Loyola Marymount University - Academics

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

According to the school’s mission statement, academics at LMU focus on “the education of the whole person.” The student-professor relationship encourages a free exchange of ideas. The courses, especially the core curriculum, allow students to customize their education by selecting from a wide array of classes to fulfill requirements in critical and creative arts, history, theology, philosophy, social sciences, and mathematics. LMU’s strength is in the strong relationship between students and professors. Most professors respond to students’ questions within hours. Students are more than just a social security number; professors usually learn their students’ names after the first class, and a few take photos of their students. Also, bad professors stand out, and word travels fast around campus about whom to avoid.

On the negative side, the attendance policy is usually very strict. In most departments, students can miss three classes before their grade drops. Attendance and class participation count for at least 10 percent of the final grade. Additionally, LMU’s academics are strangely lacking in some areas. For instance, there is no journalism major, only a journalism certificate. In the next several years, LMU will eliminate its African American studies, women’s studies, Asian Pacific studies, and Chicano/Latino studies and combine them all under one major. It is a move that differs from other universities. Although the strict attendance policy can seem intimidating, most classes at LMU are worth attending. Combine an exciting professor with an interesting subject, and you are guaranteed to learn.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Like all the schools I have... Like all the schools I have attended, there are teachers I love and teachers I hate. I don’t think you can ever escape that. The classes were weird for me at first, because I was used to having a test all the time. But you get used to the midterm and final routine. I think it makes the classes better because I hate to study, and I can concentrate on learning. I love going to class at LMU even if I don’t like the teacher so much. I feel that I really do learn. I think they are interesting because you can choose from your core what classes most interest you, and, of course, your major should interest you, too. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

I had a history professor who... I had a history professor who never gave above an A-, but that’s the only time I ever felt like a professor was out to get her students. Most professors want their students to succeed and are willing to give you a break if you need extra time. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

LMU’s difficulty level depends on... LMU’s difficulty level depends on how much you put into it and how much self worth and self desire you have to succeed. If you just want to slide by, then you have all semester to do whatever you wish, and then the night before midterms and finals, cram. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

LMU seems hard. I have to study my... LMU seems hard. I have to study my butt off to get an A in class. It’s not that the work is any more challenging, but it seems like I am getting more busy work. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Before coming to LMU, I received a... Before coming to LMU, I received a DVD in the mail containing interviews with the professors, and I was a bit concerned at how young they all seemed. I have been pleasantly surprised, however. Most of the professors at LMU have a PhD or are currently working towards one. My specific professors are mostly good, and it seems as though they average out; I have one who is a Yale-educated, highly intellectual woman and another who is about as sharp as the broad side of a cello. About half of the classes I’ve taken I find genuinely interesting, while the other half I find purposeless. 12345 Academics Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Entrepreneur magazine ranked LMU’s Entrepreneurship Program among the Top 10 out of 825 programs nationally.

For creative students, LMU offers majors in recording arts, screenwriting, animation, and multimedia arts, along with a full range of Fine Arts Programs.

Check out unusual minors like archaeology, Irish studies, or ethics to broaden your prespective.

LMU was rated 4th by U.S. News and World Report in the "Best Universities with Master's Programs in the West" category.

LMU was named among "Top 100 Colleges for Hispanics" in the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.

The Princeton Review/Entrepreneur Magazine ranked LMU's Entrepreneurship program in the top 20 in the United States.

Most Recent Contributing Author

Name: Zacrie L. Scott
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
Major: English

Zacrie loves writing short stories and vlogging.

Contributing Author Internship

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