Best CSU for business?

Fish125
Wed, 19 Oct 2016 20:02:16 +0000

@philbegas - Exactly what @Gumbymom wrote – doctoral programs. Way back in 1960, the State of CA and the UC Regents created the CA Master Plan for Higher Education. This plan has been updated several times over the years, but it was created to establish clear and specific boundaries for the UCs, CSUs, and community colleges in the state in order to give all residents access to a quality college education. Basically, the powers-that-be wanted to stop all of these institutions from competing. The UC system became more of the elite system and was able to do tons of research and have doctoral programs. The CSUs were expected to primarily attract high school seniors in the top 1/3rd of their graduating class, and seniors from each university’s local area were given priority. Also, the CSUs were only allowed to have a few doctoral programs if they were able to support these programs at their schools, and only if those doctorates were given in conjunction with a UC school or an equally accredited university.

These specific CSU/UC boundaries have become a bit murky over the years, especially as the state’s population increased considerably. A few of the CSUs rose to the top, and with that, their schools greatly changed, and, with some of the schools, their towns/cities are completely different than they were 50+ years ago. San Diego is no longer a sleepy little military town. Back in those days, much of the city and county were farmland, but, though we are still very proud of our strong military presence, San Diego has expanded into a very multi-faceted and vibrant city. With this growth, and being one of the largest cities in the country, our universities have greatly benefited, particularly SDSU.

Over the past several years, SDSU has received lots of money in grants/contracts for research. It is a significant amount. Not in the same category as some of the UC schools, but definitely huge, especially for a CSU. I forget the years, but, between 2005-2010, SDSU was also named the number 1 “small research university” for, I think, three or four years in a row. The designation of “small research university” was also based on how many doctoral degrees the school awards. In recent years, due to demands by some of the CSUs, the number of doctoral degrees that CSU schools can award has increased significantly. Due to this research and doctoral program growth, SDSU is considered a “national” university in those rankings.