Pepperdine University is a private institution of higher learning affiliated with the Church of Christ. The university's location overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, California. Pepperdine University participates in the West Coast Conference, a conference made up exclusively of religiously affiliated schools in which it is the only member that is not Catholic. Appropriate for its location adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, well known for its waves, Pepperdine's teams are known as the Waves.