California Campus is one of the campuses operated by Thomas Aquinas College. Our records show the address as Santa Paula, CA, United States.
Use the address below when you need directions, mailing information or a clear sense of where California Campus is located. Larger institutions often spread teaching, research and administration across multiple sites, so confirm this is the campus relevant to your visit, interview or job application.
Thomas Aquinas College's California Campus delivers a unified, Great Books-based liberal arts curriculum that emphasizes Socratic discussion, close reading of seminal texts, and hands-on learning. This integrated program spans philosophy, theology, mathematics, natural sciences, literature, history, and languages, fostering intellectual virtue and a pursuit of truth in all disciplines. All students follow the identical four-year sequence, ensuring a communal educational experience without majors or electives.
- First-Year Philosophy: Introduction to logic and ancient philosophy through Plato's dialogues like The Republic and Aristotle's Categories, exploring metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.
- Theology I: Examination of Sacred Scripture, including the Gospels and Epistles, alongside patristic writings from St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom, laying foundations for Christian doctrine.
- Mathematics I: Euclidean geometry from Elements, developing deductive reasoning and spatial understanding.
- Natural Sciences I: Classical mechanics via Aristotle and Archimedes, combined with laboratory experiments in kinematics and dynamics.
- Literature I: Ancient epics such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, analyzing themes of heroism, fate, and human nature.
- History I: Ancient and medieval history through Herodotus, Thucydides, and Eusebius, focusing on political and cultural developments.
- Greek I: Fundamentals of ancient Greek to read original philosophical and literary texts.
Subsequent years build progressively: Second-year courses delve into medieval philosophy with St. Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae, Trinitarian theology, algebra and trigonometry, astronomy and optics, and works by Sophocles and Shakespeare. Third-year studies include modern philosophy from Descartes to Nietzsche, Christology and sacraments, multivariable calculus, biology and modern physics, 17th-19th century literature like Jane Austen and Dostoevsky, and American political thought via the Federalist Papers. The senior year culminates in ethics, ecclesiology, advanced mathematics like differential equations, organic chemistry, contemporary literature, and constitutional law. Laboratory work complements textual study, promoting empirical inquiry. Language tutorials in Latin and French enhance access to primary sources. This holistic approach, rooted in Catholic intellectual tradition, cultivates wisdom, eloquence, and moral character, preparing graduates for diverse vocations while prioritizing eternal truths. The campus's serene ranch setting enhances contemplative study, with small classes of 20-25 students encouraging deep engagement. Extracurriculars like choirs and athletics complement academics, embodying the College's motto: 'To know and love the truth.' (Word count: 312)
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