We Place a High Value on Research
A hallmark of Westmont’s outstanding undergraduate liberal arts education is providing opportunities for students to conduct significant research with faculty.
Approximately 1,350 undergraduates (including 150 in off-campus programs) enjoy a student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1 and an average class size of 18, which allows them to develop close relationships with outstanding faculty who are committed to teaching, scholarship, research, service and involving undergraduates in research.
Student Research Opportunities
Summer Research
Each summer, approximately 30 students from STEM fields work as full-time research assistants, collaborating closely with professors on cutting-edge projects. Many of these research projects extend into the school year. Some students even co-author scientific papers with their faculty.
Major Honors Projects
Students from any major may choose to replace their senior capstone experience with a Major Honors project. These year-long research opportunities take various forms, but they each involve extensive independent research into a topic of the student's choice.
Student Research Symposia
Every semester, students present their research to the Westmont community through posters and short presentations. The projects range from novels to psychology research to chemical bonding studies.
See examples of recent research in the 2025 Spring Research Symposium Program.
Alumni Testimonials
An avid and longtime racing fan, Tyler Gibbs ’91 frequents NASCAR competitions as part of his job. The new president of TRD US (Toyota Racing Development), he kept busy last fall with five Toyota cars among the 16 vying for the 2024 NASCAR championship.
“When I speak to Westmont students, I tell them they have a seat at the table on the strength of their liberal arts education,” he says. “They’re qualified to be there. I share how they can find space for themselves in a career field.
“I’m a huge advocate for the liberal arts. People with technical skills often lack the ability to explain how a business operates, but I received a broad base in accounting, marketing, communicating and relating to people. Our business and unique environment depends on healthy relationships among business people, drivers, owners, sponsors and team members.”
At Westmont, professors challenged Sally Shipman Wentworth ’97 to confront alternative viewpoints, grapple with principles and history, and engage with different theories and philosophies.
“I think I learned to write in those classes,” she says. “They focused on essay exams and research papers with grades based on your thoughts and your ability to communicate persuasively and effectively. I adored them.”
As CEO and president of the Internet Society, Wentworth leads a global charity that works to ensure affordable and resilient internet connectivity for people everywhere and a safe and secure online experience. She draws on her background with international communications policy and internet governance at the State Department and the White House.
Westmont biology professor Amanda Sparkman, whose research subjects include lizards and snakes, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times about behaviors of the western fence lizard.
Research about workplace bias, co-authored by Westmont's dean of faculty development. gains national attention.
Students conduct novel nuclear physics experiment to study the structural properties of an exotic isotope of gallium at Florida State University.
Tim Van Haitsma, Westmont professor of kinesiology, presented data about the power of mental strength training for runners at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual mega-conference. The research has been published in Outside Magazine.