The college was first established in 1959 as a Business Department in the Sciences Division. In 1962, the Business Department became part of the Applied Arts Division. In 1970, it became part of the School of Business and Social Sciences. Finally, in 1976 it became the College of Business. In 1987, the school became AACSB accredited for their master's program. The building the school is currently housed in was opened in 1992. In 2001, the college was named after Paul Orfalea, the founder of Kinko's, in recognition of his $15 million gift to the school.
Rankings
In 2018, Payscale.com ranked the Cal Poly Business Administration Degree No. 8 in the Nation for ROI. Forbes ranked Cal Poly California’s Best Public-Master’s University in 2018. Additionally, Cal Poly was named "Best in the West" for the 26th year in a row by U.S. News and World Report in 2018. ValueColleges.com ranked the Cal Poly M.S. Tax Program No. 1 in the Nation for ROI and the Cal Poly Packaging Program No. 1 in the Nation in 2017. In 2016, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked the Orfalea College of Business No. 59 out of 114 colleges and universities in the annual list of top undergraduate business programs. In 2014, the publication also listed the undergraduate program as No. 5 in the nation for return on investment.
Undergraduate
Admissions
For freshmen entering Fall 2019, the Orfalea College of Business accepted 28.8% of applicants ; entering freshmen had an average high school GPA of 4.00, an average ACT Composite score of 29.3, and an average SAT score of 1310 – 1460.
Fields of Study
The Orfalea College of Business offers 3 majors, 4 minors, and 9 areas of concentrations and options within the Business Administration and Economics Department. Freshmen students have until the end of their second year to declare their concentration and transfer students have until the end of their first year. Students can only declare one concentration but can add multiple minors offered throughout the university. Business Administration is the largest undergraduate major at Cal Poly with 2,414 undergraduate students in Fall 2019.
Multicultural Business Program: The Multicultural Business Program is a diverse, inclusive, and multicultural community led by students for students where they matter, belong, and with professional support are connected with resources to persist to graduation and beyond. The program provides personal and academic support for underserved and underrepresented minority students in business, which include Black/African-American, Native-American/American Indian, Hispanic/Latinx/Chicanx, Asian, LGBTQ+, First Generation, Undocumented, low-income and their allies. MBP offers program-specific courses. The program was started in the Fall of 2016. The MBP receives support from corporate sponsors including: PWC, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Chevron, Google, Northrop Grumman, and Mossadams.
Graduate
MBA
The MBA degree requires 60 units of coursework. The program offers wide-ranging courses in the essentials of economics, finance, accounting, marketing, strategy, organizational behavior and operations management form the program’s backbone. Electives in areas such as people analytics, negotiations, data management and entrepreneurship support the exploration of specific interests. MBA students can choose to be "even-paced" and complete the program in two years, or can choose "accelerated" and complete the program in 10 months. Courses are typically offered during daytime hours typically on Monday-Thursday. Fridays are reserved for team projects, guest speakers, career services and other extracurricular pursuits. Students have the opportunity to specialize in Graphic Communication Document Systems Management. With approval, MBA students can also take another graduate program in parallel with their MBA program.
MS Accounting
The MS in Accounting is a 45-quarter unit program takes a purposeful, integrated approach to graduate accounting education. The program uses close-knit student cohorts to ensure frequent contact with professors and a strong support system, along with plenty of Learn by Doing hands-on experiences. The well-connected faculty help students make valuable connections with leading firms well before graduation, helping us maintain our track record for job placement as well as CPA exam success. The program has nearly an 100% job placement rate.
MS Business Analytics
The MS in Business Analytics is a 10-month program offering students an incredible opportunity to advance their professional careers in the fast-growing data analytics field. This comprehensive program encompasses statistics, machine learning, econometrics, marketing analytics, and data management. Students also work collaboratively on real-world industry projects, providing them valuable experience working for a client in a team. MS Analytics students engage in six months of consulting projects with industry partners, working as valued consultants on real data-driven business problem and solutions. The MS in Business Analytics program is supported by an advisory board of top industry executives, who help shape curriculum and assure it is aligned with industry needs.
MS Packaging Value Chain
The MS in Packaging Value Chain program is 100% online and can be completed in one year. The program embraces the relevant disciplines of packaging science and technology, data analytics, design, marketing, finance, supply chain, operations and quantitative analysis. Graduates of Cal Poly’s MSPVC degree will be equipped for work at companies in a variety of industries, such as product manufacturers, packaging manufacturers, 3PLs, transportation companies, military contractors, management consulting, and design firms..
