General Description
LEAP is a living learning community program for first-year students in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry or Natural Science in the Seaver College of Science and Engineering.  Students in the LEAP program are enrolled in five linked courses taught by five faculty members from Seaver and Bellarmine Colleges, and a staff member from Student Affairs. The linked courses, along with the residential living component and other co-curricular experiences provided for the students in the program, are designed to create a fully integrated learning experience and further the student’s interest and success in pursuing careers in the life sciences. 

All students enrolled in the LEAP program are required to live in the residential
community located on the fourth floor of Del Rey North.

For more information about LEAP, please contact the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the Seaver College of Science and Engineering at
(310) 338-2833.

An Integrated Life Science Curriculum
The LEAP classroom environment will differ dramatically from a traditional lecture-based course. While the content is the same as the standard curriculum, students will use blocks of time to work on multi- and interdisciplinary projects under the direct guidance of professors in chemistry, biology and mathematics.   In addition, all students in LEAP will be enrolled in one of two sections of English 110 (college writing) where the emphasis will be on learning to communicate science and in a workshop course designed to help students navigate challenges and explore the opportunities for first year science students.

The LEAP curricular and co-curricular activities will be enhanced by the intensive use of technology.  The focus of these technology-rich, interlocking, interdisciplinary courses will be science as an experimental discipline.  Students will learn science by doing science and learn to communicate scientifically by talking and writing about science.


LEAP Residence Hall Community
  All students enrolled in LEAP will live in the living-learning community designated for them on the fourth floor of Del Rey North.  Living in the community will allow students to build close
relationships and enable them to learn together and from one another as they experience the challenging integrated coursework especially designed for them.  The community will be staffed with two resident advisors (RAs) who are LEAP alumni and one community assistant (CA).  The RAs will be primarily responsible for building community on the floor and planning activities and programs for the residents.  The CA, who is a specially selected upper-division natural science or biology major, will assist with these programs and the NTLS 190 course being taught in the residence hall for this community.  The CA will also accompany the residents on the pre-college and alternative break trips and be available on the floor as an academic resource.


LA Experience
The week before the beginning of fall semester, all students enrolled in LEAP will participate in a three day pre-college program to help them become acquainted with one another, the LEAP faculty and LMU.  This pre-college program will include trips to some of Los Angeles’ well-known natural science centers and local areas of ecological interest.  The students will have an opportunity to get settled into their community before the majority of new students arrive, which will allow them to begin to form bonds and friendships prior to tackling the challenging, yet rewarding coursework that lies ahead.


Natural Science 190 Course
Students enrolled in LEAP will be taking four integrated courses.  These are Biology 101, Chemistry 110, Math 120 and Natural Science 190.  The NTLS 190 course will run both fall and spring semesters and meet within the residence hall community on Tuesdays from 7:00 – 7:50 PM.   The course will be taught by a staff member from Student Life along with an upper-division student assistant.  The course will serve as an introduction to areas of study and career opportunities within the natural sciences.  It will also assist participants with acquiring the necessary skills to be successful students in the sciences at LMU.