With a mission deeply rooted in the principles of inclusion, social justice, and the valuing of every human being, Pacific Oaks College prepares its graduates with the skills and knowledge they need to help people from diverse backgrounds, learning styles, and strengths uncover and realize their unique individual potentials.

Degree and certificate programs at Pacific Oaks College:

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• B.A. in Human Development
  • Offered in Pasadena and online.
  • Designed as a part-time program typically extending over two years. May be possible to complete in as little as one calendar year.
  • A part-time, “bachelor’s completion” program for students who have completed some college coursework. Applicants should have at least 60-70 transferable semester units and may transfer in up to 94 units toward the 124 required for B.A. completion. Mature students may also qualify for our admission by life experience (ABLE) program, which offers the option of documenting experience-based learning for transfer credit.
  • In keeping with the Pacific Oaks philosophy that every individual has a unique identity and potential, the B.A. in human development curriculum teaches students to see every child individually, as opposed to providing a one-size-fits-all curriculum. Graduates are taught to uncover what is unique about each child’s skills, background, family, and culture; what each child needs to build confidence and competence; and how best to respect and support each child’s potential and growth.
  • Students may apply for simultaneous enrollment in both the B.A. program and one of our Teacher Credentialing programs that lead to the Preliminary MSEL or Education Specialist Level 1 teaching credential in the state of California.
• M.A. in Human Development
  • Offered in Pasadena and online.
  • May be completed in as little as two years, part-time.
  • Program builds competence in human development, knowledge of the social and political contexts of development, communication skills, integration of theory into practice, and research—preparing graduates to take on leadership roles in a range of settings serving young children and their families.
  • Graduates are prepared to work in a vast range of settings and many of our graduates have gone on to become community college instructors, administrators, supervisors, and teachers in early childhood settings worldwide—helping to spread our inclusive, strength-based approach.
  • Students complete a master’s project/thesis based on their individual field experiences—providing an original contribution to knowledge and understanding in the field of human development.
  • Students may select from any of these optional specializations within the Human Development degree program:
    Leadership in Education and Human Services (with sub-specializations in Administration/Supervision, College Teaching/Teaching Adults, or Parent/Community Work)
    Early Childhood Education
    Bicultural Development
    Infant Toddler Care and Development
    Developmental Education
    Human Development and Social Change
    Social and Human Services
  • Students may apply for simultaneous enrollment in both the M.A. program and one of our Teacher Credentialing programs that lead to the Preliminary MSEL or Education Specialist Level 1 teaching credential in the state of California.
  • Applicants who do not have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college may apply for a BEquivalency. Mature students with strong leadership experience may qualify for documentation of a BEquivalency by completing at least 60 transfer units including all general education transfer requirements, and documenting their experience-based learning in a Pacific Oaks Assessment of Experience seminar.
• M.A. in Marital and Family Therapy
  • Offered in Pasadena
  • May be completed in as little as 2 1/2 years when starting in the spring semester, or 3 years, when starting in fall.
  • Curriculum adheres to the guidelines and meets the requirements of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences—preparing graduates to sit for the California MFT licensing exam.
  • Program provides a solid foundation in a vast spectrum of mental health theory and practice, including theories of human development, personality, and marriage and family therapy; the impact of society and culture on families; assessment , diagnosis, and intervention with adults, children, families, couples, or groups; cross-cultural competence; and the legal and ethical issues relevant to clinical practice.
  • Students may select our specializations in African American Family Studies or Latina/o Family Studies, to gain marketable expertise and cultural competence in these critical and underserved areas.
  • 100% of students secure clinical training placements within community agencies—enabling students to complete the pre-graduate portion of the 3,000 supervised hours required for the California licensing exam in Marriage and Family Therapy.
  • Students complete 36 hours of personal therapy with a licensed mental health professional—20 hours before and 16 hours during their clinical training placements.
  • Students complete a Masters Thesis Project over the course of three consecutive semester classes, conducting qualitative research such as interviewing participants from the community regarding an issue of relevance to mental health theory and practice, and then comparing and contrasting the information gathered with established research literature on the topic.
  • Program is unique among other MFT programs in the following ways:
    Prepares graduates to consider issues of social justice within family systems and to explore how those factors directly impact family dynamics and the mental health of each family member.
    Takes an integrative, interdisciplinary focus, exposing students to the range of mental health professions, though placing central emphasis on the profession of Marital and Family Therapy. Program emphasizes what is common and complementary in the various mental health disciplines, rather than what is different and separate or exclusive.
    Provides an egalitarian academic environment, where each student and each instructor is both teacher and learner.
