UCLA has a broad range of options that can lend an added dimension to your undergraduate academic program. You will find other services and programs available to both graduate students and undergraduates in the About UCLA section of this catalog.
The Center for American Politics and Public Policy (CAPPP) selects 25 to 30 undergraduates each fall and spring to participate in its Quarter in Washington, DC Program, which offers an exciting opportunity to combine UCLA courses with research and field experience in areas directly related to the policy-making process of the federal government. Students live in the Washington area for 12 weeks, dividing their time between courses taught by UC faculty and a part-time field placement position. They are registered as UCLA students and earn academic credit for the courses taken. Most of the courses emphasize politics and public policy. The core course carries political science credit. Efforts are also made to provide at least one course in a subject other than political science, such as art or history. All courses take advantage of Washington's unique resources for study and research.
CAPPP administrators help students find a field placement, which is central to a research seminar each student takes, in a Washington organization. Washington field placement locations have included the American Enterprise Institute, CNN, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, General Accounting Office, Heritage Foundation, Japan Economic Institute, Justice Department, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Senator Edward Kennedy's Office, Treasury Department, and others. For further information and applications, contact the CAPPP Office in 310 GSEIS Building (310-206-3109).
The Council on Educational Development (CED) offers special courses and programs that encourage educational diversity and enrichment for undergraduates. CED works closely with the college, schools, and research centers on campus to support new academic programs and courses. Many of these courses cover socially important issues which, because they are new, are not addressed in existing academic departments. Many involve nontraditional educational concepts, interdisciplinary topics, and subjects on the leading edge of faculty interest.
Each year several courses focus on medicine, law, and human values. Students analyze ethical, legal, and scientific values in medical and mental health care issues, such as genetic screening, human experimentation, patients' rights, and medical technology.
For information about CED courses, consult the Schedule of Classes. Your college, school, or department can advise you about degree credit for CED courses. The office is located in 80 Powell Library (310-825-5467).
The Extramural Programs and Opportunities (EXPO) Center offers access to a wide variety of off-campus learning experiences. For more information on any of the programs or services listed below, contact the EXPO Center, 311 Plaza Building (310-825-0831).
UCLA National Internship Program. More than 4,000 UCLA students have learned about the inner workings of government and business while serving in the internship program, the largest of its kind at any university in the nation. Bruins serve full-time internships for one or more terms on the staffs of elected officials, public interest groups, government agencies, and corporate offices in Sacramento and Washington, DC. Stipends for students in the program can be arranged.
Los Angeles Internship Program. Local internships are available throughout the year in fields such as advertising, business, film, media, politics, and television.
International Opportunities. The EXPO Center counsels students on study, travel, volunteer, international internship, and work opportunities outside the U.S., offering information on some 2,400 overseas study programs open to UCLA students. EXPO also maintains a library of current materials related to study, travel, and other opportunities abroad. International Student Identity Cards and Youth Hostel memberships are issued at the center.
Field Studies Development, a division of the Office of Instructional Development, helps students, faculty, and academic departments to develop meaningful learning experiences outside the classroom. These may be in the form of internships, field studies or research, or community service. The office is located in 80 Powell Library (310-825-7867).
Departmental Field Studies. Academic field study programs have been developed in Afro-American studies, anthropology, Asian American studies, business and administration, communication studies, education, English, film and television, folklore, geography, history, physiological science, psychology, sociology, urban planning, women's studies, and others. Departmental coordinators work with you to develop field projects and find placements.
Independent Field Studies. You may design internships and field study opportunities to meet your specific academic, personal, and career goals. A field studies coordinator assists you with your plans and helps identify faculty sponsors for your field study. Most departments offer independent field study opportunities.
Community Service -- Learning Programs. These programs enable students to perform community service while studying topics related to community health sciences, economics, history, sociology, education, urban planning, women's studies, or other subjects.
Sequential Courses. These classes are taken consecutively for two to three terms and provide in-depth analysis of a specific topic (e.g., Community Health Sciences 196A and 196B). In the first term you are introduced to the techniques of public health education; in the second term, you engage in intensive community outreach. Other sequential courses are also available. Consult a Field Studies Development schedule for more information.
