California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)
Hochschüle München and Cal Poly
The partnership between HM Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences and California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo (USA) - known as Cal Poly - has been growing since 2002. Over more than a decade, the two universities have steadily developed closer ties, allowing students, instructors, researchers, and administrators to maintain a vital exchange of ideas and information and to create lasting academic and personal relationships.
Five main goals are the focus of the strategic partnership for both universities:
• Ensuring the quality and continuity of the collaboration
• Strengthening the international profile and attractiveness of both universities
• Creating synergies and bundling resources
• Increasing the number of participating schools and departments
• Structuring new joint projects in research, teaching and continuing education
The activities and measures of the strategic partnership focus on three key areas:
• Continuation and expansion of student and lecturer mobility in both directions
• Establishment of joint initiatives in teaching, learning and research
• University-wide cooperation and exchange on administrative and organisational structures
Cal Poly currently has about 22,000 students, so it is quite comparable to HM and its 18,500 students in terms of size. Above all, however, it is the compatible range of subjects offered by the universities: both have a technical focus but are also strongly positioned in the fields of architecture, design and business, for example. True to its motto "Discere Faciendo" - "To Learn by Doing" - Cal Poly is primarily designed for practice-oriented degree programmes, thus coming very close to the German system of practice-oriented education at universities of applied sciences.
Founded in 1901, Cal Poly started out as a technically oriented vocational school, continuously expanded its range of subjects over the years and has held the official title of California Polytechnic State University since 1971. As such, it is part of the 23-member California State University system but is only one of two polytechnics.
Cal Poly is located in the city of San Luis Obispo with its 47,000 inhabitants, about halfway between the metropolises of Los Angeles and San Francisco and between the beaches of the Pacific and the wine-growing regions of the Central Coast.
Both universities are also located in economically strong regions with innovative and internationally oriented industries, so that there are many intersections between applied research and its practical implementation.
In rankings, Cal Poly with its total of six colleges regularly occupies top positions. For the past over 25 years, it has been named the best public, master's-level university in the West by U.S. News & World Report. Forbes also continues to name Cal Poly the top public masters-level university in California and one of the Top 25 public and private universities in the West.
