The Liberal Arts in L.A.

Where Theory Meets Practice

Situated on a 120-acre residential campus in the heart of Los Angeles, Occidental integrates the liberal arts with the cultural and intellectual resources of a global city. Oxy’s location provides a springboard for putting theory into practice and ideas into action. Excellence, equity, community and service have long been the basis for the College's commitment to producing thoughtful and engaged citizens who make a profound difference whatever path they follow. Our distinctive approach fosters both the fulfillment of individual aspirations and a deeply rooted commitment to the public good. It’s an education that is distinctly Oxy.

Distinctive Academic Programs

We provide a gifted, diverse group of students with a total educational experience of the highest quality, preparing them for leadership in an increasingly complex, interdependent and pluralistic world.

UN Headquarters in NYC, with int'l flags

Kahane U.N. Program

Oxy is proud to sponsor the nation’s only full-time residential internship program available at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Campaign Semester

Every two years, Oxy students venture to the trenches of political campaigns as participants in Campaign Semester—the only program of its kind in the nation.

Obama Scholars Program

The Barack Obama Scholars Program at Occidental empowers the next generation of leaders to actively pursue the public good.

Lawyering for Social Justice

Oxy’s one-of-a-kind Lawyering for Social Justice program gives students hands-on experience in public-interest law, affording new insights into the legal system.

Professor Kathryn Leonard teaches some students

Oxy Immersive Semester

The new Oxy programs pair in-depth academics with real-world action, exemplifying the potential and vitality of the liberal arts.

Students doing marine research on a ship

Undergraduate Research

At Oxy, students don’t wait until they graduate to make original intellectual and creative contributions to their disciplines.

Oxy and L.A: Intimate Scale, Infinite Scope

Oxy gives its students the best of both worlds: the intimacy of a residential campus plus access to the educational, cultural and recreational resources of a global city.

Oxy Arts

Oxy Arts brings together the campus and neighboring communities plus local and regional artists for engagement and socially conscious dialogue.

Marine Biology

Occidental’s close proximity to the Pacific Ocean offers students a vibrant, living laboratory for studying marine biology.

Media Arts & Culture

The MAC department integrates media theory and production, helping students develop and refine critical and creative skills.

Internship Opportunities

InternLA is a paid summer internship program that gives students real-world work experience with organizations throughout the Los Angeles area.

Urban & Environmental Policy Institute

The Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental is an applied research and advocacy center.

Center for Community Based Learning

CCBL’s civic engagement approach aims to enrich students' learning and commitment to social responsibility.

Oxy students decorating the wishing tree at Orientation

Access, Equity & Justice

For more than three decades, Oxy has striven to embrace diversity of all kinds. By meeting the full demonstrated need of every student, Oxy seeks to provide access to talented students of all backgrounds. The College’s Equity and Justice Agenda acknowledges the work yet to be done and the Oxy community’s commitment to continuing leadership in this critically important area.

STEM & the Liberal Arts

The sciences and mathematics have always been central to an Oxy education, with the same Interdisciplinary, research-based approach that informs the rest of the curriculum—from cognitive science and biochemistry to computer science. The new genomics center in the Anderson Center for Environmental Sciences unites Oxy’s world-class museum collections with cutting-edge DNA technology.

Springboard to Success

The skills inculcated by an Oxy liberal arts education—critical thinking, creative problem-solving, effective communication, the ability to negotiate difference—are essential in the modern economy. The best evidence of this fact is the success of our alumni: as scientists and changemakers, CEOs and Oscar winners, authors and Imagineers, and even as president of the United States. We measure our success through assessment of the institutional learning outcomes and objectives of the urban liberal arts experience.