Cal Poly Engineering
Cal Poly Engineering is the College of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, serving 6,462 students across 14 Bachelor's and 9 Master's ABET-accredited programs through project-based "Learn by Doing" pedagogy supported by 90+ laboratories.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersSan Luis Obispo, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Cal Poly Engineering does
Cal Poly Engineering is the College of Engineering within California Polytechnic State University, a public polytechnic institution founded in 1901. It serves 6,462 students across 14 Bachelor's and 9 Master's degree programs spanning mechanical, civil, electrical, computer, software, biomedical, aerospace, architectural, fire protection, and manufacturing engineering, with ABET-accredited curricula.
The college's core pedagogical model is "Learn by Doing," operationalized through more than 90 state-of-the-art laboratories and industry-connected senior projects that produce applied deliverables such as assistive devices for medically fragile students and solutions for individuals experiencing homelessness. Research output is channeled through multiple disciplinary centers and institutes, and ties to NASA (Human Lander Challenge, 2026) and regional industry are mediated through the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).
Revenue mechanics rely on public funding from the California State University system, tuition, sponsored research, and alumni giving. Customer concentration is diffuse — the college serves individual students placing into engineering roles with 89% employed or in graduate school within 12 months — and the institution has been recognized by U.S. News as the 6th-best engineering college nationally and by ASEE for inclusive excellence in 2019.
Cal Poly Engineering firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cal Poly Engineering
- Legal name
- California Polytechnic State University
- Website
- https://engineering.calpoly.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cal Poly Engineering is the College of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, serving 6,462 students across 14 Bachelor's and 9 Master's ABET-accredited programs through project-based "Learn by Doing" pedagogy supported by 90+ laboratories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cal Poly Engineering industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Engineering Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Technical Universities with Architecture, Built Environment & Design Engineering (EDAHAEAJ), Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB)
Keywords
Where Cal Poly Engineering is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Luis Obispo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cal Poly Engineering business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Public university engineering college funded primarily through tuition, state appropriations, and student fees
- Research Grants and Contracts: Federal and state research funding including grants from agencies like NASA
- Alumni Giving and Philanthropy: Support from alumni donors and corporate sponsors including designated giving opportunities
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Cal Poly Engineering product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cal Poly Engineering is a public university college of engineering that delivers ABET-accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs in 14 engineering and computer science disciplines. Programs are taught through a hands-on, project-based "Learn by Doing" curriculum from freshman year, supported by 90+ state-of-the-art laboratories and emphasizing multidisciplinary teamwork and real-world sustainable design.
Product overview
Cal Poly College of Engineering offers a comprehensive portfolio of 14 ABET-accredited undergraduate degree programs and 9 graduate programs across engineering and computer science disciplines. The college's educational offerings are built around its 'Learn by Doing' philosophy, emphasizing hands-on, project-based learning. Programs span aerospace, architectural, biomedical, bioresource and agricultural, civil, computer, computer science, electrical, environmental, industrial, manufacturing, materials, mechanical, and software engineering. The college serves approximately 6,000+ students with 90+ state-of-the-art laboratories and emphasizes teamwork and multidisciplinary collaboration from students' first day of class.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Aerospace Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program in aerospace engineering, part of Cal Poly's Learn by Doing approach to engineering education.
- Architectural Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program in architectural engineering focusing on building design and construction.
- Biomedical Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program in biomedical engineering combining engineering principles with medical and biological sciences.
- Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program focusing on engineering applications in agriculture and biological resources.
- Civil Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program in civil engineering covering infrastructure design and construction.
- Computer Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program combining electrical engineering and computer science fundamentals.
- Computer Science (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program in computer science covering software development, algorithms, and computing systems.
- Electrical Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program in electrical engineering covering circuits, electronics, and electromagnetic systems.
- Environmental Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program focusing on environmental protection and sustainable engineering solutions.
- Industrial Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program focusing on optimization of complex systems and processes.
- Manufacturing Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program covering manufacturing processes, automation, and production systems.
- Materials Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program focusing on the development and application of engineering materials.
