Marymount College, Palos Verdes is an independent, Catholic, coeducational and residential college that offers a liberal arts program that leads to associate degrees and bachelor's degrees. Situated along the coastline of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Marymount College is one of two Catholic, co-educational colleges in Los Angeles County and one of five Marymount institutions of higher education. The College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The campus occupies 26 acres (110,000 m) overlooking the Pacific Ocean, approximately 25 miles (40 km) to the south of Los Angeles, CA. The history of Marymount college dates to the establishment of an elementary school and high school for women by seven sisters of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. Marymount Junior College opened as an all-women's school on the Westwood campus of Marymount High School in 1933. Mother Gertrude Cain, R.S.H.M., served as the first president of the junior college and guided its development into a four year college in 1948, assuming the name Marymount College of Los Angeles.