    Offers a deeply relational approach to teaching and learning. Just as research has demonstrated that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is the single critical factor in producing positive healing outcomes, Pacific Oaks believes that the quality of the academic relationships among students and instructors is the cornerstone of a transformative academic learning experience.
• M.A. in Marital and Family Therapy: Latina/Latino Family Studies Specialization
  • Offered in Pasadena.
  • Classes meet six weekends per semester (Friday through Sunday)
  • An intensive three-year program consisting of 56 semester units.
  • A “cohort” model in which all students progress through the program together at the same pace—creating a growing trust, intimacy and bonding among students within the specialization.
  • The only master’s program of its kind in California, equipping graduates with broad preparation in Marital and Family Therapy as well as a special educational emphasis on the diverse mental health needs of Latina/Latino children and families.
  • Open to all students who are passionate about serving Latina/o families and studying MFT theories in context with the issues that impact the Latina/o population, such as: immigration, acculturation, trauma, culture, history, liberation psychology, and advocacy.
  • Faculty consists of diverse professionals who represent varied mental health disciplines and extensive academic and community-based experience.
  • The educational experience of the Comadre-Compadre Cohort model is an intensely dynamic, intellectually relevant process. Faculty and students comprise a community that uniquely challenges both the personal and professional development of all its participants.
• M.A. in Marital and Family Therapy: African American Family Studies Specialization
  • Offered in Pasadena
  • Classes meet every other weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
  • An intensive three-year program consisting of 56 semester units.
  • A “cohort” model in which all students progress through the program together at the same pace—creating a growing trust, intimacy and bonding among students within the specialization.
  • Equips graduates with broad preparation in Marital and Family Therapy as well as a special educational emphasis on the diverse mental health needs of African American children and families.
  • Curriculum explores mental health theory and practice from a deeply culture-centered perspective, informed by the UJIMA model of collective work and responsibility—with the goal of developing marriage and family therapists who are highly competent in serving and advocating for the mental health needs of African American families.
  • Students complete their clinical training hours in community agencies serving African American families, and are supervised and mentored, when possible, by licensed African American mental health professionals.
  • Students complete a Masters Thesis Project focusing in an area of relevance to the mental health needs of African American families. .
  • Program is open to all people who are interested in specializing in serving the mental health needs of African American families and communities. The student body consists primarily, but not exclusively, of self-identified African American students, and the faculty consists primarily, but not exclusively, of mental health specialists and academics with intimate knowledge and experience of the African American community’s mental health needs.
• Teacher Credentialing Programs
  • Offered in Pasadena.
  • Students select from three credential programs:
    Preliminary Multiple Subject English Learner Credential, or MSEL/2042
    Education Specialist Credential, Mild to Moderate Disabilities Level I
    Education Specialist Credential, Mild to Moderate Disabilities Level II
  • Students also have the option to earn both their MSEL and ESC Level I credentials simultaneously (“dual credentialing”)—preparing them to teach in general education as well as special education settings.
  • Curriculum is based on the Teaching Performance Expectations (TPE’s) required by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC).
  • In keeping with Pacific Oaks College’s emphasis on experiential learning, coursework combines both classroom learning and fieldwork at more than 25 local public schools, enabling students to draw powerful connections between theory and practice.
  • An apprenticeship model in which advanced students encourage, challenge, and guide newer students, and our practitioner faculty (with years of real-world experience) provide close, individualized training and mentorship to every student.
  • Prepares students to be advocates for diversity and inclusion in education, taking an active stand around issues of equity and access. Graduates are equipped with a sophisticated understanding of the social, political, and cultural contexts of child and human development, preparing them to be effective advocates for democracy in education at the school, district, and state level.
  • Students have the powerful and enriching opportunity to enter the thesis track (a three course/three semester series), through which they explore the role of the teacher as a researcher, participant in an inquiry community, and ultimately as and advocate and change agent. This Ethnographic Research Project begins with an individual self-analysis of the researcher’s life, interests, academic knowledge, skills and attitudes—then moves out to an exploration and analysis of three students who meet stated criteria. The research continues to move outward in studying family, community, state and national policy, as well as the larger social, political, economic and cultural environment. The project concludes with a statement of the researcher’s own emerging educational philosophy, a reflective summary of the three students’ progress, a statement of how the teacher/researcher will interrupt social reproduction in her/his classroom and school, and next steps for professional development
• Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Development
  • Offered in Pasadena and online.
  • A part-time program consisting of 15 semester units
  • Students select one of several certificate options including Early Childhood Education; Leadership in Education and Human Services; Bi-Cultural Development; and Social and Human Services.
  • Program provides a powerful professional development opportunity for applicants with a master’s degree in any field to build their competence in developmental theory, understanding of diversity, communication, and application of theory in practice—from one of the nation’s leaders in the field.