Message from the Director
Nicole Johnson-Glauch (she/her/ally)
Director, General Engineering
Professor, Materials Engineering
Welcome to General Engineering! My name is Dr. Nicole Johnson-Glauch. I have been at Cal Poly since 2019 and started as Director for General Engineering in September of 2025. I am most excited about working with students to find what makes them come alive. Whether it’s transferring to another one of our incredible programs, following your dreams with a customized curriculum, or graduating after traveling a complex life path, I am here for you. My goal for the program is to create community that is inclusive and emphasizes the wellbeing of staff, students, and faculty.
Just a little bit about me: I am a Colorado native, I love to garden, and I am an avid reader. My area of research is in an area of engineering education called participatory action research. You may know this style of research by the phrase “Nothing about Us without Us.” Student participants are active members of the research team alongside staff and faculty. Together, our team seeks to create institutional policies and activities that help students of varying backgrounds succeed in engineering. For example, I am part of a group developing the EPIC + SURP program, which synergizes the existing EPIC and SURP programs at Cal Poly. Students in this program give back to the community by guiding middle and high school students through engineering activities. Additionally, these students gain critical research skills through studying the effectiveness of the EPIC program.
- Creating a computing-based multidisciplinary curriculum that allows students to explore engineering problems such as optimized smart power grids or sustainable computing infrastructure.
- Incorporating professional development opportunities such as obtaining engineering certifications into the GENE curriculum for course credit.
- Social and professional development events such as LinkedIn Workshops, Industry Tours, the first ever General Engineering and Society Book Club.
Best,
Nicole Johnson-Glauch (she/her/ally)
Degree Description
Degree Description
General Engineering serves three types of students:
- First time first years (FTFY) who are unsure about their desired major. GENE is ideal for first time students who are undecided as to which engineering discipline they want to major in. You will be able to take your first few quarters at Cal Poly and explore various majors without falling behind in most majors. If you are planning on changing majors, it is best to initiate the process as soon as possible.
- Students who are interested in pursuing a course of study whose scope reaches beyond the established curriculum of any single existing department at Cal Poly. This can be accomplished through the Individual Course of Study concentration (ICS) in GENE. Examples of some of the courses of study pursued by GENE majors include Bioengineering, Biomechanics, Chemical Engineering, Engineering Sustainability, Entrepreneur Engineering, Ocean Engineering, Product Development and Design, Peace Engineering, Audio Engineering, Education, and Pre-medical studies.
- Students who have had a complex path in engineering and are looking to create a short and efficient route to graduation with a General Engineering degree.
History
The General Engineering (GENE) program at Cal Poly evolved from the Engineering Science Program, which was established in 1960. The program name was changed to General Engineering in 1996, and existed at the college level under the direction of an Associate Dean until 2006, when the Biomedical and General Engineering Department was established. The BMED program became a department in 2015 when the GENE program also became independent. Click here for a paper on the history of the General Engineering Program.
Mission
The mission of the General Engineering Program is to provide students with the highest quality technical and professional engineering education, with a particular emphasis in new or evolving interdisciplinary areas, while allowing the students to participate in designing their own programs of study.
- An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
- An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
- An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
- An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
- An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
- An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
General Engineering is not ABET accredited. However, Cal Poly is Accredited by WSCUC and all other majors in the College of Engineering are accredited by ABET. This means that all courses you will take are from accredited programs.
The Faculty in the college have been thoughtful as to the advantages and disadvantages of ABET accreditation for General Engineering. Below is a list of the items considered:
- Cal Poly Engineering has an excellent reputation of graduating outstanding engineers.
- Many companies do not care about the ABET accreditation. However, although it is uncommon, some government contractors may require ABET accreditation.
- Some elite universities with engineering degrees are not accredited. For instance, Stanford has nine engineering programs and only two are accredited.
- All courses taken in the GENE curriculum are from programs accredited by ABET.
- If you work as an engineer that requires a PE license, it will take two years more work experience to be eligible for the license.
- It is very likely that General Engineering could be accredited, but the resources of both faculty and staff time make it difficult at this point.
- General Engineering curriculum is designed to be ABET accredited following the recommended Math, Science, and Engineering courses.
- It is a priority to maintain the flexibility in the General Engineering Program, which may add complexity to the accreditation process.
- Cal Poly is well regarded; therefore, a General Engineering degree from Cal Poly will also be well regarded despite its lack of accreditation.