Study AbroAd at uCLA - Global Education Management Services

Study Abroad
at
UCLA
Welcome from the Dean of UCLA Extension
Greetings from UCLA Extension. We are pleased to welcome you
to Study Abroad at UCLA!
Study Abroad at UCLA not only gives you the advantage of studying at a topranked U.S. University and earning university credit, it also lets you experience life
in Los Angeles and at UCLA in much the same way American students do.
We believe that there is great educational value than stepping outside one’s “comfort
zone”—that is, to break out of your normal routines and familiar surroundings, try
something new, and immerse yourself in a different culture. Such opportunities hold
the possibility of providing new ways of viewing life, new insights into your own
culture, and a better understanding of yourself. What better way than in a wellknown university like UCLA to gain cultural insights, meet new friends and colleagues, and, at the same time, advance your academic and career goals?
The U.S. is going through a challenging but, at the same time, very exciting period
in its history and development. We face great financial challenges; we are struggling
with important social and political issues, and we are trying to understand where
and how we fit into a changing world. It’s an interesting time to study abroad in
the U.S.—to experience first-hand how American students, professors, and average
citizens view the challenges we face and to examine how these views compare with
yours as well as with those of students, professors, and average citizens in your
own country.
We also welcome your participation in Study Abroad at UCLA for the diversity
that you and other international students bring to the UCLA community. Your
presence, your ideas, and your friendship help American and other international
students gain greater insights into your culture, and, thereby, their educational
experience is enriched in the same ways that we hope yours will be.
In summary, we are confident that your experience at UCLA will be both
memorable and rewarding, and we look forward to welcoming you in person
to Study Abroad at UCLA!
Sincerely,
Cathy Sandeen, PhD, MBA
Dean, Continuing Education and UCLA Extension
UCLA
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Study Abroad at UCLA
UCLA Extension
Study Abroad at the University of California,
Los Angeles (UCLA) is offered by UCLA
Extension and provides opportunities for
qualified international students to
UCLA Extension’s Open Doors Concurrent
Enrollment Program makes it possible for both
domestic and international students to enroll in
UCLA courses without going through the formal
admission process to become fully matriculated
UCLA students. UCLA Extension also has years
of experience in offering programs and services to
international students and provides the necessary
immigration documents so that you can obtain a
student (F-1) visa to enroll in Study Abroad at
UCLA. Extension’s other international programs
include custom-designed programs for groups,
over fifty F-1 visa-approved certificate programs,
online courses and programs, and intensive English
language programs.
• Enroll in a full-time undergraduate program of study
at UCLA and UCLA Extension
• Earn transferable university credits
• Study side-by-side with American students
• Experience life at a top-ranked U.S. university
• Live in the exciting city of Los Angeles
•E
njoy sunny Southern California and a variety
sports and recreation
•G
ain international experience which helps when
applying for other academic programs and jobs
“Being an international student
in a cosmopolitan place like
L.A. is a fascinating experience.
Having a different ethnic
background allows me to bring
a new point of view to the table.”
— Rocio Ponce, Mexico
University of California,
Los Angeles (UCLA)
Founded in 1919, UCLA is one of the top-ranked
research universities in the U.S. and in the world.
With its College of Letters and Sciences and 11
professional schools, UCLA serves nearly 40,000
students, making it the largest of the 10 campus
University of California (UC) system. The UCLA
Library system ranks among the top 10 research
libraries in the U.S. UCLA professors have received
numerous awards, including the National Medal of
Science, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nobel
Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and Guggenheim Fellowships.
In terms of student admissions, UCLA is one of the
most competitive universities in the UC system. UCLA
students are well prepared academically and represent
considerable diversity; although the majority of UCLA
students are from California, students come from all
50 states in the U.S. and from 63 foreign countries.
For many years, UCLA has been a popular destination
for international students.
