduate majors at SJSU , and amounted to the third most popular field of study at SJSU behind business and engineering . The university ' s School of Art and Design enrolls over 1 , 900 students and employs nearly 100 faculty and staff members . SJSU ' s School of Music and Dance comprises approximately 300 students and 60 faculty and staff members . As of fall 2009 , pre - nursing and nursing students comprised roughly 6 % of undergraduate enrollment , followed by psychology at 5 % , justice studies at 4 % , biology , kinesiology , and journalism all weighing in at 3 % , and computer science rounding out SJSU ' s top - ten most popular undergraduate fields of study at 2 % . As of fall 2009 , engineering - related programs accounted for approximately 30 % of graduate student enrollment , followed by library and information science at approximately 15 % , education at 12 % , social work at 5 % , and visual and performing arts at 4 % . Admissions . Admission to SJSU is based on a combination of the applicant ' s high school cumulative grade point average ( GPA ) and standardized test scores . These factors are used to determine the applicant ' s California State University ( CSU ) eligibility index . More specifically , the eligibility index is a weighted combination of high school grade point average during the final three years of high school and a score on either the SAT or ACT . As of 2008 , the average SAT score for incoming freshmen was 1 , 004 , and the average high school GPA for incoming freshmen was 3 . 21 . The CSU eligibility index is calculated by using either the SAT or ACT as follows : The university recently formed a cross - enrollment agreement with National Hispanic University . Students enrolled at one institution are able to enroll in up to 6 credits per semester at the other institution . Additionally , students may transfer between institutions with up to 60 credits . Athletics . San Jose State University has participated in athletics since it first fielded a baseball team in 1890 . SJSU sports teams are known as the Spartans , and compete in the Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) in NCAA Division I . San Jose State University sports teams have won NCAA titles in track and field , golf , and boxing . As of 2010 , SJSU has won 10 NCAA team championships and produced 50 NCAA Division 1 individual champions . SJSU also has achieved an international reputation for its judo program , winning 43 out of 46 national collegiate championships in the sport ( as of 2008 ) . SJSU alumni have won 18 Olympic medals ( including seven gold medals ) dating back to the first gold medal won by Willie Steel in track and field in the 1948 Olympics . Alumni also have won medals in swimming , judo and boxing . The legendary track team coached by " Bud " Winter earned San Jose the nickname " Speed City , " and produced Olympic medalists and social activists Lee Evans , John Carlos and Tommie Smith . Smith and Carlos are perhaps best remembered for giving the raised fist salute from the medalist ' s podium during the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City . As of April 2012 , current head coaches from the baseball , women ’ s golf , women ’ s gymnastics , men ' s soccer , women ' s soccer and women ' s swimming and diving programs had all received conference “ Coach of the Year ” honors . After a strong season under coach Mike MacIntyre , the Spartans competed in the 2012 Military Bowl , emerging victorious . Faculty and research . San Jose State University employs approximately 1 , 600 faculty members , 87 percent of whom hold doctorate degrees . According to the National Science Foundation ' s latest survey data ( 2007 ) , San Jose State ' s research expenditures totaled just over US $ 34 million , placing it second only to San Diego State University in total R & D expenditures out of all 23 California State University ( CSU ) campuses , and 196th out of 662 colleges and universities nationwide . According to the 2007 National Science Foundation survey , SJSU placed second out of all 23 CSU campuses and 211th out of 1 , 216 institutions nationwide for total federal support of science and engineering . SJSU placed first out of all 23 CSU campuses and 64th out of 566 institutions nationwide for total number of full - time graduate students in science , engineering and health fields , according to the NSF . Research collections located at SJSU include the Ira F . Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies and the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies . SJSU research partnerships include the SJSU Metropolitan Technology Center at NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field , the Cisco Networking Laboratory , and the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories . SJSU also is home to the Mineta Transportation Institute . Since 2001 , the university has operated the Survey and Policy Research Institute ( SPRI ) , which conducts the quarterly , high - profile California Consumer Confidence Survey and many other research projects . In spring 2007 , an SJSU engineering professor and his students made headlines with their development of the ZEM ( Zero EMissions ) Car , a Human Hybrid Powered Vehicle ( HHPV ) . The