Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies
Program Overview
Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies (BS)
The Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies (LAES) degree is jointly offered by the colleges of Liberal Arts and Engineering. This program prepares students for a wide range of innovative careers in emerging professional fields that combine skills and interests in the arts, technology, and culture, and also prepares them for further study in graduate school.
Program Overview
The LAES degree is open to all students at Cal Poly and is not intended to be an ABET-accredited engineering program. The curriculum allows Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies students to participate in development teams working on national and international technology and cultural projects. To further prepare students for work with diverse teams that include participants from across the globe, the program strongly encourages students to spend three to six months studying and/or working abroad.
Career Opportunities
The BS in Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies can lead to careers in fields such as:
- Animatronics
- Audio Engineering
- Digital Media Production and Management
- Digital Publishing
- Environmental Technology Education
- Film and Television Production
- Game Design
- Government Policy Making / Analysis
- International Technology Management
- STEM Education in School and Out-of-School Contexts
- Sustainable Community Development
- Technical Communications
- Technology Services and Management
- User Experience and User Interface Design
- Web Design
Concentrations
LAES students must select one concentration from Engineering and one from Liberal Arts. Students may choose to follow an individualized course of study in Engineering or/and in the Liberal Arts, constructed in consultation with LAES advisors.
Engineering Concentrations
- Computer Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Engineering Individualized Course of Study
Liberal Arts Concentrations
- Liberal Arts Focused Course of Study
- Technical and Professional Communication
- Liberal Arts Individualized Course of Study
Program Learning Objectives
- Think critically and creatively in the process of solving techno-social problems considering philosophical, aesthetic, and expressive concerns.
- Communicate effectively through a variety of media in diverse, multicultural perspectives and facilitate communication between technical and non-technical collaborators.
- Use mathematics, science, and engineering principles to produce solutions to problems within the student's Liberal Arts and Engineering concentrations.
- Function effectively as a member of interdisciplinary or international teams, formulating sustainable solutions to problems at the intersection of technology and society.
- Demonstrate ethical and professional responsibilities associated with the creation, use, and integration of technology.
- Serve as informed and responsible citizens in a global culture and remain involved with learning and helping society improve.
Degree Requirements and Curriculum
In addition to the program requirements, students must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section of this catalog, including:
- 40 units of upper-division courses
- 2.0 GPA
- Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
- U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
Course List
The course list includes:
- MAJOR COURSES
- LAES 4301: Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies Capstone I
- LAES 4302: Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies Capstone II
- LAES 4461: Senior Project I in Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies
- LAES 4462: Senior Project II in Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies
- Engineering Concentration or Individualized Course of Study
- Liberal Arts Concentration or Individualized Course of Study
- SUPPORT COURSES
- CHEM 1120: Fundamentals of Chemical Structure and Properties
- MATH 1261: Calculus I
- MATH 1262: Calculus II
- MATH 2263: Calculus III
- PHYS 1141: General Physics I
- PHYS 1143: General Physics II
- STAT 3210: Engineering Statistics
- Study Abroad or Upper-Division Global Perspectives
- GENERAL EDUCATION (GE)
- FREE ELECTIVES
General Education (GE) Requirements
43 units required, 10 of which are specified in Major and/or Support. A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: 1A (English Composition), 1B (Critical Thinking), 1C (Oral Communication), and 2 (Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning).
Lower-Division General Education
- Area 1: English Communication and Critical Thinking
- 1A: Written Communication
- 1B: Critical Thinking
- 1C: Oral Communication
- Area 2: Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning
- 2: Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning
- Area 3: Arts and Humanities
- 3A: Arts
- 3B: Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English
- Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences
- 4A: American Institutions
- 4B: Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Area 5: Physical and Life Sciences
- 5A: Physical Sciences
- 5B: Life Sciences
- 5C: Laboratory
- Area 6: Ethnic Studies
- 6: Ethnic Studies
Upper-Division General Education
- Upper-Division 2/5: Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical and Life Sciences
- Upper-Division 3: Arts and Humanities
- Upper-Division 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences
Engineering Concentrations Details
Computer Science
- REQUIRED COURSES
- CSC 1001 & 1001L: Fundamentals of Computer Science and Fundamentals of Computer Science Laboratory
- CSC 2001 & 2001L: Data Structures and Data Structures Laboratory
- Electives: LAES director approved electives in CSC, CPE, or SE courses
Electrical Engineering
- REQUIRED COURSES
- EE 2211: Electric Circuit Analysis I
- EE 2212: Electric Circuit Analysis II
- EE 2241: Electric Circuit Analysis Laboratory I
- MATH 2341: Linear Analysis
- Electives: LAES director approved electives in CPE or EE
Industrial Engineering
- REQUIRED COURSES
- CSC 1032: Programming for Scientists and Engineers
- IME 1140: Technical Graphics Communication for Design and Manufacturing
- IME 1143: Introduction to Design and Manufacturing
- IME 1223: Process Improvement Fundamentals
- IME 2212: Introduction to Enterprise Analytics and Database Systems
- IME 2315: Financial Decision Making for Engineers
- Electives: LAES director approved electives in IE courses
Engineering Individualized Course of Study
- Electives: LAES director approved electives from courses offered by the College of Engineering
Liberal Arts Concentrations Details
Liberal Arts Focused Course of Study
- College of Liberal Arts Minor Coursework: Select from approved minors in Liberal Arts academic programs
Technical and Professional Communication
- REQUIRED COURSES
- ENGL 2222: Introduction to Technical and Professional Communication
- ENGL 4491: Practicum in Technical and Professional Communication
- Electives: Select from approved courses in Technical and Professional Communication
Liberal Arts Individualized Course of Study
- Electives: LAES director approved electives from courses offered by the College of Liberal Arts