3
Program Overview
Study Abroad at UCLA is designed for international
undergraduate students who are enrolled in degree
programs in their home university and who wish to
study at UCLA in order to earn and transfer academic
credit toward their degree programs. Study Abroad
at UCLA allows qualified international students from
all over the world to enroll through UCLA Extension
in regularly scheduled UCLA and UCLA Extension
courses for academic credit during fall, winter, and
spring quarters. Students are welcome to combine
enrollment in Study Abroad with enrollment in UCLA
Summer Sessions, e.g., spring and summer and/or
summer and fall. Students wishing to enroll in
UCLA courses during the months of July, August,
and September should enroll directly with UCLA
Summer Sessions.
Enrollment in UCLA courses is limited to undergraduate courses in the College of Letters and Sciences
(www.college.ucla.edu) in the following fields of study:
the Humanities, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and
Social Sciences. Enrollment is on a space-available
basis, and you will need to meet course prerequisites
and have the consent of the course instructor to enroll.
“You will be amazed at
what a great opportunity
it is to learn from another
culture.”
— Francesca Riggio, Italy
4
In addition, UCLA Extension offers courses in a wide
variety of fields which are transferable for credit and
recognized by UCLA. Fields of study include business
and management, computer graphics and programming,
engineering, entertainment studies, teacher education,
and many more. See www.uclaextension.edu for
more information about UCLA Extension courses
and programs.
UCLA operates on the quarter system with academic
sessions that are 12 weeks in length. Fall quarter
begins in late September and ends in mid-December;
winter quarter begins in early January and ends in
mid-March, and spring quarter begins in late March/
early April and ends in mid-June. Summer quarter
begins in late June and ends in mid-September;
summer quarter courses are offered through UCLA
Summer Sessions (see www.summer.ucla.edu). See
page 13 for UCLA academic calendars.
Study Abroad at UCLA is offered in cooperation with
selected university partners and overseas study abroad
consultants. For more detailed information about the
program, including program fees and applications,
please contact the organization listed on the last page
of this brochure and/or visit the UCLA Extension web
site at www.uclaextension.edu.
Admission Requirements
Study Abroad at UCLA is a serious academic program for international students
who are currently pursuing degrees in their home university and who already
have completed at least one or two years of their degree programs. To enroll in
the program, you must meet the following minimum requirements and send us:
•A
completed program application, including
financial certification.
•A
completed and signed Proposed Study Plan
(see program application).
• The non-refundable application fee
(see program application).
•A
n official Internet-based Test of English as a
Foreign Language (TOEFL - iBT) score of 100 or
higher or an Academic International English
Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7 or
higher; scores must have been achieved within 23
months of your application date; scores 2 years old
or older will not be accepted. You will need to
request that your official TOEFL score be sent to
UCLA Extension; the UCLA Extension school code
is 4910-0000. For IELTS, you need to indicate that
you are applying for UCLA Extension’s Study
Abroad at UCLA program when your register for
the exam.
• Official university transcripts in English to demonstrate academic success and a minimum grade point
average (GPA) equivalent to a 3.0 on a 4-point scale.
Consult your university or your study abroad consultant for GPA conversion tables for the grading system
in your country.
•A
letter of recommendation from your home
institution, department, or academic advisor.
•A
written statement of purpose, in English, explaining how the program fits into your study plan and
educational objectives. The statement should be
2 typed pages or less.
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Course Enrollment Process
It will be helpful for you to understand some of the
differences between being enrolled in Study Abroad at
UCLA and being a fully matriculated UCLA student.
Fully matriculated UCLA students go through an
extensive application process which involves applying
almost a year in advance of the quarter in which they
plan to enter the university. For a university like UCLA,
the application process is highly competitive and only a
small percentage of the total applicants are accepted for
admission. Admission is usually for a degree program,
i.e., an undergraduate or graduate degree.
By comparison, enrolling in Study Abroad at UCLA is
much easier. You can apply approximately two to three
months in advance of your planned entry date, and if
you meet or exceed the program requirements, your
chances of being accepted into the program are good.
