High School Students

About LAES

The Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies (LAES) degree is a hybrid B.S. program that combines the study of Engineering with the study of Arts and Humanities. Students in this program can take courses in both the College of Engineering (CENG) and the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). LAES students select one concentration from Engineering and one from Liberal Arts. For more information on the degree such as possible career fields, concentrations, and coursework, visit the Prospective Students page.

LAES Information for High School Students

LAES is an internal transfer-only program; students are not able to move into the degree until their second-year year at Cal Poly. The primary issue, for someone coming into Cal Poly as a first-year student, is just getting into Cal Poly itself. Therefore, all the guidelines that others recommend for how to make a good application for Cal Poly (or an institution like Cal Poly) apply in this case as well. 

Our primary advice is to just focus on your college application process in general, and not worry about the LAES specifics until you’re actually enrolled in the university and have a few quarters of on-campus experience behind you. Students interested in the LAES program must be enrolled at Cal Poly for one year before seeking help from an advisor to start the major transferral process. 

With all that in mind, here are a few specific things you should know about LAES as a high school student, parent, or counselor:

1. Choosing a Major

Applying for one of the programs in the Engineering college is a good idea if the student is still interested in transferring to the LAES program during year two or three at Cal Poly. The required classes during the first year of any engineering degree will also “count” for part of the core course requirements in LAES. 

LAES coursework has such a substantial basis in math and physics that supports all upper-level engineering courses. Students who enter Cal Poly in one of the engineering degrees, or in a degree heavy in math and science (like those from the College of Science and Math), have many of their prerequisites met for LAES and therefore are on a good track to graduate within a four-year time frame.

Therefore, our main advice when choosing a degree during the application process to Cal Poly is to try for one of the majors from the College of Engineering, the College of Science and Math, or a major that has a fairly substantial basis in math and science.

Note for high school students, parents, and counselors: The LAES program is not involved in the admissions process. Students must communicate with the department once they are enrolled at Cal Poly.

2. Keeping Required Coursework in Mind

The required GE and introductory engineering and liberal arts courses for LAES are the same as nearly all first-year degree plans in Engineering and Liberal Arts. No matter which major students enter at Cal Poly (as long as the degree is in Engineering or Liberal Arts), you will be able to use those courses when building your degree in LAES after switching to the program during the second year at Cal Poly.

Actions for First-Year Students at Cal Poly

Here are specific things you should know about LAES as an enrolled student at Cal Poly who is interested in joining the LAES program:

1. Planning for Engineering Prerequisites

If you are a current student at Cal Poly and want to switch to LAES, we highly recommend that you get a start on the calculus and physics courses during the first year. Those courses are all required for entrance into the upper-level Engineering courses that are part of the LAES program. Students who start with some kind of engineering degree before moving into LAES have already started with their math and physics courses and therefore have met this requirement for LAES before they even apply to transfer into our degree. 

Calculus I (MATH 141), Calculus II (MATH 142), and General Physics I (PHYS 141) are the required courses a student needs to have completed in order to be eligible to enter into an Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA).

Note for enrolled students: Enrollment in courses is not guaranteed, especially in highly impacted courses. Please consult with a LAES advisor about the classes you desire to take.

2. Contacting an Advisor

Once a student is enrolled and is actively pursuing a degree at Cal Poly, they should schedule a time to meet with our lead academic advisor for LAES. That advisor helps students work through all the requirements that need to be in place before transferring into the program, and construct their first full program of study with us that best fits their interests. We have worked with many first year students to help them make the most of the courses they have already completed during that first year, to ensure that the transfer into LAES goes as smoothly as possible. 

Currently, our primary academic advisors for LAES are Sabrina Canady and Katie Harris. After you’re enrolled at Cal Poly and are working through your first year here, we recommend that you contact her for additional, more recent advice: 

Sabrina Canady, Lead Academic Advisor

Katie Harris, Academic Advisor

College of Liberal Arts Advising Center

Make an appointment here: CLA Advising

View the entire list of contacts for the LAES department on the Contact Us page.