Pacific Oaks College (in Pasadena, Calif., online, and with instructional sites in Visalia and Salinas, Calif.) is an upper-division, accredited institution offering bachelor’s, master’s, and certificate programs in human development, counseling, and teaching credentialing.
Founded more than 60 years ago by a small group of Quaker families, Pacific Oaks College is dedicated to the fundamental Quaker principles of inclusion, social justice, and the valuing of every human being. The institution is known and recognized for its pioneering efforts to reduce bias within our nation’s education system, and for equipping graduates with the skills they need to help people from diverse backgrounds, learning styles, and strengths uncover and realize their unique individual potentials.
Pacific Oaks is known for its progressive approach to learning–valuing real-world experiences as well as academic achievements. This philosophy is embodied through opportunities such as the Credit for Life Experience option, which allows students to gain academic credit for real-world experience acquired in the workplace. Students may earn up to 30 credits in this manner–credits which can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree and count toward application for an M.A. in Marital and Family Therapy or Human Development.
Three basic concepts underlie the educational philosophy at Pacific Oaks:
- that every individual has a fundamental worth;
- that growth is a dynamic and life-long process;
- and that every individual has a unique identity and human potential.
Students report that attending Pacific Oaks College is a transforming experience, enabling them to emerge empowered to stand up for themselves and others—and to help those they serve become all they can be. Our graduates have gone on to become teachers, counselors, policy-makers, college instructors, early childhood program directors, and parent education specialists.