Although you will not be a fully matriculated UCLA
student and will not be accepted into a degree program,
you will be able to enroll in UCLA courses for transferable credit and study side-by-side with UCLA students.
The process of enrolling in courses is also different for
UCLA students than for students enrolled in Study
Abroad at UCLA. Fully matriculated UCLA students
enroll in their courses in advance through an online
enrollment system. Although there are seldom course
guarantees for any students at UCLA, UCLA students
will have priority in enrolling for courses because they
are enrolled in degree programs.
Students in Study Abroad at UCLA enroll in courses
when they arrive at UCLA to begin their program.
Provided that you meet course prerequisites and have
the consent of the instructor, you will enroll in your
courses on a space-available basis. Your program
advisors will guide you through the enrollment process,
and they will suggest courses where the chances for
enrollment are good. The advisors will also give you
a letter of introduction explaining that you are an
international student enrolled in Study Abroad at
UCLA, and the letter will list the requirements that
you met in order to enroll in the program.
During the first days of the quarter, you will have
opportunities to visit courses that appear to meet
your academic and personal objectives. Each visit will
provide you with a general impression of the course
and the professor as well as the chance to review the
course plan for the quarter and the assignments that
students will be expected to complete. In some cases,
you quickly may decide that you don’t want to enroll
in the course, and, in other cases, you may decide that
the course matches your educational objectives.
6
The key to making this enrollment process work is
being flexible and having a well-developed list of
courses. For that reason, in the program application
we ask you to provide a preliminary list of 10 or
more courses that will meet your objectives. This
list will allow our academic advisor to assist you,
and if a specific course is not available, you will have
other course alternatives. Thus, it’s very important to
talk with the university advisor or study abroad
consultant in your home country to be certain that
courses offered through Study Abroad at UCLA are
appropriate for you.
If you want to enroll, you will need to speak with the
professor after class, present your letter of introduction,
and ask if you may join the class. If there is space
available in the course and if the professor agrees, she
or he will sign an enrollment form, and you will be
able to enroll in the course officially.
If you decide to enroll in UCLA Extension courses, the
enrollment process is easier, and often you can enroll in
courses in advance before the course begins. However,
you still may want to visit courses first to make sure
that they meet your objectives. Again, your academic
advisor will assist you with the enrollment process.
Please note that most UCLA Extension courses are offered
in the evening between the hours of 6:30 and 10pm.
Again, your advisor will help you with the final steps
of the enrollment process. It is important to realize
that some popular courses may be full when you try
to enroll; in that case, you will need to look for an
alternate course.
Although this process might seem challenging at first,
you soon will see that many UCLA students go through
the same process. Since most professors are happy to
have well-qualified international students in their
courses, your international student status can work
to your advantage. Past experience has shown that
international students not only have managed this
course enrollment process well, but also they have
been able to enroll in the courses that meet their needs.
“Although I spent 80%
of my free time doing
homework, I still found
plenty of time to socialize,
work out, and explore Los
Angeles and its variety of
cafés, clubs and beaches. In fact, I’m still in
touch with several classmates I used to hang
out with, who come from every corner of the
world, such as Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Japan,
Turkey and Argentina. ”
—Jean-Marc Dedeyne, Martinique
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Course Enrollment Process (continued)
Visas and Course Loads: Study Abroad at UCLA is
regarded as a full-time program of study, and to comply
with UCLA Extension and U.S. Department of Homeland
Security regulations, you will need a student (F-1) visa to
attend this program. If you meet the program admission
requirements, UCLA Extension will send you an I-20,
which will enable you to apply for a student visa.
During fall, winter, and spring quarters, a full-time
course of study is defined as 12 units of UCLA and/or
UCLA Extension courses. Most UCLA and UCLA
Extension courses carry four units of credit, so in
most cases you will be able to enroll in three four-unit
courses. If you wish to enroll in more than 12 units of
credit, you will need to obtain permission from your
program advisor, and you will need to pay additional
fees for additional units of credit. However, three
four-unit courses constitute a normal course load for
most students.
