SFSU School of Engineering

What SFSU School of Engineering does

SFSU School of Engineering is a public university department within San Francisco State University, part of the California State University system, founded in 1959. It is the only ABET-accredited four-year engineering program in San Francisco, serving approximately 1,240 students across four undergraduate engineering disciplines (Civil, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering) plus graduate programs and the SF State Scholars BS+MS blended pathway. The school operates from a $150 million Science & Engineering Innovation Center (opened January 2024) housing ten modern teaching labs, seven shared research labs, maker spaces, a student-training machine shop, and specialized facilities including a strong wall/strong floor, engine room, HVAC training systems, and wind tunnel. The 26 tenure-line faculty include three NSF CAREER Award recipients (2018, 2023, 2025), and 38.5% of tenure-line faculty are women — double the national average of 18.5%.

The school's core technology emphasizes hands-on, project-based learning anchored by industry-grade tools and equipment supplied through partnerships with Keysight Technologies, Instron, MTS Systems, Computer and Structures Inc., Quanser, Synopsys, and Cadence. Specialized research labs include the AI Lab for Augmented Multimodal Perception (AI-LAMP), Intelligent Computing and Embedded Systems Laboratory (ICE Lab), CARE Lab for assistive and rehabilitation robotics, and a mobile/remote laboratory that won the 2022 GOLC International Online Laboratory Award. The school holds five U.S. patents in VLSI circuit design through faculty research and has secured major federal grants (NSF CAREER Awards, NSF MRI awards of $749,304, NIH R01 of $1.2M, DoD HBCU/MI awards of $599,684).

Revenue mechanics are structured as a public institution: primary funding comes from California State University state appropriations and student tuition set at the system level, supplemented by sponsored research grants from NSF, NIH, DOE, and DoD, plus private philanthropy and corporate partnerships (Apple Next-Generation Innovators Program 2025, Sony since 2022). The school's GTM motion is community-led and event-driven, leveraging the MESA Program for first-generation and underrepresented student recruitment, a 1:21 student-to-faculty ratio, and regular career fairs connecting students with Bay Area employers including Caltrans, Stantec, and Kimley Horn. The school serves multiple customer segments: undergraduate students (primary), graduate students, first-generation/underrepresented students via MESA and HSI Engineering Success Center, and industry partners seeking talent pipeline access.

Name

SFSU School of Engineering

Legal name

School of Engineering | San Francisco State University

Website

https://engineering.sfsu.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SFSU School of Engineering is the only ABET-accredited four-year engineering program in San Francisco, part of the CSU system. Founded in 1959, it serves approximately 1,240 students across Civil, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering disciplines with a 1:21 student-to-faculty ratio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Engineering

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cooperative Education (Co-op) Technical Universities (EDAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Engineering education
• Undergraduate engineering programs
• Graduate engineering degrees
• ABET-accredited engineering
• Engineering research labs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. State Funding and Tuition: As a public university school, primary funding comes from California State University system state appropriations and student tuition.
2. Sponsored Research Grants: Faculty receive grants from NSF, NIH, DOE, DoD, and other federal agencies for research. Notable grants include NSF CAREER awards ($549,760 Zhang, $1M+ Wong), NIH R01 ($1.2M Jiang), NSF MRI awards ($749,304), DoD HBCU/MI awards ($599,684).
3. Private Philanthropy and Corporate Partnerships: The School relies on external support including undesignated gifts, designated gifts for specific educational goals, equipment donations, project sponsorships, and endowed scholarships to maintain mission and quality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The SFSU School of Engineering is a public university department that delivers ABET-accredited undergraduate degree programs in Civil, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering, plus blended BS/MS pathways. It emphasizes hands-on, project-based learning supported by research labs, industry-grade equipment from partners such as Keysight, Synopsys, and Cadence, and student support services including the Engineering Success Center and MESA program. The school operates from the $150 million Science & Engineering Innovation Center (SEIC) opened in January 2024.

