The Orfalea College of Business’s mission is to “produce career-ready, global business leaders through hands-on discovery and education.” The business programs at Cal Poly are AACSB accredited and strive to prepare students for the competitive business world. At Orfalea, they believe heavily in “Learn[ing] by Doing,” and the beautiful San Luis Obispo campus is the perfect place to inspire students’ creativity and encourage collaboration.
Education
Orfalea College of Business undergraduate majors include Business Administration, Economics, and Industrial Technology and Packaging; with many concentration options including Accounting and Law, Consumer Packaging, Economics, Finance, Real Estate Finance, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Packing Program, Entrepreneurship, Management and Human Resources, Information Systems, and Marketing. Undergraduates from Orfalea report a 95% employment rate after graduation, and average salary of $60,000.
Graduate programs are also plentiful, including Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Packaging Value Change, Master of Science in Business Analytics, Master of Science in Quantitative Economics, and Master of Science in Taxation. Cal Poly understands that time is money, and that is why it is important to note that their Master’s programs can be completed in one year or less. Master’s program graduates from Orfalea hold a 96% employment rate after graduation and report an average starting salary of $63,223.
Student Life
Orfalea College of Business believes in preparing well-rounded students for the business world, and that means building relationships with peers and business leaders in the community. One way this is encouraged is through participating in clubs and organizations. Some of the clubs offered at Cal Poly include Cal Poly FinTech, American Marketing Association, Cal Poly Accounting Club, Financial Management Association, DECA, and Women in Business. There are also two business specific fraternities on campus, including Alpha Kappa Psi and Delta Sigma Pi.
The Executives in Residence program is unique and provides a beneficial experience for students called Conversations with Executives. The Executives in Residence are business leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators that share some of the secrets to success in being business leaders with students on campus. Many of the executives are alumni and can give first-hand testimony of how their degrees at Cal Poly led to their business success. Frequent field trips are also something that sets Orfalea College of Business apart. Students get to experience the business world in real-time and often discover what exactly they want to do with their business degree. Students also have an opportunity to study abroad for up to one year at one of four partner universities in Munich, Germany; Milan, Italy; Stockholm, Sweden; and Brussels, Belgium.
Online Programs
Cal Poly is no longer offering online courses through VESi as they have in the past, but they are working on a program to offer online courses taught by Cal Poly instructors for the future. However, currently, they do have a partnership with the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University and are offering an online certificate in Wine Business Management.