Undergraduate Programs
Location:
Building 03
Phone:
805-756-2048
Area Chair:
Rodney Mock
Accounting & Law
Cal Poly’s Accounting & Law Area has developed a sterling reputation for preparing superior graduates who are in high-demand in business. Faculty build curriculum with the industry in mind to give students a thorough knowledge of accounting and tax laws along with the confidence to use those skills in leading a business toward success. The program is built upon a commitment to career readiness that empowers students to Learn by Doing through working with clients, tackling complex tax cases, and serving the community. Year after year, the Big Four firms and other international, national, regional and boutique practices flock to Cal Poly to recruit accounting students for dynamic careers, often resulting in nearly 100 percent employment, often with multiple offers. In the workplace, Cal Poly accounting alumni can rely on a strong network of colleagues who lead as firm partners, CFOs and CPAs.
The accounting concentration is open to business administration and economics majors. Students outside the college may also minor in accounting.
Location:
Building 03
Phone:
805-756-2048
Area Chair:
Javier de la Fuente
Consumer Packaging
The Orfalea College of Business’ consumer packaging concentration combines foundational tools of business administration with dynamic technical skills crucial to a career in the $900 billion global packaging industry. As the only packaging program within a business school, the Cal Poly Packaging Program has earned a national reputation for excellence while maintaining small class sizes. The world’s leading technology companies, agricultural producers and marketers, and retail ventures seek Cal Poly’s packaging alumni to fill dynamic roles in designing, developing, and testing. The Learn by Doing curriculum challenges students to create value-added packaging that contains, protects, and markets highly competitive consumer products in an increasingly globalized economy.
The consumer packaging concentration is open to business administration and economics majors. Students can also minor in industrial technology or packaging.
Location:
Building 03
Phone:
805-756-2048
Area Chair:
Jason Lepore
Economics
Cal Poly’s Economics Area prepares career-ready leaders to succeed in a wide variety of economic and business environments. Each day, students integrate quantitative analysis, statistical modeling, and economic theory in addressing industry and public policy’s most engaging problems. Students put concepts into practice through Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy as they work with live data, consult local clients and engage in internships that fine tune their skills. The Orfalea College of Business offers economics majors the chance to select a unique concentration in quantitative analysis, or any of the concentrations available to the business administration majors. Each economics concentration is tailored for growing industries that seek creative, collaborative leaders who can combine business acumen with technological skills to make strategic decisions.
The Orfalea College of Business offers a major in economics, a MS in quantitative economics, a minor in economics and a concentration in quantitative analysis. The concentration in quantitative analysis is open to economics and business administration majors.
Location:
Building 03
Phone:
805-756-2048
Area Chair:
Cyrus Ramezani
Finance
Cal Poly’s finance concentration empowers students to lead in a fast-paced profession critical to our global economy. Through in-depth coursework, case studies and unique Learn by Doing projects, students learn about everything from income securities to portfolio management with an emphasis on corporate finance. Each student can have a capstone experience in the Student Managed Portfolio Project or CFA Challenge. Finance students also gain valuable experience with computer science, accounting and economics to develop a well-rounded skill set. Classes are taught in Cal Poly’s Financial Analysis Resource Center, a special-purpose classroom with data terminals, financial software and real time display of stock prices. Cal Poly finance graduates are known for being career-ready and creative, bringing value to their companies from the first day on the job.
The finance concentration is open to business administration and economics majors.
Real Estate Finance
The real estate concentration gives a broad background in all aspects of the real estate industry. The concentration gives specialized skill sets for students wishing to work in real estate finance and development. Earlier Students have taken jobs in real estate investment, finance, development, consulting, investment banking, corporate real estate, and in most other fields within the real estate industry.
Location:
Building 03
Phone:
805-756-2048
Area Chair:
Javier de la Fuente
Industrial Technology and Packaging
Cal Poly’s Industrial Technology and Packaging Area incorporates a broad range of technical skills and business management knowledge to cultivate creative industry leaders. The area offers a major and two minors in either industrial technology or packaging. Students develop a strong foundation in the disciplines of science, liberal arts, business and management, and excel at collaborative, project-based work in industrial operations and packaging. Through Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy, students are empowered to innovate and test new products, design prototype packaging solutions, conduct lean manufacturing analyses, and develop plans for technology commercialization. Graduates can confidently leverage their skills to improve the intersection between technology, people and organizations. Because of its small class sizes and hands-on approach, Cal Poly’s industrial technology and packaging degree is recognized as one of the strongest in the country. Leading companies in agriculture, technology and manufacturing seek its graduates for dynamic careers with some of the highest starting salaries of any Cal Poly graduate.
