The Cal State L.A. HCOP program has been in existence for over 16 years and has served high school, community college and university students who are choosing to work in the medical field. The program consists of a consortium of four local medical magnet high schools, three community colleges, and four of the most prominent medical universities in the nation, including UCLA and the USC schools of Medicine and Dentistry, as well as programs in Physician's Assistant. This program targets graduating high school seniors, community college students, and CSLA students. Included is an orientation for the students who will be starting Cal State L.A. the following fall quarter. The orientation is comprised of math and English diagnostic tests, career orientation, tours of the campus, computer and database access sessions, note-taking skills, and overviews of each department.
All students receive extensive advisement in their science, engineering or mathematics majors.
The emphasis of these courses is on exploring skills essential for success in the sciences and features presentations by professional scientists. Center at Cal State L.A. is a student support program located in the College of Engineering and Technology. The MESA Center is designed to increase the number of disadvantaged and underrepresented students who graduate with degrees in math, science and engineering. A MESA Advisor, usually a math or science teacher, works at each school to provide weekly academic assistance and guidance, and helps their students succeed in college prerequisite courses. The MESA Engineering Program works to increase the enrollment academic performance, graduation and professional development of its engineering and computer science students by providing academic support services that are designed to build the students into a collaborative learning community.