For 14th Straight Year, Cal Poly Is Best in the West in U.S. News Rankings

SAN LUIS OBISPO - For the 14th year in a row, Cal Poly has been rated the best public-master's university in the West by U.S. News & World Report, in its 2007 America 's Best Colleges guidebook.

Cal Poly ranked 7th in the magazine's overall list of the West's best universities, including both public and private institutions, that provide "a full range of undergraduate and master's-level programs but few, if any, doctoral programs."

U.S. News ranks colleges that grant doctoral degrees, such as those in the University of California system, in a separate category.

"Perhaps the most important gauge of the effectiveness of Cal Poly's educational programs is how well our graduates do, their success in the real world," said Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker. "We hear that our graduates are doing great things and we take pride in that. Getting a ranking in U.S. News for the 14th straight year, however, helps to validate the quality of our programs and the success of our gifted faculty in preparing students to meet the challenges they will face head-on."

Cal Poly also made the list of programs to watch in the category Undergraduate Research/Creative Programs, which recognizes university programs in which "students do intensive and self-directed research or creative work that results in an original scholarly paper or other product that can be formally presented on or off campus."

Earning a spot in the magazine's Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs - for schools whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's - Cal Poly's College of Engineering ranked as the No. 2 program at a public school, behind only the United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy.

A number of College of Engineering programs also ranked high in the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs in their individual specialty categories. Cal Poly's programs in electrical engineering and industrial/manufacturing programs were each ranked as the top program at a public university in their respective specialty categories. Other engineering programs that ranked well are computer at No. 2 and aerospace at No. 3.

The U.S. News rankings will be available at www.usnews.com starting Aug. 18 and will be in the U.S. News & World Report magazine that goes on sale Monday, Aug. 22.

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