Immersion Programs provide an opportunity for intense involvement in a specific area of study and typically require a full-time commitment for one or two terms. Normally the programs are structured around a block of three courses -- a theme course, a methodological course, and a fieldwork or intensive writing course for which you earn 12 to 14 units per term. The Developmental Disabilities Immersion Program (DDIP), one example, is cosponsored by Field Studies Development, the Department of Psychology, and the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. DDIP students learn about a variety of developmental disabilities by working with developmentally disabled children and adults in various research and educational facilities. The program is a full two-term sequence offered in Winter and Spring Quarters. Immersion programs are also available through the Sociology and Anthropology Departments. For more information, call (310) 825-7867.
The Honors Collegium is an innovative educational alternative designed primarily for UCLA's promising freshmen and sophomores. Some upper division courses are also offered. For a complete description of this program, see College of Letters and Science in the College and Schools section of this catalog.
These departmentally sponsored seminars are designed to provide freshmen and sophomores the opportunity to participate in a small classroom setting to enhance writing, verbal, and analytical skills. Many courses carry general education credit.
This program offers seminars that explore topics bridging various academic disciplines and professional practice. Students seeking to define their own academic and career goals gain valuable exposure to (1) research frontiers in the professions, (2) policy and ethical issues, and (3) historical and sociological perspectives on professional practice.
Seminars are offered in Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters (consult the Schedule of Classes). Enrollment is limited to allow students close contact with professional school faculty members; lower division students are preferred. You must satisfy the Subject A requirement before enrolling in these seminars. General education credit is granted for most seminars. For further information, contact the PSSP Office in 80 Powell Library (310-825-5467).
Most departments offer the individual studies (199) course for seniors -- or juniors with at least a B average -- who want to pursue a particular research interest. Consult your department or the departmental listings in this catalog for further information.
Highly motivated students who find that no single major accommodates their specific interest in a given subject may propose designing their own major. Proposals are prepared with faculty guidance and sponsorship and are thoroughly examined for cogency, completeness, and academic merit.
The requirements for an individual major vary with each college and school at UCLA, although maintaining a high scholastic average is usually mandatory. Please refer to the Curricula and Courses section of this catalog for major requirements.
The University of California, in accordance with the National Defense Act of 1920 and with the concurrence of The Regents, offers courses and programs in military training. This voluntary training allows you to qualify for an officer's commission in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps while completing your college education. ROTC courses are offered by three departments within the College of Letters and Science: Aerospace Studies (Air Force), Military Science (Army), and Naval Science (Navy and Marine Corps). Equipment, uniforms, and textbooks are provided. The programs provide a monthly stipend in the junior and senior years, and additional financial aid is available to qualified students. Individual programs are described in detail in the Curricula and Courses section of this catalog.
The Student Research Program (SRP), A265 Murphy Hall, (310) 825-6443 invites undergraduates to become directly and fully involved in the University research community through opportunities to participate in faculty research projects. You gain valuable research experience, acquire in-depth knowledge of a specific field or discipline, and establish a "partnership" with a faculty member. The program is available to all undergraduates on a voluntary basis. You receive transcript notation after completing 60 to 80 hours of research (approximately six to eight hours per week). There is no required minimum grade-point average. Consult the SRP Information and Faculty Directory Handbook for further information on the enrollment process.
Although UCLA has no undergraduate major in education, you may prepare for a career in teaching and/or education on campus. Information is available from the following offices:
(1) Specialization in Education Program Office, 1009 Moore Hall, for information regarding this specialization. The program is described in detail in the Curricula and Courses section of this catalog.
(2) College of Letters and Science Counseling Service, A316 Murphy Hall, for information regarding the Diversified Liberal Arts Program which is described in detail in the Curricula and Courses section of this catalog.
(3) Placement and Career Planning Center, for information on employment opportunities in teaching and education.
(4) UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, Office of Student Services, 1009 Moore Hall, for information on master's and doctoral degree programs in education and current information on requirements for various instructional credentials.