Course Offerings and Restricted Courses: Before
deciding to apply for Study Abroad at UCLA, please
take a close look at the fields of study and courses
that are offered to ensure that the program will
meet your personal educational objectives. We
recommend that you visit the UCLA College of
Letters and Sciences website (www.college.ucla.edu),
and, for more detailed information, please see www.
registrar.ucla.edu/schedule/schedulehome.aspx for
course offerings during specific quarters. Please see
www.uclaextension.edu for information about UCLA
Extension courses, and for UCLA Summer Sessions,
please visit www.summer.ucla.edu.
“I remember walking down
the streets in Los Angeles
and being blown away by
the art scene. Every corner
I turn has art and design.
From graffiti of vivid
colors and spectacular
illustrations, trendy shops
selling innovative products
in creative packaging, to
bus rides that offer a view
of some of L.A.’s great
architecture—the fun and
quirky versus exquisite
and intricate. L.A. still
continues to wow and
inspire me.”
— Jolene Lai, Singapore
8
Course Offerings and Restricted Courses (continued):
During fall, winter, and spring, you will not be able to
enroll in UCLA courses in the School of Law; the School
of Film, Theater, and Television; or in Graduate and
Professional Programs, including Medicine, Dentistry,
the Graduate School of Management, and most courses
in the School of Engineering. Since many international
students want to take courses in business and management, it is important to realize that UCLA does not offer
undergraduate degrees in business, and the number of
UCLA business-related courses is limited.
Certificate and Transcripts: Upon completion of
Study Abroad at UCLA, you will receive an attractive
UCLA Extension certificate. In addition, official
UCLA Extension transcripts will be available at the
end of each academic quarter. The transcript will
report all of your UCLA and UCLA Extension courses
as well as the grades and academic credit that you
earned for each course. If you attend UCLA Summer
Sessions, your courses and grades will be listed on a
separate official UCLA transcript.
However, UCLA Extension offers a variety of courses
in Business and Management, Entertainment Studies,
and Engineering. UCLA Summer Sessions also offers
more variety and options than may be available to you
during fall, winter, and spring. In summary, you need
to match your personal study plan and educational
objectives with the programs and course offered at
UCLA, UCLA Extension, and UCLA Summer Sessions.
“Living in Los Angeles
is a “must”—it is an
experience that I would
recommend to anyone.
There is always something
different to do.”
— P
atricia Pedraza Isturiz,
Venezuela
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UCLA Extension Support Services
UCLA Extension staff will be available to assist you in
getting settled in Los Angeles, becoming accustomed to
academic life at UCLA, and enrolling in UCLA and
UCLA Extension courses. However, students enrolled
in Study Abroad at UCLA should be independent and
prepared to take initiative in managing their personal
lives and academic responsibilities.
Program Orientation: At the beginning of each
quarter, there will be an orientation for newly
arrived and continuing students. In addition to providing an opportunity for you to get acquainted,
the orientation will provide information on academic, administrative, and immigration issues, as
well as information on housing, transportation,
health services, activities and organizations, and
other student services. Explanations will be given
about how to enroll in UCLA and UCLA Extension
courses. Advisors will be available to help you in
group and in one-on-one meetings.
Housing: Student housing accommodations and meals
are not included in the program price. UCLA campus
housing is available only in summer. Thus, you will
need to make arrangements for off-campus housing
during fall, winter, and spring quarters. Housing
arrangements can be made in advance; however, you
may wish to arrive in Los Angeles a week or two in
advance of your program start date if you want to find
an apartment to share or rent with other students.
Consult your university or study abroad consultant for
more information on housing.
ID Cards and Privileges: Shortly after the first orientation
meeting, you will receive a UCLA Extension Identification
Card, a UCLA Recreation Pass, and a UCLA Library
Card. The recreation card will permit you to use various
UCLA sports and recreational facilities, and the library
card will allow you to use and check out materials from
UCLA libraries.
