For more than 70 years since 1930 boat designers Gerald Taylor White and E. S. Nelson run a small school. It was named Westlawn after White's Montville, New Jersey farm. This was the first school of its kind.

The Westlawn’s curriculum is very extensive which gives its graduates the opportunity to find work in marine industry even before completing the course.

Like all distance-learning courses  there are no semesters and no fixed dates for the beginning or completion of studies. Students in the Yacht Design and Yacht Design Lite programs have one year (from whenever they enroll) to complete a Module, but they can (and many do) simply sign up for extensions to continue their studies if they haven't been able to put in enough time that year to finish. (Most of Westlawn’s shorter continuing-education courses allow six months for completion.)

The school is approved by the Department of Higher Education of the State of Connecticut and nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council which is listed by the US Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. Westlawn is also listed as a recognized institution by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.