Mount Saint Mary's University

What is the history of Mount Saint Mary's University?

Mount Saint Mary's University was founded in Los Angeles in 1925 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet as a college for women. Its history helps explain its continuing emphasis on women's education, Catholic social values and service.

The institution began at its Chalon Campus in Brentwood and later expanded to the Doheny Campus near downtown Los Angeles. Formerly Mount St. Mary's College, it adopted the name Mount Saint Mary's University in 2015 to reflect its broader range of undergraduate and graduate programs. Applicants should distinguish this Los Angeles university from Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland; they are separate institutions.

What are the faculties and departments at Mount Saint Mary's University?

Mount Saint Mary's offers undergraduate and graduate study across the liberal arts, sciences, business, education, health professions and social sciences. Its academic offerings also include associate-level pathways, particularly in nursing. Students should use the current academic catalog to confirm which credentials, course formats and campuses apply to a particular program.

Representative areas of study include nursing, psychology, biology, business administration, social work, education and the arts. Nursing applicants, in particular, need to distinguish among associate, bachelor's and graduate pathways: admission to the university does not by itself establish eligibility for every nursing track or clinical placement. The university's academic structure also serves different populations, including traditional undergraduates and adult or graduate students, so a program's schedule may matter as much as its subject.

What is the location of Mount Saint Mary's University?

Mount Saint Mary's University operates two principal campuses in Los Angeles, California: Chalon in the Brentwood area and Doheny near downtown Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. They offer different surroundings, and students may need to travel between them depending on their courses and activities.

Chalon has a hillside setting, while Doheny sits in a denser urban area. The two-campus arrangement makes it important to check a prospective program's actual class location rather than assuming all services or events are within walking distance. For commuters, travel time can vary substantially with Los Angeles traffic; public transit and campus transportation options are worth checking against an individual class schedule.

What is the mission and vision of Mount Saint Mary's University?

Mount Saint Mary's describes its mission in terms of educating students for leadership and service, with particular attention to women's education. Its stated educational approach draws on the Catholic tradition and the values of its founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

That affiliation informs the university's emphasis on community engagement, social responsibility and the study of women's lives and leadership. These are institutional priorities, not measures of what every student will experience. Prospective students who want to understand how the mission appears in a particular degree should examine that program's curriculum, service expectations and campus activities.