Liberal Arts in Los Angeles
Drawing on the cultural and intellectual resources of a global city, Occidental provides a springboard for putting theory into practice and ideas into action.
Explore Your Passions
Oxy’s remarkable faculty of scholars, teachers and mentors are at the heart of the intellectual experience. An Oxy liberal arts education transcends boundaries, and with more than 40 majors and programs, academic rigor comes in many forms.
Academic Spotlight
Our one-of-a-kind program lets students learn about political campaigns and elections through first-hand experience.
9:1
student:faculty ratio
18
average class size
32%
full-time faculty of color
Discover Occidental
A vibrant, small liberal arts college experience in the heart of Los Angeles, one of the most stimulating and creative cities in the world. That’s something you won’t find anywhere else.
At Occidental
Oxy combines the liberal arts and sciences with the global city of Los Angeles to put theory into practice and ideas into action.
The Oxy Community
Whether in the lab, classroom, field or community, our faculty, students and alumni define the strengths and uniqueness of Oxy in everything that they do.
Meet Susan Blake of philosophy, whose teaching and research interests include theory of knowledge, early Chinese philosophy, philosophy of perception, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind.
Namandjé Bumpus ’03
Link to story about Namandjé Bumpus ’03With heart, energy, and a passion for research, Namandjé Bumpus ’03 becomes a role model for others as a trailblazing director at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Peter Vartanian
Link to story about Peter VartanianSupported by Occidental through grants and faculty mentorship, Peter Vartanian ’25 is traveling the globe conducting research on the geopolitics of the global transition to green energy, among other topics.
Zachary Silver
Link to story about Zachary SilverMeet Zachary Silver of psychology, whose research and teaching interests involve how animals learn from and about humans.
Dhyandra Lawson ’08
Link to story about Dhyandra Lawson ’08Shaped by her experiences at Occidental, Dhyandra Lawson—now a curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)—brings her artistic vision to life as she plans a new exhibit.
Alejo Maggini
Link to story about Alejo MagginiAlejo Maggini learned early on in his academic career that education can be a force for change. This has inspired the international student from Argentina to make the most of his time at Oxy, where education is at the center of his studies.
What’s Happening At Oxy
Featured News
Eight Occidental College professors were honored for exceptional teaching, scholarship, and service on September 17 at the College’s annual faculty awards ceremony.
Events
24
Sep
TO 19 Oct
All day
24
Sep
TO 19 Oct
26
Sep
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
26
Sep
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
Occidental College admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. For more detailed information please see the College's Notice of Non-Discrimination.
Occidental rose one place in US News & World Report’s 2025 Best College Rankings, landing at No. 34 nationally among liberal arts colleges, a 15-year high.
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