Cal Poly Pomona is well-known for its "learn by doing" philosophy where an essential part of the curriculum is hands-on
application of knowledge. This has resulted in a high interest by many firms for Cal Poly engineers.The university also has the only agriculture program in Southern California leading to a stark contrast from a stereotypical university appearance, as the
farmlands circle the main campus. And with the exception of its sister school, Cal Poly Pomona maintains the only accredited
archtecture program in a California public university.Cal Poly consistantly ranks in the top of Western Colleges in U.S. News & World Report's annual college ranking and was
named one of the "Best of the West" by
The Princeton
Review in 2004.The most popular undergraduate majors include Computer Science,
Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.Some departments (Mostly engineering) continue to follow the originally mandatory requirement for an undergraduate
senior/research thesis to graduate.