“Looking back at my experience, I always enjoyed
the guest speakers who brought in relevant
knowledge from today’s industry. Networking with
your classmates is also important and tremendously
helpful as this industry is all about connections!
The Extension program I enrolled in is everything I
expected—professional, challenging, and fun, despite the amount of
work. I realized this is what I have been searching for: the
opportunity to study with young professionals of all sorts who are
making an effort to do the best they can in this great melting pot. ”
—So Yeong Zoe Lee, Korea
10
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
UCLA is located about five miles from
the Pacific Ocean in one of the safest
and most attractive parts of Los
Angeles; it is surrounded on three sides
by green residential areas, by the Santa
Monica Mountains to the North and
by Westwood Village to the South.
Westwood Village is a lively commercial area noted for its first-run movie
theaters and film premieres with bright
lights, red carpets, and movie stars.
The “Village” features a wide variety
of student-oriented shops, a live theater,
a major art museum, and a tremendous
variety of food at all prices, including
many types of fast food, cafés, Asian
noodle shops, Middle Eastern specialties, French pastry, and elegant continental and California cuisine.
Westwood and UCLA are served by
three bus lines, and it’s just a short ride
to Beverly Hills, West Hollywood,
Century City, Santa Monica, and to
Santa Monica and Venice beaches.
First-time visitors are surprised at the
size and beauty of the UCLA campus
with its 419 acres, 174 buildings, and
combination of Romanesque and
modern architecture. The campus offers
endless variety with its beautifully
landscaped Murphy Sculpture Garden,
Sunset Canyon Recreation Center,
Mathias Botanical Garden, theaters,
museums, and many libraries. From a
practical standpoint, UCLA boasts the
largest student store in the U.S. with a
number of branch stores throughout the
campus, more than a dozen restaurants
and coffee shops, banks, post offices, its
own police station, and a state-of-the-art
research hospital, which is ranked #1 in
the Western U.S. and #3 in the U.S.
Famous for its athletic teams, UCLA
offers a wide variety of sports and
recreation facilities, including numerous
outdoor swimming pools, tennis
courts—most notably the courts that
were built for the 1984 Olympic tennis
competition—tracks, a soccer field, and
the John R. Wooden Recreation and
Sports Center with multiple gymnasia;
racquetball, handball, and squash
courts; weight training facilities; rock
climbing wall; and exercise, dance, and
martial arts studios.
UCLA offers a rich variety of cultural
events and entertainment. Perhaps the
most well known is UCLA Live, an
annual entertainment series of worldclass performing artists and groups.
Recent performers include: Béla Fleck,
Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer, Jazz at
Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton
Marsalis, Omara Portuondo, Los Lobos,
Max Raabe & Palast Orchester, Arlo
Guthrie, and the Monterey Jazz Festival
on Tour; see www.uclalive.org/calendar.
Students enrolled in Study Abroad at
UCLA will have numerous opportunities
to interact with other UCLA students in
their courses and through a wide variety
of campus organizations, including those
focusing on ethnicity, religion, politics,
global issues, gender issues, professions
and careers, specific fields of study, vocal
music, instrumental music, dance, and
many, many more. With its size and
diversity, Los Angeles also offers a wealth
of clubs, organizations, and activities in
which students can participate.
11
UCLA Extension
As part of the UCLA Division of Continuing Education,
UCLA Extension is one of the largest university
continuing education programs in the world. UCLA
Extension addresses the academic, career, and personal
development needs of adult professionals, including
international students. Over 60,000 participants enroll
in UCLA Extension courses and programs each year,
and of that number over 10,000 are international
participants. The majority of Extension instructors are
experienced professionals who are currently working in
their fields of specialization.
The courses they teach are usually directly related
to what they do each day in their jobs. In nearly all
cases and since many UCLA Extension participants
are working professionals also, most UCLA Extension
courses place a strong emphasis on practical application—providing professionals and students with the
knowledge and skills they need in their careers and
personal lives.
