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Program Overview

What makes Antioch University Los Angeles distinctive?

Program Values

Antioch University emphasizes three primary aspects of an educational experience:

Academic excellence
Experiential learning
Commitment to social justice, responsibility, and action

In the undergraduate B.A. program, students aim for high levels of achievement by engaging in rigorous academic study. The curriculum and classroom culture support students as independent thinkers, effective communicators, and problem-solvers who consistently practice critical and ethical reasoning.

At Antioch University Los Angeles, we appreciate the variety of learning styles and interests students bring to their studies. These differences are resources that enrich our classrooms and our community. Antioch University students learn in small interactive classrooms, through independent studies, as interns in community organizations, and by crafting field-based projects that tie classroom learning closely to practical action and lived experience. Antioch University fosters awareness and advocacy of social justice issues and encourages students to contribute to the greater good of the community.

What makes Antioch University Los Angeles distinctive is also our individualized learning environment in which students are empowered to shape their educational path with the support of outstanding faculty mentors. Here the values of academic excellence, experiential learning, and social justice combine with a creative and individualized delivery model to offer an optimal learning experience.

Program Requirements

Antioch University’s B.A. program provides a flexible way for adult learners to complete an undergraduate degree without disrupting their personal and professional lives. Compared to other schools, the B.A. Program keeps requirements to the minimum to give students maximum flexibility in shaping their course of study to their individual needs with the support and guidance of a faculty mentor to help steer the course. The requirements of the undergraduate program are as follows:

30+ transfer units from an accredited institution required to enter
A minimum of 180 quarter units required to graduate. Of those units:
At least 90 must be upper division
At least six must be earned in each domain: Humanities, Fine Arts, Communications, Quantitative Thought, Science, and Social Science
At least 40 units earned in the student’s declared Area of Concentration (Liberal Studies, Business and Social Entrepreneurship, Child Studies, Creative Writing, Psychology, Urban Community and Environment)
At least six must qualify as non-classroom learning
Students must complete a minimum of 48 units during residency at Antioch; students entering with advanced standing may petition for reduced residency
First-quarter students must complete the Educational Foundations course
First-quarter students take math and writing assessments to determine their placement in writing courses and math skill development

Note: Potential applicants can arrange to have transfer units reviewed by an admissions counselor to gauge which units from previous institutions would apply to an Antioch University degree. A full degree plan will be developed with a faculty mentor during the student’s initial quarter in the B.A. program.

Fast Track

Students earning their undergraduate degree can complete specific coursework that counts toward their B.A. and also toward one of Antioch University’s graduate degrees.

M.A. in Organizational Management Early Decider
After completing one quarter at Antioch University, B.A. students may take up to 12 units of selected graduate-level management courses at Antioch University while completing the B.A. and receive credit for this work in both the undergraduate business concentration and graduate management programs at Antioch University.

M.A. in Education and Teacher Credentialing Early Decider
Undergraduate students may begin their studies in education while completing the BA degree. Up to 24 units in the M.A.E. program can count toward the B.A. degree. This process permits these students, if qualified, to earn a California State Multiple-Subject teaching credential in half the regular time.

Please contact the Admissions Office for more information on any of these Fast Track options.

Learning Options
Antioch University recognizes the validity of learning not only in the traditional academic setting but also in non-classroom activities such as internships and independent studies, even including “prior learning” acquired through work, volunteer, or personal experience before matriculation at Antioch University.

Catering to returning adult students, Antioch University has led the way in recognizing learning gained prior to university re-entry as potentially valid and creditable college-level learning. A typical student’s program includes a rich mixture of the following formats:

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Prior Learning

One of the most unique features of Antioch University’s B.A. completion program is prior learning. Antioch University recognizes that college-level learning often takes place outside of academic settings. B.A. students often bring a wealth of such prior learning to their studies at Antioch University, and the program offers the unique option to convert this learning into academic credit by documentation and evaluation by a qualified supervisor. Students can earn up to 44 units of credit (22 lower-division and 22 upper-division) by documenting learning that took place prior to their enrollment at Antioch University.

A recent student who entered the program as an accomplished digital artist earned credit by compiling a portfolio of her digital art and writing an analysis of her learning in the field. Another student who had lost a brother to AIDS reviewed literature on the stages of grief and wrote a paper integrating the findings of academic studies with her personal experience of grief.

In-Class Learning

In the Classroom
The Antioch University classroom encourages students to participate interactively with the faculty and each other to share ideas and construct new knowledge. Small classes of 8-18 students allow faculty to lead conversations in a way that values the experiences and insights of all members in the room. Most 3-unit classes meet for 3-hour weekly sessions for 10 weeks.

At a Workshop
Every term, the B.A. Completion Program offers a number of 1 or 2-unit workshops that are intensive learning experiences for students. Most workshops meet on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday for a full day and include site-based learning at a community venue, often involving community experts.

In a Seminar
Seminars are very intensive small classes that meet bi-weekly to study a particular topic in depth. Typically, students earn 3 units for a seminar, completing substantial work outside of the classroom as well as within it. A recently held seminar focused on the emergence of leading-edge hybrid cultural practices in Los Angeles, including trans-genre music, gastronomic fusion, trans-gender communities, and migrant identities.

Independent Study

B.A. students have the option to craft their own learning experiences with a faculty mentor or approved evaluator. Individuals negotiate the objectives and activities involved in the independent study and undertake these self-directed reading, writing, or practice-based opportunities for up to 4 units.