Program Basics

• • Orfalea College of Business, California Polytechnic State University
  • Orfalea College of Business
  • 1 Grand Avenue
  • 03 - 455
  • San Luis Obispo, California
  • 93407
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://www.cob.calpoly.edu
  • Program e-mail address: admissions@calpoly.edu
  • Program phone number: (805) 756 - 2531
  • Status: Public (state-operated)
• • AACSB accredited: Yes
• • Year in which the undergraduate business program was founded: 1971
• • Institution: Four Year
• • Business Program: Four Year

SCHOOL BASICS

• Enrollment:

  • Total undergraduate: 17,725
  • Full-time undergraduate business: 2,255
  • Part-time undergraduate business: 54
  • Distance undergraduate business: 0
• • College or university freshman retention rate: 93 %

• Percentage of students who graduate from the business program:

  • Within four years of admission to the university: 63 %
  • Within six years of admission to the university: 87 %

• Undergraduate Business Degrees Offered:

  • BS/ Business Administration
  • BS/ Economics
  • BS/ Industrial Technology

PROGRAM COSTS

• • Annual Tuition (Resident): $4,370.00
• • Annual Tuition (Non-Resident): $15,530.00
• • Annual Required Fees: $2,250.00
• • Tuition Per Academic Credit (Resident): $97.00
• • Tuition Per Academic Credit (Non-Resident): $345.00
• • Annual Room and Board: $10,476.00
• • Annual Cost of Books: $1,698.00

CLASS PROFILE

• Students in newest entering class that are:

  • Female: 45 %
  • International: 2 %

• Mean and median age of full-time business students in the newest entering class:

  • Mean: 18
  • Median: 18

• Percentage of newest entering class:

  • Top 10% of high school class: 41 %
  • Top 25% of high school class: 86 %
  • GPA of 3.75 or higher: 62 %
  • GPA of 3.5 to 3.74: 26 %

• SAT scores (1600 scale) for the newest entering class of full-time undergraduate business students:

  • Mean: 1210
  • Median: 1220

• Middle 50% range of SAT scores (1600 scale):

  • From: 1150
  • To: 1290

• ACT scores for the newest entering class of full-time undergraduate business students:

  • Mean: 27
  • Median: 27

• Middle 50% range of ACT scores:

  • From: 25
  • To: 29

• Citizenship breakdown for newest entering class:

  • US: 97 %
  • Canada: 1 %
  • Other Non-US Citizens: 2 %

• U.S. citizens in newest entering class:

  • African American: 1 %
  • Asian American: 11 %
  • Hispanic or Latino American: 11 %
  • Multiethnic/Multiracial: 5 %
  • Native American: 1 %
  • White (Non-Hispanic): 68 %
  • Chose not to report: 3 %

• Regional breakdown of U.S. citizens in newest entering class:

  • Northeast: 1 %
  • Southwest: 1 %
  • Midwest: 1 %
  • West: 96 %
  • Possessions and territories: 1 %

ADMISSIONS - Getting Into the Institution

• Standardized tests required of all applicants:

  • SAT or ACT
• • Interviews are: Not required

• Application deadlines:

  • Fall 2012 11/30/2011
• • Total undergraduate applicants, all programs: 33,001
• • Percentage of applicants admitted: 37 %
• • Percentage of admitted applicants who enrolled: 35 %
• • International applicants: 2 %
• • Female applicants: 45 %

• Relative Importance of Application Elements

  • Secondary school record: Very Important
  • Class rank: Not Considered
  • Talent/ability: Considered
  • Interview: Not Considered
  • Extracurricular activities: Considered
  • Volunteer work: Considered
  • Character/personal abilities: Not Considered
  • Application essay: Not Considered
  • Work experience: Considered
  • SAT/ACT scores: Very Important
  • Recommendations: Not Considered
  • High school GPA: Very Important

ADMISSIONS - Getting Into the Business Program

• • Undergrad business program admissions are managed by: The university admissions office
  • Total undergraduate business applicants: 5,141
  • Percentage of applicants admitted: 33 %
  • Percentage of admitted applicants who enrolled: 40 %

• Freshman admission:

  • Does the business program admit freshmen?: No
  • Percentage of business program admits in most recent entering class who were freshman: 92 %
  • Are freshman business admits required to complete or obtain minimum GPAs in pre-business courses before taking upper-level courses? No
  • Additional application requirements for freshman admits: University controls all application and admission processes.

• Internal transfers:

  • Method for handling internal transfers: Other
  • Minimum college GPA for internal transfers to the business program: 3.5
  • Additional application requirements, including course/grade requirements: Internal transfers must obtain a 3.5 minimum GPA in selected business courses while maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or greater. Internal transfer is a competitive process. Applicants must meet or exceed incoming scores of entering class.

