College Profile 2006-2007
|
| Overview and Curriculum: |
Thomas Aquinas College is a four-year,
Catholic college offering a single academic curriculum.
There are no textbooks, no lectures, no electives, and
no more than 13 to 19 students per class. Instead of textbooks,
students read the "Great Books," which are the
original texts of the greatest authors whose ideas helped
shape Western civilization. Instead of lectures, all classes
are conducted using the Socratic method of discussion
in which students are guided in a conversation about the
author's text and ideas. Ordered to the pursuit of truth,
under the light of the Teaching Church, this comprehensive
and integrated curriculum includes the liberal arts, laboratory
sciences, mathematics, humanities, philosophy and theology.
It challenges students and faculty alike to a disciplined
scholarship in the arts and sciences indispensable for
critical judgment and genuine wisdom. |
| Founded: |
1971 |
| Location: |
Thomas Aquinas College
10,000 North Ojai Road
Santa Paula, CA 93060
www.thomasaquinas.edu
(800) 634-9797
|
| Campus: |
On a mountain meadow in the foothills of the Los Padres
National Forest in southern California; the 131-acre campus
is situated 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles. |
| President: |
Thomas E. Dillon, Ph.D. |
| Type: |
Private, four-year, undergraduate, co-educational |
| Affiliation: |
Roman Catholic, lay-founded and lay-administered
|
| Degree: |
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts |
| Accreditation: |
American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE)
Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) |
| Enrollment: |
351 students (50% men, 50% women) |
| Faculty: |
37 (65% with doctoral degrees) |
| Faculty-Student Ratio: |
1:10 |
| Classes: |
Small tutorials, seminars, and laboratories of 13-19
students |
| Library: |
58,000 volumes, and additional rare historical treasures
and artifacts |
| Student Body: |
From 42 states, Australia, Canada, Ghana,
Ireland, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Slovakia, South Africa,
and United Kingdom |
| Tuition: |
Tuition: $19,300 - Room & Board: $6,000 |
| Housing: |
Single-sex residence halls |
| Admissions Standards: |
- 2006 Freshmen average SAT Math score of 620 ranks
in the top 20th percentile nationally; their average
SAT Critical Reading score of 670 ranks in the top
10th percentile.
- Ranked a "Top College" (73rd among top
104 National Liberal Arts Colleges). --US News and
World Report's 2007 edition of America's Best Colleges.
- Thomas Aquinas College was the only Catholic liberal
arts college to place in three other categories: the
College was ranked 36th in the "Great Schools,
Great Price" section, was one of twenty five
named in the "Least Debt" category and ranked
1st among liberal arts colleges for the highest proportion
of classes under 20 students - 98%. --US News and
World Report's 2007 edition of America's Best Colleges.
- Thomas Aquinas College was included on the New York
Times list of 106 best colleges and universities in
the United States who "admit the country's best
students." (2006)
- "...virtually unparalleled for providing its
students with a rigorous liberal arts education"
--Intercollegiate Studies Institute's "Choosing
the Right College" (2001)
|
| Alumni Statistics: |
- Through 2002, approximately 45% entered graduate
or professional schools
- 11% enter religious life
- Detailed statistics
[link]
|
| Noteworthy Student & Alumni Awards: |
- Ford Foundation
- Fulbright Scholarship
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- National Merit Scholarships
- National Science Foundation
- Numerous graduate fellowships
- Younger Scholars
|
| Funding of the College: |
- The College does not receive government or archdiocesan
subsidies.
- Contributions from individuals and from charitable
foundations, trusts, etc.
|
| Financial Aid Program for Students: |
Grants, loans, campus employment |
