San Jose State University, commonly shortened to San Jose State and SJSU, is the founding campus of what became the California State University system. The local campus in San Jose, California has an enrollment of about 32,000 students. San Jose State was founded by the California Legislature in 1857. Firstly it was founded as the California State Normal School. In 1921, the school's name was changed to the State Teachers College at San Jose. Later in 1935, the name was changed to the California State Colleges. As a result, the school's name was changed again, this time to San Jose State College.

San Jose State University is part of the 23 campus California State University system. The San Jose campus eventually spawned 22 other campuses to establish the massive System as the largest university system in the country. The University now awards bachelor’s and master’s degrees. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

San Jose State University powers the Silicon Valley, providing more engineering, science and business graduates to this high tech region than another college or university in the nation. Other popular programs include the visual and performing arts, teacher preparation, nursing, journalism, social sciences and social work.

Master’s degrees are awarded in 65 fields, including nursing, counselor education, business administration (MBA), public health, elementary education, engineering, English, art, creative writing, chemistry, marine sciences, economics, history, social work, and interdisciplinary studies. A Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) is also awarded. There are no doctoral programs. A certificate is available in gerontology. Bachelor’s degrees are awarded in a number of different disciplines, including art and design, African-American studies, aviation, the sciences and humanities, meteorology, education, economics, engineering, environmental studies, industrial and systems engineering, nursing, recreation and leisure studies, social sciences, and theatre arts. Minors are also available in a number of programs.