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Centers + Institutes

Loyola Marymount University is home to 19 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes committed to living out the LMU mission through collaborative inquiry and collective action. In these diverse centers and institutes, LMU students and faculty wrestle with some of the most pressing social, economic and spiritual issues of our time. We work to promote social justice and ethical decision making, build a healthier and more prosperous Los Angeles, spur innovation and entrepreneurship, and find meaning and truth in our faith traditions.

  • The Academic of Catholic Thought and Imagination is a center for interdisciplinary research and creative work on contemporary issues in the humanities, arts, sciences and professions in open dialogue with the Catholic intellectual tradition.

  • The Bioethics Institute engages faculty from across LMU — experts in law, economics, medicine, philosophy, public policy and more — to offer both an M.A. in Bioethics and a Graduate Certificate in Bioethics.

  • This Center for Asian Business provides opportunities for both LMU students and faculty to explore the cross-cultural dynamics of doing business in Asia and the U.S. The center sponsors two undergraduate courses that include travel to Asia, an undergraduate summer research scholarship and several faculty research fellowships.

  • The Center for Catholic Education brings together a broad range of programs — including the PLACE Corps, master’s level and doctoral education programs — to advance PK-12 education and provides solutions to the challenges facing Catholic education in Los Angeles and the nation.

  • The Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL) is committed to pursuing equity and excellence in the education of English Learners by transforming schools and educational systems through the Center's research and professional development programs, including certificate programs, doctoral fellowships and the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Social Justice.

  • The Center for Ignatian Spirituality serves as a resource for those seeking to develop their personal spirituality. Programs and services include a nine-month series of meetings for LMU faculty and staff called The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius for Busy Persons.

  • Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the Center for International Business Education (CIBE) supports programs, instruction and research on issues of importance to U.S. trade and competitiveness. LMU CIBE emphasizes transformative education in the areas of global sustainability and business ethics; global talent development and foreign business language education; innovative global marketing; and international entrepreneurship.

  • The Center for Religion and Spirituality provides educational opportunities for adult learners — through certificate and workshops on theology, pastoral leadership, yoga and more —that strengthen their religious and spiritual formation as ministers, educators, and leaders committed to the service of faith and the promotion of justice in their own communities.

  • StudyLA advocates for a better, more equitable Los Angeles through research, student mentorship, and engagement with its residents and leaders.

    Visit the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles website for more information.

  • The Center for Faculty Development (CFD) supports academic excellence at LMU by enhancing the teaching and learning process through a wide range of services to all faculty including teaching workshops, consultations with Master Teachers and grants.

  • CUTP advises and supports LMU undergraduates interested in a teaching career through academic planning, information sessions, service projects and a supportive campus community.

  • CURes is committed to improving the quality of life in our urban communities, especially those that have been historically underserved. Leveraging expertise in science, policy, ethics, natural history, urban planning and educational practices, CURes provides interdisciplinary opportunities for scholarship, teaching and community program development.

  • The Coastal Research Institute brings together expertise from the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering along with The Bay Foundation to better understand global urban coastal resource management. Through the institute, faculty, staff and students work on projects that address some of today's most vexing problems along our ocean's coasts where two-thirds of the world's population lives.

  • Operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, the CSJ Center for Reconciliation and Justice offers a forum for dialogue, a place of education and a resource for reflective action, to promote unity among all persons and with God.

  • Home to LMU's top-ranked undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program, the Fred Kiesner Center for Entrepreneurship also hosts the Business Incubator, the annual Pitch Competition and more opportunities for LMU students to develop original business ideas.

  • The Innovation in Digital Education and Leadership (iDEAL) Institute seeks to advance learning by fostering forward-thinking in transformative and sustainable educational practice. By partnering with teachers, leaders, education stakeholders and programs within the School of Education, the iDEAL Institute works to solve complex problems of practice through professional learning, meaningful and strategic application of technology, sound and modern pedagogical practice, and creation of shared leadership models for the benefit of all students.

  • The Institute for Business Ethics and Sustainability (IBES) at Loyola Marymount University was founded to advance student learning, academic research and stakeholder engagement in ethics and sustainability for the 21st century organization. Affirming the vital role of business in the service of human development, IBES understands that sustainability – business, social and environmental – needs to be the mission and strategic focus of every business enterprise. With an emphasis on ethical decision-making, social responsibility and environmental sustainability, IBES brings business leaders, scholars and community members together to enhance student learning, business success and community partnership.

  • The Marymount Institute preserves the transformative educational tradition of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM) and promotes dialogue between faith and culture as expressed in the fine, performing, literary and communication arts.

  • Media Arts and A Just Society (MAJS), located in LMU’s Playa Vista Campus, was developed through a collaboration across LMU’s Bellarmine College of the Liberal Arts, the School of Film and Television, and the College of Communication and Fine Arts. MAJS brings students from all storytelling disciplines together to create collaboratively.