Cal Poly Civil & Environmental Engineering

What Cal Poly Civil & Environmental Engineering does

Cal Poly Civil & Environmental Engineering (CE/ENVE) is an academic department within California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo), officially formed in 1981, though Cal Poly offered one of the first undergraduate Environmental Engineering programs in the U.S. as early as 1968. The department delivers ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering, a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering with thesis and coursework tracks, a blended BS+MS accelerated program, and a joint MCRP/MS in Transportation Planning with the City and Regional Planning department. Total enrollment is approximately 900 students (650 CE undergraduates, 200 ENVE undergraduates, and 50 graduate students), taught by 20+ tenured and tenure-track faculty alongside 20+ practicing engineer lecturers. The department operates 14 specialized laboratories across two buildings, including the Chevron Environmental Protection Engineering Laboratory, Advanced Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory, Bio-Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Pavement and Advanced Materials Laboratory, Hal Cota Air Measurements Laboratory, and the Environmental Engineering Chemical Wet-Laboratory, all anchored to Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" pedagogy.

The department's business model is institutional rather than commercial: primary funding flows through California State University tuition and state appropriations, supplemented by industry-aligned revenue from the Industrial Partnership Program (27 Platinum partners at $6,000/year and Gold partners at $2,500/year), grants and contracts via the SURE! research program ($5 million over five years from USDOE, CEC, USDA, USEPA, WERF, water districts, and corporate sponsors), charitable contributions and lab sponsorships through Cal Poly Development Support Services, and scholarships ranging from $250 to $50,000 from corporate and foundation donors. Customer segments are prospective undergraduate and graduate students, with downstream industry partners gaining structured recruitment access through Company Days, the IPP Career Fair, resume books, and Direct Sales classroom presentations held three days per week. The department has earned the U.S. News & World Report #1 national ranking for Civil Engineering in 2025, hosts the 2025 ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships, and its Concrete Canoe team has captured five national titles in the past 14 years.

Research output centers on the SURE! (Sustainable Utilities Research and Education) program, which runs 3-6 simultaneous multi-year projects on the water-energy nexus including algae-based wastewater treatment, algae biofuels, potable reuse, and dairy wastewater treatment. Faculty research has produced industry-deployed software (CSiBridge, developed by Department Chair Bing Qu and used in 160+ countries) and has been recognized with the 2019 ASCE Moisseiff Award, the 2024 Cal Poly Distinguished Scholarship Award, and the 2021 Water Environment Federation Award.

Name

Cal Poly Civil & Environmental Engineering

Legal name

California Polytechnic State University

Website

https://ceenve.calpoly.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cal Poly Civil & Environmental Engineering is an academic department within California Polytechnic State University offering ABET-accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering to roughly 900 students, supported by 14 specialized laboratories and a 27-firm Industrial Partnership Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Industrial Partnership Program: Annual partnership program with Platinum ($6,000/year) and Gold ($2,500/year) membership levels providing recruitment and branding opportunities to companies
2. Tuition and State Funding: Public university funded through California State University system with student tuition and state appropriations
3. Donations and Endowments: Department receives charitable contributions through Cal Poly Development Support Services, including lab sponsorships and student club support

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

No source content with resolvable source IDs was provided in the input. A description of the core offerings cannot be extracted without attributable source material.