Product overview

SFSU School of Engineering is an educational institution offering four ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering degree programs (Civil, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering) along with accelerated BS+MS pathways. The school operates from the $150 million Science & Engineering Innovation Center and provides student support services including the Engineering Success Center and MESA program. The programs emphasize hands-on, project-based learning with capstone projects and undergraduate research opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
• SF State Scholars (BS+MS Blended Program)
• Engineering Success Center
• MESA University Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 38.5% women among tenure-line faculty - double the national average of 18.5%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• AppleflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202410 SFSU engineering students were selected for the inaugural Apple Next-Generation Innovators Mentorship Program. SFSU is one of 22 campuses selected by Apple to support students in STEM careers.
• SonyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022SFSU Engineering team won Sony's Spresense Developer Challenge 2022 Grand Prize. Sony provides funding and equipment resources for the MIC Lab and ICE Lab to develop neural-controlled bionic arm and support senior design projects.
• Skyline College and Canada CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021NSF HSI grant collaboration with Skyline College and Canada College for Summer Research Internship Program, Transfer Advising Days, and Strengthening Pathways to Success in STEM (SP2S) project.
• Keysight TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationKeysight Technologies provides industry-grade equipment and tools for engineering laboratories, creating modern training environments for students and supporting internship pipelines for students.
• Instron CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationInstron Corporation provides materials testing equipment for teaching and research laboratories, enabling hands-on education in mechanical and civil engineering.
• MTS Systems CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationMTS Systems Corporation provides testing equipment for engineering laboratories, supporting structural and mechanical engineering education.
• Computer and Structures Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationCSI provides structural engineering software for teaching and research, supporting civil engineering education with industry-standard tools.
• Quanser Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationQuanser provides control systems and robotics equipment for teaching and research laboratories.
• SynopsyscoreTechnology or IntegrationSynopsys provides electronic design automation software for computer and electrical engineering programs, enabling chip design education.
• Cadence Design SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationCadence provides EDA software for circuit design and verification, supporting electrical and computer engineering curriculum.
• UC Berkeley Civil & Environmental EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC Berkeley CEE hosts webinars exclusively for CSU engineering students about their Master's program and reimburses application fees for CSU graduates.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• California State University, Long Beach — College of Engineering: Largest CSU engineering school outside Cal Poly/SJSU. Direct system peer with ABET-accredited BS programs, similar industry partnership model, and comparable size; useful benchmark for program breadth and graduate offering expansion.
• San Jose State University — Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering: Sister CSU engineering school serving the Bay Area. Closest direct peer: same CSU system tuition/regulatory framework, comparable ABET-accredited BS programs in civil, computer, electrical, mechanical engineering, and similar size and industry-partnership model.
• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo — College of Engineering: Another CSU polytechnic engineering school. Direct peer sharing the CSU public-university model, ABET-accredited programs across the same four core disciplines, hands-on learn-by-doing pedagogy, and similar industry partnership approach.
• California State University, East Bay — College of Science: CSU Bay Area peer offering engineering-adjacent programs. Comparable in scale, public-sector funding model, and underrepresented-student focus; competes with SFSU for transfer and commuter students in the East Bay.
• Santa Clara University — School of Engineering: Regional Bay Area private engineering peer offering ABET-accredited BS programs in civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Comparable program mix and industry-partnership orientation, but private tuition and Jesuit mission differ from SFSU's public/HSI model.

Broad incumbents

• UC Berkeley — College of Engineering: Premier Bay Area public engineering institution. Direct geographic competitor for top students and faculty, but operates at a far larger scale with doctoral programs, deep research output, and stronger brand pull across all four SFSU disciplines.
• Stanford University — School of Engineering: Top-tier private Bay Area engineering school. Competes for the same regional talent pool and industry partners, but with substantially greater research capacity, doctoral programs, and selectivity — setting the upper-bound benchmark SFSU's students and faculty measure themselves against.
• University of California, Davis — College of Engineering: UC public engineering school with ABET-accredited BS in mechanical, civil, electrical and computer engineering. Competes for California-resident students and offers doctoral programs, providing a benchmark for SFSU's potential graduate-program expansion path.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SFSU
• Facebookfacebook.com/sanfranciscostate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sfsu-school-of-engineering
• Instagraminstagram.com/sanfranciscostate

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SFSU School of Engineering