Next to Hollywood and the heart of LA stands Woodbury University, a haven of higher learning and creativity. The institution began in 1884 when educator and entrepreneur F.C. Woodbury established Woodbury in response to the needs of Los Angeles’ growing business community. Woodbury is one of the oldest universities on the west coast of the United States. The university is a private, non-profit institution with its campus in Burbank, California, in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Initially known as Woodbury College, the university has changed with the times, developing cutting-edge technology and facilities for students from all over the world. Today, Woodbury University is on a mission to transform students into innovation professionals, contributing responsibly to global society. “We achieve academic excellence by focusing on purposeful student engagement, establishing external partnerships, and ensuring that all our processes, services, and environment enrich the student experience,” says Barry Ryan, J.D., Ph.D., the President of Woodbury University.
Woodbury is located right in the middle of Southern California’s creative economy, one of the world’s most exciting and vibrant communities. The university offers a unique experience that is personal, communal, and practice-based. Every major requires an internship to graduate, giving students work experience and a competitive advantage after graduation. Woodbury’s Los Angeles/Burbank location provides a wealth of internship opportunities that allow students to gain practical work experience in their field of interest.
Woodbury’s student-to-faculty ratio is 8:1, and our average class size is just 13, enabling students to engage and learn in an intimate and engaging setting that is impossible at larger institutions. Woodbury’s size allows it to provide a more personalized approach to its educational and extracurricular offerings. Five of Woodbury’s majors ranked among the top programs in the nation: Animation, Architecture, Game Art & Design, and Graphic and Interior Design.
Keeping up with the times
The university is an amalgamation of traditional higher education values with new ideas. With a broad and inclusive perspective, Woodbury stands out among other universities in California. In 2019, the university was awarded a grant worth $3 million, which was used to build KUKA, a robotic arm, and a brand new computer science lab for students to increase their knowledge and skills in the future of tech. The Making Complex facilities are “Shaping the Future of Practice” with some of the most sophisticated fabrication technologies available across the architecture and interior design programs. It is the primary source of information for students looking to use Woodbury’s fabrication facilities, providing a complete list of offerings, reminders of our student use policies, a library of Woodbury University-specific machine use guides, the training workshop schedule, and access to our reservation portal.
After being awarded a grant from the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon Build Challenge, the School of Architecture has begun literally groundbreaking work on the first permitted 3D printed dwelling in Los Angeles! It will be a low carbon, micro-living unit that will mark the beginning of an entire new era in architecture and design, and Woodbury is proud to be the first.
The Film Program Facilities boast a 4,000 square foot soundstage, a 45-seat state-of-the-art screening room, and post-production facilities. Virtual reality facilities play a part in various majors at Woodbury.
International Student Community
Woodbury is a truly vibrant community located in one of the world’s most diverse and exciting regions. The student population of Woodbury closely reflects that diversity. Before the pandemic struck, the 2019 U.S. News and World Report College Rankings placed Woodbury first among Western Regional Universities in the percentage of international students for the second year in a row. Before the pandemic, Woodbury University had over 300 international students from over 40 countries. The current population is growing as the university is now re-opened for in person life and aiming to re-establish a robust global population.
Woodbury embraces its international student population, and international students who attend Woodbury become intricately connected with the campus community, the broader southern California community, and beyond. To assist our international students, the university offers a variety of specialized resources, including individual attention and advisement, academic support, and student life support.
Many international students choose Woodbury’s highly U.S.-ranked School of Architecture programs, especially the undergraduate and graduate STEM majors in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. India recognizes Woodbury’s Architecture degree for licensure. In addition, many of Woodbury’s design majors are highly ranked in the US. The University has three schools and one college: the School of Architecture, the School of Business, the School of Media : Culture: Design, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Encouraging Inclusivity
From the start, Woodbury University believed in gender equity, as its first class was made up nearly equally of males and females. This commitment to diversity was very unusual at the time and remains one of its core principles. Thus, the institution offers scholarships to help students access quality education and opportunities like no other. For undergraduate courses, Woodbury offers the Presidential International Merit Scholarship for $12,000 for students with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.70 and above. It also provides the Dean International Merit Scholarship for $8,000 for learners with GPAs between 3.40-3.69. Two more scholarships are available: the Woodbury International Grant for $7,000 and $6,000 for students with GPAs between 2.95-3.39 and 2.50-2.94, respectively. This grant varies from program to program.
Applicants to Architecture graduate programs may qualify for institutional scholarships and/or assistantships, which may be awarded by the School of Architecture Committee upon review of the completed application and supporting documents (3 letters of recommendation, resume, Statement of Intent, transcripts). Architecture Institutional scholarships range from $8,000 to $20,000, and assistantships range from $3,000 to $6,000. MBA students who apply for admission may now qualify for a merit scholarship up to $18,000. The MBA merit awards are based on undergraduate GPA (GPA is not cumulative and is based solely on the degree awarding college/university):
- GPA of 3.7 to 4.0 earns $20,000
- GPA of 3.40 to 3.69 earns $18,000
- GPA of 2.95 to 3.39 earns $12,000
- GPA of 2.50 to 2.94 earns $8,000
Woodbury University offers competitive scholarships and grants that make American higher education more affordable to international students in our niche majors.
Spreading Creativity
Woodbury believes that learning isn’t always happening inside the four walls of a classroom. So they created a new outdoor classroom, letting students explore their surroundings and minds to find creative solutions and ideas.
Woodbury has a space for each department to showcase learners’ creativity as they develop their skills and art. The Wedge Gallery, located on the university campus, is exclusively for Architecture students who want to share their ideas with the world. It focuses on creating a nurturing environment within the architectural community and is committed to motivating contemporary architecture through distinguished exhibitions, installations, and workshops. This gallery operates as a venue for architects, designers, educators, students, and artists to present a critical work or project. There are many shows per semester, and they are usually open while classes are in session during the Fall and Spring semesters.
Woodbury’s Nan Rae Gallery is another unmistakably beautiful display of art and students’ capabilities. It exhibits artists from around the world in a multidisciplinary venue for contemporary art. This was created for the student organization with the programs of the School of Media : Culture : Design. It also houses the annual graphic design student awards show at the end of each spring semester. Similarly, the university also houses the Julius Shulman Institute (JSI) for urban landscape photography. The Institute hosts and curates critically acclaimed design and architecture exhibitions and an annual award exhibit.
The Making Complex is another architecture and interior design initiative that serves as a source of inspiration and information for students. Woodbury also hosts a yearly Fashion Show for Design students to showcase their innovative designs and techniques. WU Radio is another platform for students to explore their talents.
To encourage entrepreneurship, pulls out all the stops. At the Center for Entrepreneurship, students are motivated to explore their business capabilities. The Center for Leadership, Equity & Diversity, and the Agency for Civic Engagement are other bodies that help students foster leadership by interacting with leaders in the field and discussing important issues that inculcate thinking and reasoning.
Moving Forward
Since cost is a factor for international students after COVID-19, Woodbury provides competitive undergraduate scholarships and grants of up to $12,000 per year. Campus safety is also a factor for many students now in the U.S., and the university continues to rank as one of the safest campuses in California.
In Fall 2023, Woodbury is relaunching a program, which was suspended during the pandemic, where a new international student is assigned an International Peer Advisor (IPA). The IPA will be a currently enrolled international student that provides support, encouragement, and help to adjust to life at Woodbury and in the United States. Woodbury helps international students experience and enjoy the culture of Southern California and the United States by planning and providing fun and educational events, including bus tours, beach trips, and holiday parties.
For More Info: https://woodbury.edu/