In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes, Minns' Normal school is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations, and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.

San José State University's Continuing Education program can trace its origins to Professor Charles Mills Gayley, who proposed applying the British model of university extension to California colleges in the early 1890s. In addition, San José Normal School principal James McNaughton foresaw the advantage of a continuing education track during his administrative tenure (1899-1900). However, it was McNaughton's successor, Morris Elmer Dailey (1900-1918), who was responsible for the inception of continuing education at the Normal School via the implementation of a summer session program. Under Dailey's direction, the first summer session occurred in 1903 and enrolled 107 students for a 12-week semester. In 1901 the International Travel Study began as a result of the earthquake damage, which forced the cancellation of summer session at the Normal School. President Dailey organized and led a summer trip to Europe for the students and faculty. The program is known today as International and Extended Studies (IES), and supports such educational extensions as eCampus, professional development, and global studies.

Throughout its history, SJSU's Continuing Education program has contributed significantly to the overall curriculum, including Distance Learning, Special Session and ESL programs. Targeting college-age students as well as young adults and adult learners, the program continues to to offer high quality programs that meet the diverse needs of the community.