The Orfalea College of Business offers a major in industrial technology and packaging with an emphasis in either operations or packaging. Students can also minor in industrial technology or packaging.
Packing Program Director:
Jay Singh
Phone:
805-756-2129
Packaging Program
Cal Poly’s packaging program has become one of the most respected in the nation thanks to its emphasis on Learn by Doing. As the country’s only packaging program within a business school (not an agricultural or engineering school), this program is in a unique position to combine packaging design with supply chain management and business strategy to lead a $1 billion industry that touches nearly every business globally. Cal Poly’s curriculum encompasses packaging design and prototyping, materials testing, plastics, and packaging performance testing. Students are in high demand in industries like food and beverage, technology, supply chain logistics and manufacturing. The program boasts a near 100 percent placement rate at significant starting salaries. Looking ahead, the program aims to expand significantly with more resources to support this growing industry.
Within the Industrial Technology and Packaging major, students can emphasize in packaging. The consumer packaging concentration is open to business administration and economics majors. Students can also minor in packaging.
Entrepreneurship Program Director:
Lynn Metcalf
Phone:
805-756-2010
Entrepreneurship
Cal Poly’s entrepreneurship curriculum goes far beyond just “starting a business.” Entrepreneurship graduates are prepared for a variety of career paths: launching their own startup, tackling fast-paced positions in emerging technology hubs, leading a small business, or bringing innovative leadership to corporate positions. The entrepreneurship concentration aligns with a plethora of resources in Cal Poly’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (the CIE) to afford students collaborative Learn by Doing experiences with students from all disciplines on campus.
The entrepreneurship concentration is open to business administration and economics majors.
Location:
Building 03
Phone:
805-756-2048
Area Chair:
Leida Chen
Management and HR Concentration Coordinator:
Allison Ellis
Phone:
805-756-1774
Management and Human Resources
The management and human resources concentration prepares students for general leadership and management positions, as well as careers in the more specialized field of Human Resource Management (HR). Through a resolutely experiential learning approach, the HR portion of the curriculum prepares students to become practicing professionals in basic HR functions such as recruitment, staffing, training and development, and compensation. The Management portion of the curriculum prepares students for entry-level leadership and management positions, including opportunities in management training programs in large corporations, management consulting, and managerial positions in family businesses and other small organizations. Students will master readily applicable management skills such as leadership, organizational design, development and change, global business management, and negotiation.
The management and human resources concentration is open to business administration and economics majors.
Phone:
805-756-2048
Area Chair:
Leida Chen
Information Systems
The Orfalea College of Business’ information systems concentration combines the study of people, organizations and technology. At Cal Poly, information systems students develop a broad-based, sought-after skill set that combines a foundation of business principles and strategy with rigorous technological skills. Following the university’s Learn by Doing philosophy, students receive hands-on skill development with the latest software platforms and work on real-world collaborative projects along side their peers, faculty, and our corporate partners. With the current business environment that relies heavily on information technology, our students are well prepared for challenging careers in a global economy. Cal Poly’s graduates are in high demand among consulting firms, high tech firms, startups, and bio-tech firms, to name a few, and are able to command significant starting salaries.
The information systems concentration is open to business administration and economics majors.
Location:
Building 03
Phone:
805-756-2048
Area Chair:
Jeff Hess
Marketing
Cal Poly’s Marketing concentration cultivates agile marketers, who integrate data analytics, critical thinking and creativity. The curriculum is a conscious balance among the technical rigors of data, the nuance of creative strategy, and the finesse of customer relationship management. In each marketing course, faculty build opportunity for students to provide data-driven guidance and creative solutions to local startups, Cal Poly organizations, and the community. These experiences produce marketing graduates who are career ready, confident, and prepared to lead in an ever-changing marketing environment.
The marketing concentration is open to business administration and economics majors.
Minors
The Orfalea College of Business offers minors in a variety of business disciplines that complement many other courses of study. Options include minors in accounting, economics, industrial technology, packaging and integrated marketing communications. These programs survey core curriculum from each discipline to give students a solid foundation in business. Earning an Orfalea College of Business minor also connects you to leading business faculty and opens new career opportunities.