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Westmont College is a private, undergraduate, residential Christian liberal arts located in Santa Barbara, California. Established in 1937, the College was founded by Ruth Kerr, with the help of others, who wished to create a liberal arts college which would be committed to the historic, Christian faith. By 1945 the institution had outgrown its original facilities in Los Angeles and moved to its current location on the former Dwight Murphy estate in Santa Barbara. By the late 1950s the College had achieved accreditation and began building and expanding its campus throughout the 1960s. Today, Westmont College has been named among the top 100 best liberal arts colleges in the nation.
Academic Programs
Westmont College’s mission is to serve “God’s kingdom by cultivating thoughtful scholars, grateful servants and faithful leaders for global engagement with the academy, church and world.” The College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and has been so since 1957.Westmont College offers more than two dozen liberal arts majors and more than 10 pre-professional programs, plus elementary and secondary credential programs. Majors at the College include the subjects of art, biology, chemistry, communication studies, computer science, economics and business, engineering/physics, English, English-modern languages, French, history, interdisciplinary, kinesiology, liberal studies, mathematics, music, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religious studies, social science, sociology and anthropology, Spanish, and theater arts. Students may also take advantage of Westmont College’s optional semester-long off-campus programs which are available in San Francisco, Europe, England, Mexico, DC, Costa Rica, Africa and Israel. Westmont College’s library offers students an abundance of resources with more than 150,000 books, scores and media.
Student Life
Westmont College has a total enrollment figure of nearly 1,500, all of whom are undergraduate students. Students are required to live in college-owned housing either on campus or in the off-campus Ocean View Apartments, unless special permission to live off-campus on non-Westmont property is granted.Students at Westmont College are highly encouraged to be active and involved in the life of the community, serving as volunteers, employees and interns. More than 30 student-run ministries operate on and off Westmont College’s campus and there are a number of student-led clubs and organizations which cater to a wide range of academic and personal interests. These and other campus activities and events provide ample opportunity for students to interact with one another outside of the classroom setting, allowing them to build relationships and learn valuable lessons in leadership and teamwork. Westmont College’s intercollegiate sports teams compete in the NAIA Division I and have won more than a dozen NAIA national championships and numerous district titles.