The campus, located on San Diego’s picturesque Point Loma peninsula, is a 93-acre plot first established as an educational site by the Theosophical Society of America and has been occupied since by Balboa University, California Western College, and United States International University. The early occupants of this site erected a number of wooden buildings, some of which have been renovated and are still in use as designated historical sites. Since 1995, many new classrooms and offices have been added to the historic buildings to provide a unique campus setting. Newer facilities include an expanded athletic complex, the Fermanian School of Business and Business Center, the Cooper Music Center with its 400-seat Crill Performance Hall, Ryan Library & Learning Center, Colt Hall, Nicholson Commons, Draper Hall, Smee Hall - School of Theology and Christian Ministry, Bond Academic Center, Sator Hall, Latter Hall, and the Prescott Prayer Chapel. Buildings of historical interest include the Greek Amphitheatre, first of its type to be built in the United States; Mieras Hall, built in 1901 by the Spalding family; and Cabrillo Hall, originally the home of Madame Katherine Tingley, leader of the Theosophical Society.

Other Teaching Locations

Mission Valley

PLNU’s additional location in the Mission Valley area is a 51,000 square-foot structure and houses offices and classrooms for the graduate and accelerated undergraduate programs in clinical counseling, education, and business administration. This facility brings Point Loma’s programs nearer to the heart of the city. The first floor houses Graduate Services, and the remainder of the facility features the Whitcomb Family Prayer Chapel, classrooms, graduate, and accelerated undergraduate programs.

Bakersfield

Located in the culturally diverse San Joaquin Valley, the university’s additional location in Bakersfield is committed to serve Kern County and the surrounding areas. The Bakersfield facility is centrally located for the convenience of students and accessible from Route 99 and all major connectors to the area. Classes are held in instructional facilities conducive to the delivery of higher education in a pleasant atmosphere.

Balboa Regional Center

Located on Balboa Avenue between SR-163 and I-15, PLNU’s Balboa Regional Center is a 70,000-square-foot campus for PLNU’s graduate-level College of Health Sciences programs. With state-of-the-art classrooms, research facilities, simulation and skills laboratories, and Center for Human Performance fitness center, this integrated, interdisciplinary space is designed to prepare clinically experienced students to transform the well-being of their communities.

Liberty Station Conference Center

Liberty Station Conference Center houses the PLNU School of Nursing and has classrooms used for other PLNU courses throughout the academic year. It also serves as an active hub and center for events, activities, seminars, education trainings, and many other events for both public and private groups, organizations and companies. The venue boasts over 7,700 square feet of conference center space, features a Main Hall and 8 breakout rooms ranging from 690 to 1,380 square feet, and is centrally located in Liberty Station, San Diego.

Special Collections

The San Diego campus of Point Loma Nazarene University is not only a garden spot overlooking the San Diego Bay to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It also is home to several collections and works of public art.

Paintings from the Spiros John Karras Collection of California Plein Air paintings, housed primarily in Ryan Library, may be viewed upon request. The Fischer Collection (a rare and unique set of matched, hand-made string instruments for use by faculty and student string quartets) is housed in Cooper Music Center and may be viewed and heard in public recitals.

Ryan Library has three collections of note: writings by and about Jacobus Arminius and John Wesley, the Pasadena/Point Loma Authors collection, and the William C. and Frances Vaughters collection of pre-Columbian artifacts. In addition to these collections, the campus is home to various works of art. As a former center for the Theosophical Society, original buildings feature interior woodworking by Reginald Machel. Ryan Library houses a small Peter Mitten sculpture, a Salvador Dali marble cross, sculptures by  Scott Stearman and an original Norman Rockwell painting used as a 1931 Saturday Evening Post cover.

Two monumental works of sculpture grace the campus in Point Loma: The Calling, by Scott Stearman, and Centenary Passage, by Peter Mitten. The first was presented to the university by the Women’s Auxiliary to portray Jesus’ calling of the disciple Peter as a symbol of the “divine calling to all, the assurance of Christ’s constant companionship, and the invitation to become fishers of men.” The second is a 10-foot work of granite and bronze created by local artist and former Point Loma Nazarene University faculty member in the Department of Art and Design. It was commissioned to commemorate the university’s centennial during the 2001-2002 academic year.

Ryan Library

Ryan Library supports student learning in an environment that combines the traditional values of the liberal arts university with the digital infrastructure of the 21st century. Library faculty and staff are dedicated to serving the research and information literacy needs of the PLNU community. Students can engage with library resources in a variety of formats and can communicate with librarians via chat, email, phone, or in person. In classroom settings and one-on-one consultations, librarians teach students how to formulate meaningful questions, create effective research strategies, and evaluate the quality and relevance of various information sources. The work of the library faculty and staff fosters the pursuit of knowledge, excellence in teaching and learning, and respect for inquiry and diverse points of view. The library is home to a variety of comfortable learning spaces: rooms for group work and projects, clusters of soft seating, areas for quiet study, and more. In addition, Ryan Library is home to approximately 130,000 physical items, including books, periodicals, media materials, and specialized collections, as well as nearly 300,000 e-books. The library also subscribes to numerous online research databases, many of which provide full-text access. For items not held by the library, interlibrary loan services provide access to resources located throughout the region and the world. Online access to library resources and services is available through the Ryan Library webpage.

Information Technology Resources

Internet Services (Email and Web)

Students can conduct research and communication using the campus wireless network. Students are given a PLNU login account with provides access to a Google Workspace account (which includes email and Google Drive access), as well as login privileges to university websites, PLNU computer labs, and the campus wireless network. In addition to telephone and written correspondence, email is a recognized means of official university-to-student communication. Students are expected to read their university email on a regular basis. When away from the university, students can access their email account via the web. Students are also able to go online to register for classes, check grades, and view their class schedule and other student information in Workday Student. Workday Student may be accessed at https://workday.pointloma.edu or with the Workday app on a mobile device.

Graduate students have access to a variety of technology resources - at the various campus locations, as well as from their homes and offices. Wireless Internet access is available at each campus location allowing access to the Internet, as well as the following PLNU resources:

• Workday Student - https://workday.pointloma.edu
• PLNU Email - https://gmail.pointloma.edu
• Learning management system - https://canvas.pointloma.edu
• Library research materials - https://www.pointloma.edu/library
• Student resource materials - http://www.pointloma.edu/experience/offices/student-services/graduate-student-resources
• ITS self-service knowledge base - https://help.pointloma.edu

Solution Center

Assistance for PLNU-related technology is available for all graduate students by phone and email:

• 619-849-2222
• help@pointloma.edu

Classroom Technology

All classrooms at each of the additional locations are equipped with hardware to assist both students and instructors in the presentation of course material. This includes a DVD player, data projector, digital presenter, and computer.

Department of Public Safety

The Department of Public Safety exists to provide a safe living, learning, and working environment for university students and employees. The department operates 24 hours a day on the Point Loma campus and staffs the Liberty Station Conference Center, Mission Valley campus, and Balboa campus during business hours. It does not maintain a presence at the Bakersfield Regional Center. All Public Safety Officers are licensed by the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services and are trained in first aid, CPR, and AED use.

The university encourages students to report crimes and suspicious activity to Public Safety or other campus officials as well as to local law enforcement. PLNU maintains an emergency plan and all campuses participate in biannual emergency drills.

Additional resources regarding campus safety are available at the website maintained by the Department of Public Safety. Students may also contact Public Safety at (619) 849-2525 for assistance 24 hours a day.