Cal Poly San Luis Obispo College of Engineering

This article is about the College of Engineering in San Luis Obispo, California. For the College of Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona in Pomona, California, see Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering.

The Engineering West Building

The Cal Poly College of Engineering (or CENG) is the engineering college of the California Polytechnic State University. It has nearly 130 full-time faculty members and more than 5,000 students enrolled in thirteen bachelor's and in nine master's degree programs through nine engineering departments. [1]

General information

The Engineering IV Building

The College of Engineering is the largest of Cal Poly's six colleges. The college admitted 43% of the 7,794 freshman applicants for Fall 2009. The average SAT for freshmen admitted was 1333 (out of 1600, which is equivalent to 2000 on the 2400-point scale); the average high school GPA for the class was 3.96. [2]U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges 2009ranks Cal Poly's College of Engineering as the number one public and number four public or private program in the nation for schools whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's degree. [3] Cal Poly's computer, electrical, and industrial and manufacturing programs were each ranked as the top program for a public university; the aerospace program ranked number three. Mohammad N. Noori is the current dean of the College of Engineering. [4] Cal Poly offers 4+1 Master (5-year) programs for some engineering majors.

Departments

Aerospace Engineering

The mission of the Aerospace Engineering Department is to educate students for professional aerospace careers of technical responsibility and leadership in a modern, multidisciplinary, and system-based environment. This is achieved through a lab-based, hands-on approach, integrated with a systems view of engineering and team based capstone design experience. [5]

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering emphasizes the study of engineering principles and the application of scientific knowledge and technology for the betterment of humankind. The program stresses the team design concept and systems approach to problem solving and is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). [6]

The mission of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department:

The mission of the CE/ENVE program is to provide its students with the highest quality technical and professional education in civil and environmental engineering, with practical emphasis in the sub-discipline areas

Sub-discipline areas of Civil Engineering at Cal Poly:

• Geotechnical
• Structural
• Transportation
• Water Resources

Environmental Engineering offers courses specializing in:

• Air Pollution control
• Water and Wastewater Treatment Design
• Hazardous Waste Management
• Solid Waste Management
• Industrial Pollution Prevention

Prior to 1977, there was no Civil Engineering Department at Cal Poly. The Transportation Engineering Department offered civil engineering courses as well as courses in transportation engineering. The Environmental Engineering Department began in 1969, but when Warren Baker was hired as president of Cal Poly, he combined the Environmental Engineering and Transportation Engineering departments.

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department also includes the 2008 Robert Ridgeway Award winning Society of Civil Engineers (student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers). The Society of Environmental Engineers placed 2nd for best chapter in AWMA in 2009. The Cal Poly Chi Epsilon Honors Society chapter won the inaugural Chi Epsilon (Pacific District) Cup, and are now ranked as the #1 chapter in California and Hawaii.

Computer Engineering

The Computer Engineering major is an interdisciplinary program resting on the foundations of two departments: Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and it is fully accredited by ABET. [7]

The mission of the CPE program:

The mission of the Computer Engineering (CPE) program is to provide students with a well-rounded education encompassing the theory and practice of selected, balanced topics in electrical engineering and computer science, to enable students to contribute and continue their education in a wide range of computer-related engineering careers. The program seeks to emphasize "hands-on" experience, problem solving skills, the creative process and responsible action. Through professional development activities, CPE faculty strive for excellence in teaching and contribution to the state-of-the-art. [8]

The recent development of the college's Artificial Intelligence and Robotics programs provide a first-hand experience to undergraduates. Student have access to complex robotic development, both in software and hardware. This program provides an avenue of development for computer engineers to have an area of concentration not primarily under computer science or electrical engineering. Simultaneously, the Mechanical Engineering department's effort to promote their mechatronics program allows for intense inter-disciplinary study from both control and design approaches, with groups of mechanical and computer engineers working side by side.

Computer Science and Software Engineering

The Computer Science Department educates students in the discipline of computer science and teaches them to apply their education to solve practical problems in a socially responsible way. Pursuant to the department's educational mission, faculty engage in research and professional development that allows them to remain current in their fields and to provide technological leadership to the University community. [9]

Electrical Engineering

The Cal Poly Electrical Engineering Department offers Bachelor of Science and Master of Science programs in electrical engineering, which are accredited by the ABET. The department supports interdisciplinary programs such as Computer Engineering and many graduate as well as undergraduate students are served by the department. [10]

Specializations:

• Communications
• Computers
• Electronics
• Controls
• Power

General and Biomedical Engineering

General Engineering is designed to allow students the latitude in course selection required to educate themselves either in the classical study of engineering or in new and evolving interdisciplinary technologies such as bioengineering and mechatronics. [11]

In the past, Biomedical Engineering was a concentration within the general engineering major. In 2005, the program was implemented with its own stand-alone curriculum. Ever since the Human Genome Project, a major transition occurred, moving biomedical engineering to focus on the cellular and molecular level rather than solely on the organ system level.

The goal of biomedical engineering is to integrate basic biology along with the advanced quantitative and analytical engineering methods. Integration is stressed not only from the single molecule level to that of the entire organism but also to take advantage of the new advances in the many disciplines involved in biomedical engineering research.

Specializations:

• Biochemical Engineering
• Bioengineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Integrated Technology Management
• Materials Engineering
• Water Engineering

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME)

Established in 1956, the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department trains students to design, install, and improve systems that integrate people, technology, materials, and information. U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges 2009 recognizes Cal Poly’s Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department as the best in the nation, public or private, for non-PhD offering undergraduate engineering schools. [12]

The mission of the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department:

To educate students for successful and distinguished careers in industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, and related fields using a learn-by-doing approach that stresses integrated processes, appropriate technologies, and enterprise competitive advantage.

Degrees offered:

• B.S. Industrial Engineering
• B.S. Manufacturing Engineering
• M.S. Industrial Engineering
• 5 Year B.S.+M.S. Industrial Engineering Blended Program

Materials Engineering

The Materials Engineering Department teaches students to deal with materials spanning the spectrum from steels for large bridges, buildings, pipelines, and similar structures to ultra-light, high-strength materials used in modern aerospace applications. Materials engineers are heavily involved in the advances being made with high-temperature, superconducting ceramics and with biomedical device applications. [http://mate.calpoly.edu/faculty

Mechanical Engineering

The Mechanical Engineering Department primarily focuses on the design, construction, and use of a wide variety of equipment ranging from manufacturing machinery and power generation equipment to consumer goods. Of primary concern to the mechanical engineer is the proper application of solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics in the design, manufacturing, and use of this equipment. [13]

See also

• California Polytechnic State University
• Engineering
• List of engineering programs in the California State University

External links

• California Polytechnic State University
• California Polytechnic State University College of Engineering
• Cal Poly SLO Formula SAE Team
• Cal Poly Ratings