MS Quantitative Economics
The MS in Quantitative Economics is a one-year cohort program that starts with a fall intersession followed by the fall, winter, and spring quarters with all classes on-campus. The program delivers structured thinking about empirical problems and incentives. The overarching goal of the program is to teach students to work with data in novel, unstructured environments, under conditions of ambiguity, and guided by Economic Theory. During the program, students attain mastery of what we dub ‘economics-based analytics, ‘ which includes the integration of econometrics and machine learning, and receive systematic training in the analysis of inter-temporal decisions in strategic situations and under conditions of uncertainty. Students also learn how to use basic economics principles and experimental designs to help people make better decisions as individuals and in groups.
MS Taxation
The MS in Taxation is an intensive and rigorous 10-month program, with full-time classes held on campus. As a separate stand-alone degree in taxation, students receive a more in-depth education exclusively in taxation, compared to the curriculum of either a master of accountancy degree or a master of accountancy with a specialization in tax. The program includes a mandatory intensive session starting in August immediately before the fall quarter, as well as a winter internship. Cal Poly’s Master of Science in Taxation program was recently ranked No. 1 for value among graduate tax programs in the nation.
Professional Certificates
Business Analytics
The Professional Certificate in Business Analytics is a part-time, interdisciplinary business certificate. The program begins with an intensive summer sessions over a two-week period with classes meeting five days a week, four hours a day. The remaining three courses are completed in the fall, winter and spring quarters. The certificate can be completed in conjunction with other graduate programs, including an MBA, by taking the certificate courses as electives. For those wanting to further enhance their expertise in business analytics, the certificate can also be used as a stepping stone to the MS Business Analytics graduate program.
Packaging Value Chain
The Orfalea College of Business offers five online professional Packaging Value Chain certificate programs, which provide student a comprehensive understanding of the critical subsets of the packaging value proposition in a global context. The five certificate programs include: Packaging for Logistics & Supply Chains, Design for Packaging Value Chain, Packaging for Marketability, Packaging Value Chain, and Packaging Analytics. Depending upon the certificate of interest, the coursework can be accomplished between one to two quarters. The programs are all offered 100% online.
Executive Partners Program
The Executive Partners Program of the Orfalea College of Business is an organization of Senior Executives and College Administrators who volunteer their time to share their business experience and expertise. The program was developed to utilize the executive and entrepreneurial talent in the San Luis Obispo area to benefit Cal Poly students. The program matches students with local professionals who will be able to mentor students on career options and give insights into the practical environment of their career choice. The organization's mission is to develop and implement programs and forums that will benefit students by providing access to the professional community, which will enhance and extend their academic experience to transition into their chosen professions.
Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is designed to enable students to interact with faculty, with experienced entrepreneurs, and with each other in ways that will enhance their educational experience as well as strengthen ties between the California entrepreneurial community and Cal Poly while enhancing the university's historic strengths in technological innovation. Faculties not only innovate, but also conduct applied research on innovation processes – public policies, organizational processes, history and a range of important topics. The iQ Innovative Quest is a non-profit, philanthropic corporation founded by successful Cal Poly graduates and business leaders interested in giving back and enhancing innovation at the same time. The Ray Scherr Elevator Pitch Competition is to attract innovators and entrepreneurs from faculty and students across campus and integrate them into the entrepreneurial pipeline. Since the CIE's start in 2010, 109 companies have been started, $200 million in capital has been raised, and 1,000+ jobs have been created. Additionally, Cal Poly now offers 20 courses in entrepreneurship and boasts 10,000+ hours of alumni mentorship. CIE also supports the Small Business development Center which promotes the development of technology-focused ventures by providing high-quality business assistance to start-ups and established companies. The CIE also launched a two-year incubator program which provides everything needed to support and develop companies in early-stages.
Hothouse
The HotHouse is a community space created in 2011 through the efforts of Cal Poly, the city and county of San Luis Obispo, the business community, and the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It is an off-campus location that houses CIE programs. The goal of the HotHouse is to support students and community members as they work to create new innovations and start business ventures. In addition another location, named the HotHouse Annex, was recently added. It houses CIE programming too as well as a lab that creates opportunities for entrepreneurs, including community members, students and faculty, to develop new technologies and accelerate into the commercial sector.
Facilities
The four-story building is situated beautifully in front of the Richard O’Neill Green lawn. Paul J. Orfalea, founder of Kinko's, and his family have donated a gift of securities worth $15 million to the College of Business. The donation is earmarked to enhance the quality and scope of business education for Cal Poly students. The CSU Board of Trustees voted on January 24, 2001 to officially approve the naming of the Orfalea College of Business in recognition of Mr. Orfalea's generous gift.
