Pacific Oaks College (POC) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Pacific Oaks College is a private institution of higher education offering students the opportunity to earn anything from an academic certificate or diploma of less than two years of duration all the way up through a master’s degree. Though the school does not have a direct religious affiliation, it is heavily influenced by the Quaker traditions of its founders which are reflected in study programs and school policies.

The school is located in the California community of Pasadena, is set in a suburban area, and was founded in the year 1945. It is a liberal school with core values that have helped push modern higher education towards a more open, less biased format; it also serves not only to give people an academic degree, but also to make sure that graduates are well trained and ready to enter the workforce.

Information Summary

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Overall Score (about)	Insufficient Data
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$15,424
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	3 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	N/A / N/A
Enrollment Total (all students)	1,111

Academics

Pacific Oaks College receives its academic accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a distinction which the school has laid claim to since the year 1959. The school was recently (2009) served with an Order to Show Cause by WASC, which means that the school must provide the accrediting institution with sufficient reason for why accreditation should continue to be given within no more than a year; otherwise, Pacific Oaks College will cease to receive its accreditation from WASC. At the time of writing this article (early 2010), the timeframe to react to the Order to Show Cause has not expired and the school remains accredited. All degrees granted until such action is resolved bear the mark of an academically accredited institution.

The academic offerings at Pacific Oaks College fall under one of the three following academic divisions: Human Development, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Teacher Education Credentialing.

Several of Pacific Oaks College’s programs receive separate accreditation from competent professional organizations. In the case of the school’s Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), the program is fully recognized by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Then again, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing recognizes the school’s Teacher Education Program for teaching in several different contexts.

In addition to these programs, the school has popular and generally successful academic programs for obtaining bachelor’s and well as master’s degrees in Human Development, offers Credit by Life Experience academic options, and has a few different online academic programs available at the bachelor’s as well as the master’s level.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Admissions

Students may apply for admission to Pacific Oaks College on a rolling basis throughout the year, with academic start dates available to newly admitted students in the fall, spring and then in the summer as well. The school has a selective admissions policy, which means that not all candidates will be accepted to study at the school. In this regard, applicants are evaluated not only on their academic performance in high school (or college in the case of transfer applicants) but also on their results on the school’s entry tests as well as the applicant’s ability to make Pacific Oaks College a more culturally diverse environment and boost its core values.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is readily available for students at Pacific Oaks College, and over the course of 2009 more than 85% percent of the students attending the school were given some form of aid or another. The college administration encourages students and applicants to submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms as early as possible given the first-come, first-served nature of such aid. Students are also encouraged to consult with the California Student Aid Commission to discover alternate sources of funding to cover educational expenses.

Student Financial Aid Details

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Students

The student body at Pacific Oaks College falls within the midsize college range, with some 1,200 students enrolled in a given semester; approximately two-thirds of these students study on a full-time basis at the school (of whom the vast majority are women). Racial diversity is quite high at Pacific Oaks College, and mirrors California’s demographics quite faithfully with whites coming in at around 30%, Hispanics around 35%, and African-Americans constituting approximately 10% of the student population.

There are no student housing facilities available on the campus of Pacific Oaks College, though the school does sponsor a student classifieds service that helps students find suitable housing arrangements nearby.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Pacific Oaks College