CAMPUS LIFE

• Five largest on-campus organizations for business students:

  • Cal Poly Accounting Club
  • American Marketing Association
  • Financial Management Association
  • Information Systems Association
  • Cal Poly Entrepreneurs
• • Are freshmen required to live on campus?: No
  • Are business students grouped together in 'learning communities' in housing and other facilities?: Yes

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum number of credit hours required to receive an undergraduate business degree:

  • BS 180

• Other requirements for the undergraduate business degree

  • Note: 180 quarter units are equivalent to 120 semester credit hours. Students must also complete a graduation writing examination.

ACADEMICS

• Average class size:

  • Required business classes: 50
  • Business electives: 38

• Percentage of business classes:

  • With 20 or fewer students: 13 %
  • With 21 to 50 students: 71 %
  • With more than 50 students: 16 %

• Course enrollment:

  • Percentage of required business courses reaching maximum enrollment by the first day of class: 92 %
  • Percentage of required business courses with waiting lists: 20 %

CURRICULUM

• Electives:

  • Available business electives: 87
  • New electives: Establishing International Supply Chains
• • Last curriculum overhaul: 2004
  • Total business faculty: 78
  • Percentage of the total faculty that is tenured or tenure track: 78 %

• Most prominent faculty:

  • Abraham Shani
  • Stephen Hamilton
  • Eric Fisher

• Business program's leading areas of study:

  • • Accounting
    • Economics
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Marketing
  • Other leading area of study: Packaging Technology
• • Special programs: First year students may opt to enroll in our "Quantitative Sequence" which provides a challenging analytics track, with a guaranteed cohort in calculus, statistics and finance. Or, first year students may opt to join the "Green Light" program that guarantees early access to business classes in accounting, business law and information systems. All students are eligible for study abroad course in China for one week investigating supply chains.
• • Work study: There are many internship opportunities in all areas of business including internships with “big four” accounting firms, Google, Apple, aerospace industries, and a host of other California companies. Most are eligible for academic credit.
• • Study abroad programs: University study abroad programs are numerous and popular with our business students who can easily work in 2 quarters abroad and still graduate within 4 years. Programs most often chosen by business students include Thailand, UK, Denmark, and Australia. We also now offer a study abroad to class which investigates supply chains in China over a week-long program.
• • Volunteer opportunities: There are more than 20 students organizations with opportunities to volunteer. Business students are very involved in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, Net Impact (Sustainability), Empower Poly Coalition (community action), and Prado Day Care (homeless services).

• Extra-curricular activities:

  • Economics Society, CP Entrepreneurs
  • Financial Management Association,
  • Cal Poly Accounting Club, Hispanic Business Association
  • Information Systems Association, Net Impact, Poly Pack, AISEC
  • Alpha Kappa Psi, Delta Sigma Pi
  • Students in Free Enterprise
  • Human Resource Management Club
  • Sports clubs: skiing, soccer, volleyball, softball

FINANCIAL AID

• • Who manages financial aid for the business program?: Central financial aid office at the university
  • Financial aid web site: http://www.ess.calpoly.edu/finaid/

• Scholarships

  • Scholarship money distributed to business students last year: $1,725,946.00
  • Expected scholarship distribution to business students this year: $1,748,135.00
  • Scholarships are awarded to business students based on: a combination of need and merit
  • Students receiving institutional scholarships in the current academic year: 9 %
  • Students receiving full-tuition institutional scholarships in the current academic year: 1 %
  • Institutional scholarship money distributed to undergraduate business students based on need: 32 %
  • Institutional scholarship money distributed to undergraduate business students based on merit: 68 %

• Loans

  • Does the school offer a guaranteed loan to all business students, regardless of nationality?: No

CAREER SERVICES

• Employment Information

  • Percentage of most recent business graduates who supplied information regarding employment: 57 %
  • Percentage seeking full-time professional employment in business: 86 %
  • Percentage not seeking full-time professional employment in business: 14 %
• • Companies recruiting business students on campus: 97
  • Companies posting job offers for business students on school job boards: 502

• Top employers (number of students hired):

  • Pricewaterhouse Coopers 10
  • Deloitte Consulting 8
  • Cisco Systems 7
  • KPMG 7
  • Apple, Inc. 6
  • Deloitte & Touche, LLP 6
  • Ernst & Young 6
  • Grant Thornton 5
  • Frank Rimmerman & Co. 4
  • Target 4
  • Triage Consulting 4
  • Chevron 3
  • Enterprise 3
  • Level Studios 3
  • Protiviti 3

• Compensation

  • Mean base salary: $51,300.00
  • Median base salary : $52,000.00

• Job offers accepted by most recent graduates in North America:

  • US: 99 %

• Percentage of 2009-10 academic year graduates who accepted jobs in regions of US:

  • Northeast: 1 %
  • Mid-Atlantic: 1 %
  • Midwest: 0 %
  • South: 1 %
  • Southwest: 1 %
  • West: 96 %
• • Career services offered: A broad array of personalized services: career counseling; one-to-one resume and cover letter reviews; interview skill development; career preparation workshops; networking events; quarterly career fairs; on campus interviewing; employer panels.

