The Junior College division was established in 1927. Its purpose: "to train high class assistants, foremen or superintendents in trades and industry and in agriculture." The State Board of Education ruled that the junior college division was not to offer work in agriculture. The objective was to provide for non-agricultural semi-professional occupations.
By the fall of 1928, Aeronautics was added as an option in Mechanics. To satisfy the University of California admission and/or transfer language requirement, courses in French and Spanish were added to the school's offerings.
The catalog description of electrical measurements follows. "A detailed course in measurements in electricity and magnetism and the application of measurements to the commercial world. Advanced and theoretical problems in electrical machinery circuits and magnetic circuits as considered in present day practice. Studies of instruments, relays, and switching devices are taken up and their application considered."
For electrical power plants - "Studies in the problems of power generating stations from the standpoint of the public utility engineer. Consideration of costs, machinery, equipment, service and financial problems are taken up and the student is given a fair knowledge of the problems of power generation - a one-semester course. Instructor: C. E. Knott."
"The Electrical Engineering Building, an attractive 40 x 110 ft., one story stucco structure was built in 1928. Designed for electrical work, the building is modern and contains a test room 20 x 100 ft., two classrooms, one instrument room and a small test room is equipped with modern types of electrical machines. AC and DC switch boards, test tables, control apparatus, transformers, and instruments for running all kinds of commercial tests. Because of the proximity of the electrical building to the power plant, opportunity is afforded students of electricity to obtain practice in power plant operation as well as practical experience in substation operation."
By 1929 it is noted that the electrical students started their first course in electricity in their second year. Dawes' Electrical Engineering Volume I was used as the text. Those students who came as high school graduates took Electricity I, II in the junior college program using both Volumes I and II of Dawes' famous text.
From the junior college division of the California Polytechnic Bulletin No. 1: "Electrical Engineering -- The aim of the course in electrical engineering is to prepare young men to become intermediate executives in the many electrical industries. Prerequisites: Mathematics, three units required, including algebra, geometry, and either algebra II or trigonometry and solid geometry. Four units advised. (If four units are taken in high school, analytic geometry and differential calculus will be taken the first year, and integral calculus the second. Integral calculus is particularly valuable to students who wish to transfer to a large electrical corporation for further training.)
High school physics, one unit
High school chemistry, one unit
Mechanical Drawing, one unit
The school was considered fortunate that Dr. Wilder was a member of the faculty. His having a Ph.D. in Physics gave transfer acceptability for the junior college division graduates to the California Institute of Technology and the University of California.
The first graduate of the junior college division was a local young man, Fred Bowden, in 1929. Bowden went on to the California Institute of Technology earning a B.S. (1931), and an M.S., (1933) degree in electrical engineering. He returned to the institution in a faculty capacity in 1949.
From the Bulletin No. 2, 1931-32, direct currents and elementary electrical drafting were taken in the first year and alternating currents and advanced electrical drafting were taken the second year. No humanities courses were required in the curriculum. It is noted that the high school division characterized the course of study in the first and second years as trade level and the third and fourth years as technician level. With this concept, passing students who withdrew at the end of the second year were given a two-year certificate, passing students who withdrew at the end of the third year were given a three-year certificate and those students who successfully completed the fourth year were granted a B.S. degree. The levels were synonymous with tradesman, technician and engineer,
Around 1929 opportunities for graduates were great at Western Electric Company, Westinghouse Corporation, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, to name a few. There were a few graduates who continued their studies at four-year institutions.