| Faculty | Notability |
| Gabriel Georgiades | Professor of aerospace engineering and author; has been the regional chair, chair-elect, VC of Education and Advisory Committee representative; former "Evolution of Flight" program officer for the San Gabriel Valley Region of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |
| Alvaro Huerta | Joint professor of Urban & Region Planning and Ethnic & Women’s Studies, community organizer, writer, and recipient of the American Planning Association's Paul Davidoff award |
| Christoph Kapeller | Architecture lecturer; founding member of Norwegian firm Snohetta; design leader for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt |
| Thomas Keith | Filmmaker, educator, and anti-sexism activist |
| Nancy Kyes | Adjunct theater lecturer; former actress; frequent collaborator of filmmaker John Carpenter |
| Renford Reese | Professor of Political Science; author; founder and director of the "Colorful Flags" program aimed at reducing ethnic and racial tensions, servicing 17 school districts and a variety of law enforcement, social service, and other agencies in Southern California |
| Hilda Solis | Member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Democratic United States Secretary of Labor under President Barack Obama; former member of the United States House of Representatives; scholar-in-residence starting in 2014 |
| Faculty | Notability |
Virginia Hamilton Adair
| Poet, author of Ants on the Melon |
| Aaron Betsky | Served as visiting instructor in the Department of Architecture |
| Paul Caligiuri | Head soccer coach and National Soccer Hall of Fame player whose 1990 "Goal Heard Round the World" launched the United States into the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 40 years; resigned as head coach after the 2008 season |
| Craig Ellwood | Lecturer at the Department of Architecture; influential Mid Century Modern architect |
Ray Kappe
| Former faculty; founding chair of the Department of Architecture; later founded the Southern California Institute of Architecture |
| Saul Landau | Director of digital media programs, noted internationally for his films and writing on domestic policy and cultural issues; recipient of a 1980 Emmy |
| John T. Lyle | Professor of landscape architecture; namesake of the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly Pomona and the Lyle plaza at the entrance to Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin College |
| Thom Mayne | Former professor in the Department of Architecture; principal of Morphosis; Pritzker Prize laureate; co-founder of Southern California Institute of Architecture |
Ronald Muldrow
| Jazz guitarist and former member of the music faculty |
| Richard Neutra | Lecturer in the early days of the Department of Architecture; influential Mid Century Modern architect featured on the cover of Time magazine |
| Donald H. Pflueger | Historian, educator, prolific author of local stories; a founding member of the Glendora Historical Society and Pomona Valley Historical Society; served on the board of directors of the Historical Society of Southern California |
| James Pulliam | Modernist, instructor and campus architect; designed the bookstore, W. Keith and Janet Kellogg Art Gallery, and student union building |
| Michele Saee | Visiting instructor in the Department of Architecture, 1998–1999 |
| Raphael Soriano | Noted modernist architect who experimented with steel in residential construction; appointed Special Sessions Instructor |
Takeo Uesugi
| Professor emeritus in Landscape Architecture noted for his work in Japanese gardens; designed the garden at The Washington Center in Washington, D.C., among other notable landmarks |
| Martín Vásquez | Assistant association football coach in 1999 and 2000; head coach of C.D. Chivas USA, in Major League Soccer |
| Michael Woo | Dean of the College of Environmental Design; former Los Angeles city councilman; in 1993 became the first Asian American to run for mayor of a major city; garnered 46 percent of the vote but lost the race for mayor of Los Angeles to Richard Riordan |
| Richard Saul Wurman | Former Dean of the College of Environmental Design, founder of the TED conference, credited with coining the term "information architect" |
| Bernard Zimmerman | Modernist architect, architecture instructor for over 30 years, helped co-found the department along with Ray Kappe |
| Name | Degree | Year | Notes | Citation |
| Emory W. Morris | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1969 | Philanthropist | |
| Gwynna M. Morris | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1969 | Philanthropist | |
| Russell G. Mawby | Doctor of Science | 1989 | Philanthropist | |
| | 1992 | Actor, rescinded 18 November 2015 | |
| James A. Collins | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1992 | Businessman and philanthropist | |
| Michi Nishiura Weglyn | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1993 | Author | |
| Charles Brown Voorhis | Doctor of Laws | 1995 | Philanthropist | |
| Norman Williamson Jr. | Doctor of Letters | 1995 | Philanthropist and descendant of W.K. Kellogg | |
| Charles R. Oliver | Doctor of Science | 1996 | Philanthropist | |
| W.K. Kellogg | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1998 | Founder of Kellogg's and philanthropist | |
| Will Keith Kellogg II | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1998 | Philanthropist | |
| Julia Child | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2000 | Chef, author, and television personality, host of The French Chef | |
| Jack Dangermond | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2005 | Business executive and environmental scientist, co-founder of the Environmental Systems Research Institute | |
| Stuart Sperber | Doctor of Science | 2007 | Businessman, co-founder of Valley Crest Tree Company | |
| Andrew Cherng | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2008 | Founder and chairman of the board for Panda Express Restaurant Group | |
| Richard N. Frank | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2009 | Entrepreneur, chairman of Lawry's Restaurants, Inc. | |
| Sarah L. Ludwick | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2010 | Philanthropist | |
| Arthur J. Ludwick | Doctor of Science | 2010 | Philanthropist | |
| Don B. Huntley | Doctor of Science | 2009 | Businessman, farmer, owner of Huntley Moore Farms | |
| Ronald R. Simons | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2012 | Cal Poly Pomona administrator | |
| Joan Robinson-Berry | Doctor of Science | 2019 | Philanthropist and vice president of engineering, modifications and maintenance for Boeing Global Services | |
| Ronald W. Gregoire | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2014 | Philanthropist | |
| Eddy W. Hartenstein | Doctor of Science | 2014 | Businessman and alumnus | |
| Paul Anka | Doctor of Fine Arts | 2013 | Singer, songwriter, and actor | |
| Hae Park | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2013 | Philanthropist | |
| Diane G. Miller | Doctor of Science | 2019 | Director of Global Cyber Education and Workforce Development at Northrop Grumman | |
| Bob Weis | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2021 | President of Walt Disney Imagineering | |
| Violet Palmer | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2022 | NBA referee and alumnus | |
| Larry Gates | Doctor of Science | 2022 | Philanthropist and alumnus | |
| Clark D. Rucker | Doctor of Science | 2023 | Retired Boeing executive and alumnus | |
| Sean Yu | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2023 | Businessman, philanthropist and alumnus | |
| David and Ruth Singelyn | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2024 | Philanthropists and alumnus | |
| Mike Huggins | Doctor of Science | 2025 | Chief engineer, Aerospace Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, and alumnus | |
| Grace Napolitano | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2025 | Politician, former U.S. House representative | |