INTERNSHIPS

• • Companies recruiting business students for internships on campus: 82
  • Companies posting internship offers for business students on school job boards: 420

B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

• • Total number of undergraduate business program graduates since inception: 21,263
  • Total living alumni of the undergraduate business program: 20,916
  • Percentage of living alumni who contributed to the business program or university in the last academic year: 5 %

• Alumni gifts

  • Mean Gift: $282.00
  • Median Gift: $100.00
  • Did the business program receive a gift of $10 million or more in the last academic year? No

• Prominent alums of the undergrad business program

  • Gary Erickson Founder & CEO of Clif Bar
  • Quentin Lilly President, Technicolor Home Entertainment
  • J.W. Boswell President, J.G. Boswell Company

• • -The business program at Cal Poly is unique because of the "learn by doing" motto. The classes are very small which provides students a chance to get to know the professors and the subject material better. The peer advisors are amazing and always willing to answer questions. Overall, the program has prepared me very well for a future in business.
    
    -The one business class I wished that Cal Poly offered was a class based on current business new events. This would help keep students up to date as to what is happening in the world outside of San Luis Obispo, CA and allow students to see business concepts in real time settings.
    
    -This school's business program is unique because of it's senior project requirement. This requirement mandates that all students, including those in other majors, must implement their concentration in the real world environment over the course of a minimum of one quarter. As an accounting major, I participated in VITA for an entire quarter, and the experience taught me a lot about applying my accounting skills and integrating customer service, teamwork, and patience at the same time.
    
    -Cal Poly has a fantastic College of Engineering, ranked #1-#3 in the nation, depending on the program. I'm currently working on my senior project with some computer science students, but I had to orchestrate this on my own. Cal Poly does fantastic hands-on projects, but our business program should work more with our top-notch College of Engineering to help students develop multidisciplinary skills.
    
    -Cal Poly's business program has done an outstanding job in helping plan for life after college. Not only do we have multiple recruiting events, but we have speakers and career fairs all the time. I've found that the teachers in the accounting department really strive to help students get connected with the firms and subsequently become employed by them!
    
    -I believe if the college of business should require all the business student to accomplish internship that is related to their concentration before they graduate from Cal Poly, the student will be more competitive and could win over other business school such as UC Berkeley and Stanford.
    
    -All of our classes are taught by professors (not TAs) who always make time for you. The class sizes are fairly small so you always feel like you're involved/the professor knows who you are.
    
    -Mathematics is the one thing that our business program does not focus on. While it is not essentially crucial, strong math skills helps develop critical thinking skills, and mathematics is a subject that can always be applied in various situations.
    
    -The tuition is much cheaper than other schools, while maintaining a great education. Classes are no larger than sixty students, and no classes are taught by TAs. All professor offices are housed in the college of business. I received interviews from all of the Big 4, and many of my friends also received numerous diverse job opportunities. Cal Poly really pushes a "learn by doing" approach, and during my summer internship, my boss noted my practical knowledge of the subject, rather than just theoretical knowledge.
    
    -The school is located in between San Francisco and LA so it can be difficult to get recruiters to come to the campus. When the business program builds a stronger reputation and more schools come to Cal Poly to recruit, the program will be much better.
    
    -The Orfela College of Business is unique due to the open, fun, yet challenging atmosphere created by the students and professors. A majority of major classes require an element of group work. Generally, the professors foster creativity in these groups. This can even be seen in the various senior projects that come out of the business college.
    
    -I think it would be helpful for professors to assign more presentations, case-scenario write-ups, and essays rather than having grades be based solely on test material. Although this is not the case for all classes, it seems like a percentage of each class should be graded on written material. Writing is an important skill to have in the work force and should be practiced throughout business classes, not just GE classes.
    
    -I think that Cal Poly's business school is underrated. When I compare my classes to the business/econ classes of my friends at other schools I notice that we have such a strong Economics program. I really think that the classes that I'm taking and the upper division curriculum that I am exposed to is phenomenal.
    
    -Stick to the "no texting" policy. If someone shows up to class everyday and just sits on his or her cell phone without taking any notes, why wouldn't you mark that person down, especially if it's in the policies? Adding some bite to the syllabus bark in general would be better for the college as a whole; we obviously have a lot of bright people who look great on paper but, unfortunately, they aren't motivated and consistently underperform.
    
    -Our program makes a huge effort to involve business firms on campus. We have multiple job fairs and activities that involve both students and potential employers. The program also emphasizes the school motto of "Learn by Doing" by integrating highly relevant and class projects and assignments that give students real world experience.