California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Location and Contact Information

The campus is in a small suburb.

Overview

California Polytechnic State University, also officially recognized as Cal Poly, is a nationally ranked public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. It was established on March 8, 1901. Cal Poly is part of the California State University system (CSU). It is the second largest land-holding university in California.

Cal Poly is a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). It offers a full spectrum of degrees and programs in diverse areas of study. It is organized into the following academic divisions:

• College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
• College of Architecture and Environmental Design
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Liberal Arts
• College of Science and Mathematics
• Orfalea College of Business

Cal Poly was ranked the "#1 Public Master's University in the Western United States" for the 15th consecutive year in the America's Best Colleges of U.S. News & World Report (2008). Cal Poly has several Greek organizations since 1949. They are governed by United Sorority and Fraternity Council, Interfraternity Council, and Panhellenic Association.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

• Many students concentrating in engineering, agricultural science and management, architecture and planning, nutrition and exercise therapy, animal science and care, landscaping and horticulture, conservation and resource management, and fine arts.
• Large number of students.
• Large number of programs of study offered.
• Selective admissions.
• High faculty salary.
• High SAT scores (combined Verbal and Math).
• High male/female ratio.
• Number of dorm rooms for students.
• Affordable tuition & fees.
• Superior share of faculty on tenure track.

School characteristics:

• The school is public.
• Academic calender: Quarter.
• Carnegie classification: Masters Colleges and Universities I.

Features of note:

• The school offers a faculty tenure system.
• There are one or more libraries on-campus.
• Campus housing is available.
• Students have meal (board) plans.
• Students may study abroad.
• Part-time classes are available.
• ROTC.
• Athlete financial aid is awarded.

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to Cal Poly:

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Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Students

Student enrollment was 19,471 in 2009-2010 (18,494 full-time equivalent).

About 55% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 45% of the class.

Undergrads are 94% of enrolled students and graduate students are 6%.

Students under 25 years old represent 93% of the student body. About 1% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 98% are full-time and 2% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

SAT Test Scores:

Room and Board

Cal Poly provides on-campus housing for 6,493 of its 18,494 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).

Students may purchase a meal plan which includes 12 meals weekly.

Athletics

School sports include football (Other), basketball (Big West Conference), baseball (Big West Conference), and track (Big West Conference).

The school offers financial aid for athletes. Of students receiving athletic financial aid, 215 male students received the aid (men were 65% of those receiving aid) and 114 women were awarded financial aid based on athletics (representing 35% of students receiving such aid) .

Graduate School Focus

Cal Poly offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Master.

The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is Postbaccalaureate Comprehensive.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT (269 awarded)

• Agricultural Business and Management
• Agricultural Mechanization
• Agriculture
• Food Science

ANIMAL SCIENCE AND CARE (149 awarded)

• Animal Sciences
• Dairy Science

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING (272 awarded)

• Architecture (BArch, BA/BS, MArch, MA/MS, PhD)
• City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning
• Landscape Architecture (BS, BSLA, BLA, MSLA, MLA, PhD)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (706 awarded)

• Accounting
• Business Administration and Management
• Business Administration, Management and Operations

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (114 awarded)

• Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Computer Software Engineering

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (54 awarded)

• Forestry
• Natural Resources Management and Policy

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (6 awarded)

• Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (161 awarded)

• Agricultural Teacher Education
• Early Childhood Education and Teaching
• Education

ENGINEERING (915 awarded)

• Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
• Agricultural/Biological Engineering and Bioengineering
• Architectural Engineering
• Biomedical/Medical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Construction Engineering
• Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
• Engineering Science
• Engineering
• Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Materials Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (11 awarded)

• Public Administration

FINE ARTS (63 awarded)

• Fine/Studio Arts

LANDSCAPING AND HORTICULTURE (101 awarded)

• Agronomy and Crop Science
• Horticultural Science
• Ornamental Horticulture
• Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management
• Soil Science and Agronomy

LIBERAL ARTS (467 awarded)

• Economics
• English Language and Literature
• Ethnic, Cultural Minority, and Gender Studies
• Foreign Languages and Literatures
• History
• Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
• Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
• Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
• Political Science and Government
• Social Sciences
• Speech and Rhetorical Studies

MATHEMATICS (54 awarded)

• Mathematics
• Statistics

MEDIA (138 awarded)

• Graphic Communications
• Journalism

MUSIC (11 awarded)

• Music

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (286 awarded)

• Dietetics/Dietitian (RD)
• Health and Physical Education
• Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (11 awarded)

• Philosophy

SCIENCE (244 awarded)

• Biochemistry
• Biology/Biological Sciences
• Chemistry
• Ecology
• Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
• Microbiology
• Physics
• Polymer Chemistry

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (127 awarded)

• Psychology