vehicle won the National I2P ( Idea - to - Product ) Competition for EPICS and Social Entrepreneurship at Princeton University . The ZEM car is the first of its kind to be powered by human , solar , and electric energy . On 21 July 2012 , SJSU will launch its first CubeSat , TechEdSat , in a partnership with NASA Ames Research Center . Students . As the oldest and one of the largest universities in the CSU system , SJSU attracts students from throughout California , the United States and 100 countries around the world . According to the Institute of International Education , San Jose State has the highest foreign student enrollment of all master ' s institutions in the United States ( 2008 – 2009 ) . As of the fall semester 2012 , approximately 30 , 448 students were enrolled at SJSU . There are approximately 25 , 000 undergraduate students enrolled at SJSU , and 5 , 000 graduate students . As of 2012 , enrollment comprised approximately 14 , 690 men and 15 , 798 women . The average age of full - time undergraduates at SJSU is 23 . SJSU ' s student population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation , with large Asian ( including Japanese , Taiwanese , Indian , Cambodian , Vietnamese , Filipino , Chinese , and Hmong ) , Eastern ( Egyptian , Iranian , Indian , Bulgarian , Saudi , and Turksih ) and Hispanic enrollments . Although the university is widely viewed as a commuter school , approximately 3 , 500 students live in campus housing , and community impact studies show an estimated 5 , 000 more students live within easy walking or biking distance of the campus . Additionally , approximately 45 % of all first - year ( freshman ) students live in campus residence facilities . As of June 2012 , there are 382 recognized student organizations at SJSU . These include academic and honorary organizations , cultural and religious organizations , special interest organizations , fraternities and sororities , and a wide variety of club sports organizations . Fraternities and Sororities . SJSU is home to 42 social fraternity and sorority chapters managed by Student Involvement . Eighteen of them maintain chapter homes in the residential community east of campus along South 10th and 11th streets , north of campus along San Fernando street , or south of campus along San Salvador street , 8th street , or Reed street , in downtown San Jose . An additional twenty - six fraternites are co - ed and are either major related , honors related , or community service related . Approximately 6 % of male students join social fraternities , and 6 % of female students join social sororities . Spartan Squad . Founded in 2005 , the Spartan Squad is the official student booster program at San Jose State . The Spartan Squad is run by the Associated Students and is open to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at San Jose State . Its stated mission is to increase student attendance at sporting events and cultivate school pride throughout the campus community . The Spartan Squad members are easily recognized wearing the group ' s signature gold T - shirts designed by San Jose State graphic design student Dang Nguyen . Class of 2006 graduates Matthew Olivieri and Brad Villeggiante are credited with founding the group . Student press . The school newspaper , " The Spartan Daily " , was founded in 1934 and is published four days a week when classes are in session . The publication follows a broadsheet format and boasts a daily print circulation of over 6 , 000 , as well as a daily on - line edition . The newspaper is produced by journalism and advertising students enrolled in SJSU ' s School of Journalism and Mass Communications . " Update News " is a weekly , student - produced television newscast that airs every weekend on KICU , Channel 36 in San Jose . The newscast is produced by San Jose State broadcast journalism students , and has aired in the Bay Area in one form or another since the 1960s . " Update News " also features a daily live webcast . " Equal Time " is a half - hour news - magazine show , airing Saturday afternoons on KQED + , Channel 54 in San Jose and located on other channels throughout the Bay Area . KSJS , 90 . 5 FM , is the university ' s radio station , broadcasting live San Jose State athletics and features five different types of music ( electronic , urban , jazz , subversive rock , and rock en espanol ) , as well as specialty talk shows . Noted people . About 80 percent of San Jose State ’ s nearly 200 , 000 alumni of record live in the San Francisco Bay Area . The other 20 percent are scattered around the globe , with concentrations in Southern California , Seattle , Portland , Philadelphia , Washington , D . C . and New York City . SJSU claims to provide more engineering , computer science and business graduates to the Silicon Valley than any other university in the world . Nearly 200 SJSU graduates have founded , co - founded , served or serve as senior executives or officers of public and private companies reporting annual sales between US $ 40 million and US $ 26 billion . Notable companies founded by SJSU students and alumni include Intel Corporation ( 1968 ) , Specialized Bicycle Components ( 1974 ) , Oracle Corporation ( 1977 ) , and Seagate Technology ( 1979 ) .