Thomas Aquinas College believes that to learn is to discover and grow in the truth about reality. It is the truth, and nothing less, that sets men free. And because the truth is both natural and supernatural, the College offers an academic program that aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
This curriculum presents the arts and sciences of liberal education as a comprehensive whole. There are no majors, no minors, no electives, and no specializations. The four-year interdisciplinary course of study uses the original writings of the great philosophers, historians, mathematicians, poets, scientists, and theologians of the West. Homer, Herodotus, Plato, Euclid, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Shakespeare, Einstein, and especially St. Thomas Aquinas are among the authors.
There are no textbooks. There are also no lectures in the classroom. The curriculum is a sustained conversation in the form of tutorials, seminars, and laboratories guided by tutors who assist students in reading, analyzing, and evaluating these great books. Students develop the lost tools of inquiry, argument, and translation — in critically reading and analyzing texts, in the mathematical demonstration, and laboratory investigation.
Equipped with these tools, the graduates are fortified to undertake any study, professional training, or vocation. Grounded in the arts of thinking and with a broad, integrated vision of the whole of life and learning, every subject becomes an open door. Even more critical, alumni are prepared to live well the free citizen and the Christian's life.
Thomas Aquinas College is committed to making its program of Catholic liberal education available to accepted students, regardless of financial need. The College receives no subsidy from Church or state. Instead, it relies on contributions from individuals and charitable foundations to make up the difference between what students can pay and the actual cost of their education.
Through its donors' generosity, the College can offer financial assistance to young men and women who would otherwise not be able to attend. Nevertheless, the financial resources of the College are limited, and financial aid can be offered only based on demonstrated financial need as determined by the College.
Therefore, students and families are expected to make a maximum effort to cover the cost of tuition plus room and board from their resources. If, after assessing his resources, a student finds his financial means insufficient, he should apply to the Financial Aid Office for assistance. The College will meet each student's financial need with a program of loans, Service Scholarship (work-study), and grants.
Learning at Thomas Aquinas College is geared toward the education of the whole person, and as such, it is not limited to the confines of the classroom. The Socratic discussions that begin in class spill into the dining commons, the quad, and the residence halls. Concerts and lectures are held on campus throughout the year. The Faith, which informs all classroom learning, manifests itself in every other facet of campus living and daily Mass and adoration to evening rosary and processions. Students can also refresh their minds, their bodies, and their souls through several extracurricular activities.
Chief among these are the College's music, theater, and sports programs, but there are others as well. The College employs two student athletic directors who organize the intramural sports schedule throughout the year. Two student activity directors organize on-campus events, including dances, open-mic nights, movies, food drives, and retreats. There are also various student-run organizations such as the de Tocqueville Society (politics), the Pre-Medical Society, a pro-life group, and the Legion of Mary.
The life of the College, however, extends not only beyond the classroom but beyond the campus. Students have the great blessing of living in Southern California with its beaches, mountains, and more. Because the College borders the Los Padres National Forest, hiking is a popular activity, as are outings to the ocean, Santa Barbara, and the more refined cultural offerings of Los Angeles.
In addition to studying and prayer, there is always something to do at Thomas Aquinas College — something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth. Here beauty, goodness, and truth are indeed one.
Thomas Aquinas College came into being in the late 1960s and early 1970s, during a great tumult in the United States that profoundly affected its institutions and its mores. The College's founders, a seasoned group of lay Catholic educators, were concerned about the declining condition of higher education and, in particular, Catholic higher education.
Thus, amid this great turmoil and disintegration, and despite the dominant relativism and skepticism in higher education, Thomas Aquinas College came to life. This new College would be dedicated to renewing what is best in the Western intellectual heritage and conducting liberal education under the guiding light of the Catholic Faith. The College welcomed its first freshman class in 1971, and it has remained faithful to its founding mission ever since.
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