Pacific Oaks College

What is the history of Pacific Oaks College?

Pacific Oaks College grew out of the Pacific Oaks Children's School, founded in Pasadena in 1945 by families influenced by Quaker educational values. The college was established in 1958 to prepare adults for work with children and families. That connection helps explain why human development and education remain central to its academic identity.

Pacific Oaks has since expanded beyond its original teacher-preparation focus into fields including psychology, social work, and organizational leadership. Prospective students should distinguish the college's degree programs from the affiliated children's school: they serve different learners, even though the school has played an important role in the college's history and approach to learning.

What are the faculties and departments at Pacific Oaks College?

Pacific Oaks College concentrates on education, human development, and related helping professions rather than offering a broad selection of conventional liberal-arts majors. Its programs include undergraduate and graduate study in human development, teacher education, psychology, social work, and business or organizational leadership.

For applicants, the important distinction is often program and credential, not simply subject. A bachelor's degree in human development, a graduate counseling program, and a teacher-credential pathway can have different admissions rules, fieldwork expectations, schedules, and professional outcomes. Students pursuing a California teaching credential or a clinical license should check the requirements of the specific program against the current rules of the relevant state licensing agency before enrolling.

What is the location of Pacific Oaks College?

Pacific Oaks College is based in Pasadena, California, within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Its location places students near schools, community organizations, and human-service agencies that may be relevant to coursework or supervised field experience.

This is largely a commuter-oriented college rather than a residential campus. A prospective student should evaluate the travel time to the particular classes or placements required by their program, not just the trip to the Pasadena campus. Regional transit and road traffic can make those two commutes quite different. Hollywood Burbank Airport is a practical regional airport option, although airport access is unlikely to be a routine consideration for most local students.

What is the mission and vision of Pacific Oaks College?

Pacific Oaks College describes its educational purpose in terms of human development, social justice, and learning across differences. Its historical ties to Quaker thought are part of that identity, but applicants should not assume that enrollment requires a religious affiliation.

The college's educational approach emphasizes students' experiences and the social contexts in which people learn and develop. Those are statements of institutional priorities, not independent measures of how every course is taught. Applicants comparing programs can look for concrete evidence of the approach in course descriptions, classroom formats, supervised practice requirements, and opportunities to work with communities.