Product overview

Cal Poly Civil & Environmental Engineering Department is an academic department offering two ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees (Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering), graduate programs including M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, a blended BS+MS accelerated program, and a joint MCRP/MS in Transportation Planning. The department operates 14 state-of-the-art laboratories for hands-on learning, maintains an active research program (SURE!), and runs an Industrial Partnership Program connecting students with industry partners. The programs stress teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and state-of-the-practice analysis and design techniques aligned with the university's Learn by Doing motto.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Granite ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-developer of Granite Heavy Civil Minor (GHCM) interdisciplinary program with Construction Management department. Major supporter of program's creation.
• Ashley & Vance Engineering, Inc.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Civil and structural engineering firm providing cost-conscious, practical, creative solutions. Staff with strong leadership skills and community values.
• Blois Construction, Inc.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Heavy civil contractor serving Southern California for over 50 years, involved in both private and public work as contractor and subcontractor.
• CannoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Since 1976, providing solutions to land development, oil/gas, power generation, public infrastructure, education, aerospace, and defense sectors.
• Condon-JohnsoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Leader in heavy civil geotechnical construction and engineering with offices along Pacific coast in LA, San Diego, SF Bay Area, Portland, Seattle, Bozeman, and Denver.
• Consor EngineeringcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Full range of civil engineering and construction management services since 1992, with focus on transportation infrastructure design and CM.
• Cornerstone Earth GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Integrates geotechnical engineering, environmental services, engineering geology, and construction services for site development.
• ENGEOcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Employee-owned firm of 400+ geotechnical and civil engineers with offices in California, Nevada, Guam, Washington, New Zealand, and Australia.
• GHDcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Global multidisciplinary professional services network providing digital, engineering, environmental, design and construction solutions.
• Granite ConstructioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Long-standing commitment since 1922 providing infrastructure and heavy civil construction in mining, earthwork, water/sewer, power, tunneling, rail, highway, and bridge construction.
• Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Fortune 500 company delivering global solutions for connected, sustainable world from intelligence to infrastructure, cybersecurity to space exploration.
• KiewitcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. One of North America's largest construction and engineering organizations working on complex challenging projects including tunnels, rivers, and bridges.
• Kimley-HorncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Premier planning and design consulting firm with 3,000+ staff in 80+ offices across U.S., offering full services in wide range of disciplines.
• KleinfeldercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Full-service engineering and architecture firm built on geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, and construction testing services.
• Los Angeles County Public WorkscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. One of largest municipal public works agencies in U.S., serving 10 million+ people across 4,000-square-mile regional service area.
• Manson ConstructioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Leading marine infrastructure and dredging company since 1905 with 800+ employees and fleet supporting high-profile projects across nation.
• Power Engineering Construction Co.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Civil engineering company opened in 1986 addressing difficult heavy engineering projects with dedicated project managers, superintendents, engineers, and craftsmen.
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Designs, investigates, and rehabilitates constructed works in U.S., Canada, and 30+ additional countries with diverse specialties.
• Traylor Bros., InccoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Leading heavy civil contractor since 1946 specializing in landmark bridges, tunnels, and marine structures with innovative construction techniques.
• WebcorcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Known for innovative collaborative approach to construction since 1971 with cutting-edge SIM/virtual building techniques and concrete construction expertise.
• Water Systems ConsultingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. Values-driven water consulting firm with integrated team of engineers, planners, designers, hydrogeologists for infrastructure projects.
• Whiting-Turner Contracting CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Level Industrial Partner. One of nation's largest construction management and general contracting companies with 2,900+ professionals, ranked #8 in ENR Top 400 Contractors.
• Burns & McDonnellminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Level Industrial Partner. 100% employee-owned firm with offices across U.S. providing engineering, architecture, construction, and technical services.
• Gannett FlemingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Level Industrial Partner. 105-year track record with solutions for infrastructure challenges, leader in resilient and sustainable planning and design.
• Michels CorporationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Level Industrial Partner. Third-generation family-owned company with 8,000 workforce providing energy and infrastructure solutions from 50+ locations worldwide.
• City of San Luis Obispo Water Resource Recovery FacilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership since 2007 for SURE! research program. Facility provides hands-on research opportunities for students in water-energy nexus sustainability work.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Georgia Tech Civil and Environmental Engineering: Large public CEE program with comparable scale (~900+ students), ABET-accredited BS, and strong industry placement in geotechnical, structural, environmental, and transportation. Competes for similar industry partner sponsorships and ranking position.
• UC Berkeley Civil and Environmental Engineering: Top public California peer offering ABET-accredited BS and graduate degrees in civil and environmental engineering with comparable specialization areas (structural, geotechnical, environmental, transportation, water resources). Most directly comparable due to shared California public-university context and overlapping student/employer pool.
• University of Michigan Civil and Environmental Engineering: Top-10 CEE program offering BS, MS, and PhD with comparable specialization tracks and significant research expenditure. Competes for the same national ranking position and large-firm recruiting relationships.
• Texas A&M Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: One of the largest CEE programs in the U.S. with comprehensive specialization areas, strong research output, and deep industry ties. Competes for the same federal research funding and top-tier ranking.
• Stanford Civil and Environmental Engineering: Elite California-based program offering BS, MS, and PhD in civil and environmental engineering with strong research intensity in structural, environmental, and sustainable systems. Competes for the same top California applicants and industry partnerships.
• MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering: Nationally top-ranked CEE department offering undergraduate and graduate degrees with deep research labs in environmental, structural, geotechnical, and transportation engineering. Direct competitor for top students, faculty, and federal research dollars.
• Virginia Tech Civil and Environmental Engineering: Large public CEE department (~1,500+ undergraduates) with strong construction and infrastructure focus, ABET accreditation, and heavy industry placement. Direct competitor for construction-industry partners like Granite Construction, Kiewit, and Whiting-Turner.
• Purdue University Lyles School of Civil Engineering: Public R1 CEE program with strong hands-on tradition, ABET accreditation, and large undergraduate enrollment, competing with Cal Poly for industry partners and top students in structural, geotechnical, environmental, and transportation.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Civil and Environmental Engineering: Top-5 CEE program offering comprehensive BS, MS, and PhD degrees across the same specializations as Cal Poly (structural, geotechnical, environmental, transportation, construction). Direct competitor in U.S. News rankings and industry recruitment.
• Carnegie Mellon Civil and Environmental Engineering: Research-intensive CEE program with strong computational, structural, and environmental engineering focus, competing for top applicants, AI-for-engineering talent, and federal research grants relevant to Cal Poly's emerging fields.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PolyEngineering
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3FNf9Zwrhqm01JlX1MvNYg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CalPolyCEENVE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calpolyceenve
• Instagraminstagram.com/calpolyceenve

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cal Poly Civil & Environmental Engineering