Los Angeles Colleges, Universities, Trade and Vocational Schools

Colleges in Los Angeles: Universities, Trade and Technical Schools

Los Angeles is a large, sprawling and diverse city. Like any big city, LA contains many neighborhoods and districts that vary in character. Most people get around LA by car, but college students can also take the bus, use the light rail system, or bicycle on the city's nearly 600 miles of bikeways.

Dozens of colleges and universities in Los Angeles — and the larger metropolitan area — offer higher education opportunities at all levels, from certificate programs to doctoral degree programs.

Some Los Angeles colleges and universities have programs especially designed to prepare high school students from underrepresented backgrounds for competitive four-year universities. Examples are UCLA's VIP Scholars and USC's Center for Engineering Diversity.

Fun Facts about Trade and Technical Schools in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is home to a variety of interesting trade and technical schools. For example, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts boast 110 Oscars®, 317 Emmys®, and 94 Tony® nominations among its alumni.

Other creative colleges in Los Angeles include the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, which prepares students for careers in fashion, visual arts, interior design and entertainment.

Los Angeles Trade Tech, founded in 1925, is the oldest community college in the Los Angeles Community College District.

Fun Facts about Los Angeles Colleges and Universities

The University of California, Los Angeles, is the most applied-to university in the U.S. UCLA alumni include well-known actors, athletes, astronauts, Nobel laureates, and more.

The University of Southern California is home to more than 40,000 students, the majority of them in graduate school. Available majors range from city/urban planning, business administration, mechanical engineering, and the visual/performing arts.

Loyola Marymount University offers 22 Division I and varsity sports, an award-winning student newspaper and television network, and an active Greek life.

Over its 125-year history, Occidental College has earned a reputation for academic excellence — and fun: They have an annual water balloon fight between seniors and the school president.

Graduate Schools in Los Angeles

The colleges in Los Angeles mentioned above — and many others — have graduate degree programs. Two interesting examples: The American Film Institute, which trains students in screenwriting, directing, production, and cinematography, and the Southern California Institute of Architecture, which takes an experimental, innovative approach to architecture.

To learn more about higher education in California, see the extensive list of California Colleges.

Sources:

• LADOT Bike Program, http://bike.lacity.org/, accessed September 2018
• National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator, http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/, accessed September 2018
• American Academy of Dramatic Arts, https://www.aada.edu/, accessed September 2018
• Los Angeles Trade Tech, http://college.lattc.edu/, accessed September 2018
• Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, http://fidm.edu/, accessed September 2018
• UCLA, http://www.ucla.edu/, accessed September 2018
• Calif. State University, Los Angeles, http://www.calstatela.edu/, accessed September 2018
• University of Southern California, https://www.usc.edu/, accessed September 2018
• Loyola Marymount University, https://www.lmu.edu/, accessed September 2018
• Occidental College, https://www.oxy.edu/, accessed September 2018
• American Film Institute, https://www.afi.com/Conservatory/, accessed September 2018
• Southern California Institute of Architecture https://sciarc.edu/, accessed September 2018