The Cal Poly College of Engineering’s emphasis on preparing today’s students to solve tomorrow’s global challenges continues to garner attention, most recently when U.S. News & World Report ranked one of the college’s departments as the top specialty program in the nation.
The annual America’s Best Colleges guidebook, intended to help students and parents craft a list of potential colleges, named Cal Poly’s industrial and manufacturing engineering program No. 1. In addition to the best in the nation nod, the computer engineering; mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering programs all ranked No. 2; and civil engineering ranked at No. 3 in the country.
“There are so many amazing things happening in the College of Engineering,” said Amy S. Fleischer, dean of the college. “Our programs are providing Learn by Doing experiences, leading to student projects that are changing the world. Our faculty are attracting major research grants which will lead to significant breakthroughs in both applied research and in engineering education. There is just no limit to what Cal Poly Engineers can accomplish, and this ranking shows that.”
The College of Engineering was ranked the eighth best undergraduate program in the nation and received the top ranking within California.
The College of Engineering includes roughly 6,000 students; more than 80 state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories and workspaces; and roughly 80 student clubs. Cal Poly Engineering graduates are highly respected and recruited by some of the best-known companies in the U.S., such as Lockheed Martin, Google, Boeing, Cisco, Northrop Grumman, Apple, Tesla Motors, and many state and federal agencies.
Overall, Cal Poly was named the best public, master’s-level university in the West for the 27th straight year and ranked fourth overall in the West — up eight spots from last year’s rankings. Cal Poly also remained the Best in the West for Most Innovative Schools — institutions making the most impactful improvements in curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.
The U.S. News ranking comes on the heels of Forbes once again naming Cal Poly the top public masters-level university in California within the magazine’s annual list of Top 25 public and private universities in the West.
