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About the Program

Los Angeles hosts the largest population of Armenians, Filipinos, Guatemalans, Koreans, Thais, Mexicans, and Salvadorans outside of their respective countries. Los Angeles is also home to the largest population of Japanese, Iranians, and Cambodians living in the U.S.

The world is moving to the city, either physically or psychologically. Three billion of the world's six billion people live in cities, and the other three billion are profoundly affected by urban values, products, and lifestyles. This new reality presents the church with a greater opportunity and a more urgent responsibility than ever before.

But how will the new generation of Christ-followers be equipped to engage with the complexities of urban life through their chosen vocations? And how will they be prepared to lead the church of Jesus Christ into a vital encounter with the peoples and structures of world cities?

Azusa Pacific University's Los Angeles Term (L.A. Term) is a residential study and service semester in the heart of Los Angeles. It aims to equip undergraduate students to live out their faith and values in postmodern urban culture. Dependent on public transportation during the semester, students live with homestay families in Los Angeles, do an internship at a local community or government organization, and take classes at the L.A. Regional Center in Koreatown.

This new reality presents the church with a greater opportunity and a more urgent responsibility than ever before.

Students earn 15 semester units through a curriculum blending four academic components:

  • An interdisciplinary urban culture-learning seminar (Urban Explorations, 3 units)
  • A survey and analysis of various faiths (Urban Religious Movements, 3 units)
  • A semester-long internship within a community or government organization, combined with a weekly seminar (Community Organization and Social Change, 6 units)
  • A survey of the social dimensions of immigration into Southern California (Immigrant L.A., 3 units)