- Mechanical Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program covering thermal and mechanical systems design and analysis.
- Software Engineering (BS) ABET-accredited undergraduate program focused on software design, development, and engineering practices.
- Graduate Engineering Programs (MS) Nine graduate degree programs offered by the College of Engineering for advanced study and research in engineering disciplines.
Quantifiable outcome
- 89% of alumni employed or in grad school within 12 months
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cal Poly Engineering
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cal Poly Engineering technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Cal Poly Engineering partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- NASAcoreNASA Human Lander Challenge partnership where Cal Poly students won the competition with a cold-water system for space missions. Active research collaboration with NASA on space-related engineering projects.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cal Poly Engineering competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- UC Berkeley College of Engineering: Top-ranked California public engineering college with a comparable breadth of disciplines and ABET-accredited programs. Most direct in-state peer competing for the same California applicant pool and federal research dollars.
- Virginia Tech College of Engineering: Public land-grant engineering college with a strong hands-on, project-based learning identity and similar scale of engineering enrollment. Competes nationally for students, faculty, and R&D funding.
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Private polytechnic university with a comparable project-based learning model and broad engineering/CS portfolio. Most direct pedagogy-level peer despite differing in public/private status.
- University of Michigan College of Engineering: Top-ranked public engineering college with broad BS/MS program offerings and significant federal research capture. Comparable in size and program breadth; competes for top-tier applicants and faculty.
- Purdue University College of Engineering: Large public engineering college with a comparable polytechnic-flavored, hands-on educational model and a broad portfolio of ABET-accredited undergraduate and graduate programs.
- Georgia Tech College of Engineering: Public polytechnic-style engineering college consistently ranked among the top U.S. engineering schools, with similar emphasis on hands-on learning and a comparable portfolio of BS and MS programs.
- UCLA Samueli School of Engineering: Major California public engineering school offering comparable BS/MS programs across similar disciplines. Directly competes with Cal Poly for in-state students, faculty, and research funding.
- UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering: California public engineering school with comparable BS/MS program portfolio and ABET-accredited offerings. Direct in-state competitor for California-resident applicants and research funding.
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Grainger College of Engineering: Top-ranked public engineering college with comparable scale and program breadth, including aerospace, computer science, and mechanical engineering. Strong federal research presence and competing recruiter for engineering talent.
- Texas A&M College of Engineering: Large public engineering college with comparable scale, broad program offerings, and emphasis on hands-on, project-based learning. Competes for top-tier engineering applicants and federal research dollars.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses2 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cal Poly Engineering social profiles
Digital presenceCal Poly Engineering compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Cal Poly Engineering financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cal Poly Engineering leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cal Poly Engineering funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cal Poly Engineering M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cal Poly Engineering
What does Cal Poly Engineering do?
Cal Poly Engineering is a public university college of engineering that delivers ABET-accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs in 14 engineering and computer science disciplines. Programs are taught through a hands-on, project-based "Learn by Doing" curriculum from freshman year, supported by 90+ state-of-the-art laboratories and emphasizing multidisciplinary teamwork and real-world sustainable design.
Is Cal Poly Engineering a public or private company?
Cal Poly Engineering is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Cal Poly Engineering founded?
Cal Poly Engineering was founded in -1. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cal Poly Engineering based?
Cal Poly Engineering is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cal Poly Engineering make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are research Grants and Contracts and alumni Giving and Philanthropy.
Who are Cal Poly Engineering's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are UC Berkeley College of Engineering, Virginia Tech College of Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, University of Michigan College of Engineering, Purdue University College of Engineering, Georgia Tech College of Engineering, UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Grainger College of Engineering and Texas A&M College of Engineering.
Does Cal Poly Engineering have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cal Poly Engineering.
What industry is Cal Poly Engineering in?
Cal Poly Engineering's product category is Engineering Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAEAB, Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities, with a secondary code of EDAHAEAJ, Technical Universities with Architecture, Built Environment & Design Engineering. Its NAICS code is 611310.