About the University
SF State of Mind
San Francisco State University, located in one of the world’s most vibrant and beautiful cities, is a recognized leader in addressing issues both global and close to home.
In the global arena, SF State ranks fourth in the nation among master’s institutions that host international students and ranks first among U.S. universities for the number of students who study abroad for an academic year. With a diverse range of students from almost every state and nearly 100 countries, the University community is a perfect setting for learning to succeed in a pluralistic society and global economy. Our highly diverse campus consistently ranks in the top 20 nationwide in awarding undergraduate degrees to minorities.
SF State’s pioneering commitment to community and civic engagement is prevalent throughout the curriculum. More than 500 courses combine academic study with community involvement, and our location in a center of business, technology and culture provides a laboratory for community-service projects, work-study opportunities and internships. The University has been named by Princeton Review a "College with a Conscience," classified as one of the Carnegie Foundation’s "Community Engagement" institutions; and received a Presidential Award in the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to community service.
Academic Life
Ever since it was established in 1899 as a teacher-training school, SF State has been known for its commitment to excellent teaching. Students work closely with senior professors and other instructors from freshman year through graduation. Trained in some of the finest institutions in the world, faculty members include winners of prestigious teaching awards, cutting-edge researchers, and professionals devoted to solving community problems.
SF State awards bachelor’s degrees in 78 academic areas with an additional 48 areas of concentration, master’s in 63 with an additional 40 areas of concentration, and a doctorate in educational leadership. Programs offered jointly with University of California campuses include a Ph.D. in education with a concentration in special education with UC Berkeley, and a clinical doctorate (D.P.T.) and a research doctorate (D.P.T.Sc.) for licensed physical therapists with UC San Francisco. In addition, SF State offers 17 credential programs and 35 certificate programs.
SF State’s motto is Experientia Docet -- Experience Teaches. Graduates consistently say that hands-on learning was what helped them most when beginning their careers. Students apply their talents and classroom learning to real-world challenges through community-service learning, credit-earning internships, and participation with community-focused centers and institutes that address issues relating to health, education, the environment, business, child care and underserved communities.
Many innovative services contribute to a successful college experience. The Learning Assistance Center and the Community Access and Retention Program provide tutoring in study skills and core subjects. The Disability Programs and Resource Center secures access to all campus programs and activities for students, staff and faculty with disabilities.
The value of an SF State education is seen in our graduates. Our cinema program has produced Academy Award winners, books by creative writing graduates have climbed best-seller lists, and pre-med graduates enjoy an excellent medical school acceptance rate.
Student Life
Student life is continually growing at SF State with various ways for students to get involved on campus. Nearly 220 student organizations, including fraternities and sororities, help students explore their interests and network with student peers, faculty, staff and alumni. The Associated Students, SF State’s student government, offers leadership opportunities, programs and services to enhance the student experience. Students can get involved in Campus Recreation by forming an intramural team, joining a sport club or participating in open rec.
Intercollegiate sports for women are basketball, cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field, soccer, softball and volleyball. For men, SF State offers baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer and wrestling. The University is a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, an NCAA Division II conference, for all sports except wrestling which is in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Campus Recreation offers a variety of programs for students, faculty and staff, including Aquatics, Fitness Classes, Informal Recreation, Intramural Sports and Sport Clubs. Intramural leagues include men’s, women’s and coed divisions offered in the fall and spring semesters. Intramural Sports include basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, tennis and billiards.
SF State is an arts and culture center, with hundreds of workshops, guest lectures and exhibits held throughout the year. Events and exhibits feature the work of students and faculty members as well as professionals from outside the University community.
Campus residence halls and apartments offer proximity to around-the-clock computer labs and study rooms, study and support groups, cultural activities and social events. Two residence halls, Mary Ward and Mary Park, and the Towers at Centennial Square Apartments, and Jr. Suites provide housing for first-year freshmen in the heart of campus.
Apartment-style living is available for second year, transfer and graduate students at The Village at Centennial Square and University Park town homes and apartments.
There are a variety of Living Learning Communities within the housing community for students who share a common academic focus such as science and technology, health and business. Programs, events and support are provided.
Mission of the University
The mission of San Francisco State University is to create and maintain an environment for learning that promotes respect for and appreciation of scholarship, freedom, human diversity, and the cultural mosaic of the City of San Francisco and the Bay Area; to promote excellence in instruction and intellectual accomplishment; and to provide broadly accessible higher education for residents of the region and state, as well as the nation and world. To fulfill its mission, the University is committed to the following goals:
- Attracting, retaining and graduating a highly diverse student body;
- Providing disciplinary and interdisciplinary liberal arts and professional education that is academically rigorous and intellectually challenging;
- Providing curricula that reflect all dimensions of human diversity, and that encourage critical thinking and social and cultural awareness;
- Recruiting, retaining and supporting a diverse faculty whose teaching demonstrates an active engagement with their individual fields of study and whose creative and scholarly work is an extension of the classroom, laboratory or studio;
- Employing a staff and administration reflecting the diversity of the community and the values of the campus;
- Fostering a collegial and cooperative intellectual environment that includes recognition and appreciation of differing viewpoints and promotes academic freedom within the University community; and
- Serving the communities with which its students and faculty are engaged.
Accreditation
The University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). WASC is located at 985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501 and the telephone number is (510) 748-9001. Various specialized programs at the University are accredited by the following agencies.
| Program | Agency |
|---|---|
| Apparel Design and Merchandising BS | American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences |
| Art BA/MA/MFA | National Association of Schools of Art and Design |
| Business Administration BS/MS/MBA | Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business |
| Chemistry BS | American Chemical Society |
| Cinema BA/MA/MFA | National Association of Schools of Art and Design |
| Civil Engineering BS | Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology |
| Clinical Laboratory Science Graduate Internship Program | National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences |
| Communicative Disorders MS | American Speech-Language-Hearing Association |
| Counseling MS | Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs |
| Dietetics BS and Graduate Internship Program | Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education |
| Drama BA/MA | National Association of Schools of Theatre |
| Education MA | National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education |
| Electrical Engineering BS | Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology |
| Family and Consumer Sciences BA | American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences |
| Hospitality and Tourism Management BS | Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business |
| Interior Design BS | American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences |
| Journalism BA | Accreditation Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications |
| Mechanical Engineering BS | Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology |
| Music BA/MA/BM/MM | National Association of Schools of Music |
| Nursing BS/MS |
State Board of Registered Nursing Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education |
| Physical Therapy MS | Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education |
| Psychology, Concentration in Clinical Psychology MS | California State Board of Behavioral Sciences |
| Public Administration MPA | National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration |
| Public Health MPH | Council on Education for Public Health |
| Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration BS | National Recreation and Park Association |
| Rehabilitation Counseling MS | Council on Rehabilitation Education |
| Social Work BA/MSW | Council on Social Work Education |
| Special Education MA and Concentration in PhD in Education | National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education |
| Teacher Education Credential Programs | California Commission on Teacher Credentialing |
| Theatre Arts MFA: Concentration in Design and Technical Production | National Association of Schools of Theatre |