“I was beyond happy with the
location, I loved the area. It
was safe, not too big to walk
around, and convenient for
transportation. You can go
anywhere from Westwood by
bus. There are so many
opportunities to see famous
actors and actresses in the
area also.”
— Wato Kusui, Japan
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UCLA Three-year Academic Calendar
2010 – 2011
2011 – 2012
2012 – 2013
Fall Quarter
Fall Quarter
Fall Quarter
Quarter Begins: September 20, 2010
Quarter Begins: September 19, 2011
Quarter Begins: September 24, 2012
Quarter Ends: December 10, 2010
Quarter Ends: December 9, 2011
Quarter Ends: December 14, 2012
University Holidays:
University Holidays:
University Holidays:
Veterans’ Day: November 11, 2010
Veterans’ Day: November 11, 2011
Veterans’ Day: November 12, 2012
Thanksgiving Holiday: November 25-26, 2010
Thanksgiving Holiday: November 24-25, 2011
Thanksgiving Holiday: November 22-23, 2012
Winter Break: Dec. 24, 2010 – Jan. 2, 2011
Winter Break: Dec. 26, 2011 – Jan. 2, 2012
Winter Break: Dec. 24, 2012 – Jan. 1, 2013
Winter Quarter
Winter Quarter
Winter Quarter
Quarter Begins: January 3, 2011
Quarter Begins: January 4, 2012
Quarter Begins: January 2, 2013
Quarter Ends: March 18, 2011
Quarter Ends: March 23, 2012
Quarter Ends: March 22, 2013
University Holidays:
University Holidays:
University Holidays:
Martin Luther King Day: January 17, 2011
Martin Luther King Day: January 16, 2012
Martin Luther King Day: January 21, 2013
Presidents’ Day: February 21, 2011
Presidents’ Day: February 20, 2012
Presidents’ Day: February 18, 2013
Spring Quarter
Spring Quarter
Spring Quarter
Quarter Begins: March 28, 2011
Quarter Begins: March 28, 2012
Quarter Begins: March 27, 2013
Quarter Ends: June 10, 2011
Quarter Ends: June 15, 2012
Quarter Ends: June 14, 2013
University Holidays:
University Holidays:
University Holidays:
Cesar Chavez Holiday: March 25, 2011
Cesar Chavez Holiday: March 30, 2012
Cesar Chavez Holiday: March 29, 2013
Memorial Day: May 30, 2011
Memorial Day: May 28, 2012
Memorial Day: May 27, 2013
Summer Quarter
Summer Quarter
Summer Quarter
Quarter Begins: June 20, 2011
Quarter Begins: June 25, 2012
Quarter Begins: date to be announced*
Quarter Ends: September 9, 2011
Quarter Ends: September 14, 2012
Quarter Ends: date to be announced*
University Holidays:
University Holidays:
University Holidays:
Independence Day: July 5, 2011
Independence Day: July 4, 2012
Independence Day: July 4, 2013
Labor Day: September 6, 2011
Labor Day: September 5, 2012
Labor Day: September 3, 2013
*Please visit the UCLA Summer Sessions website (www.summer.ucla.edu) for details.
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About Los Angeles
Los Angeles (L.A.) is a cosmopolitan city, an exciting center of business,
entertainment, and recreation. The largest port in the Americas, L.A. is known as
the gateway to the manufacturing and trade industries of the Pacific Rim. The city
also is the undisputed center of the entertainment world, where television, movies,
music, and new media are created.
Favorite recreational activities include visits to theaters, cinemas, museums, art
galleries, amusement parks, and sunny beaches. You also can explore Los Angeles’s
many ethnic communities and enjoy authentic restaurants, teahouses, and festivals.
Rock climbing, surfing, sailing, and mountain biking are year-round sports; skiing
and snowboarding in the nearby mountains are popular in winter months. From
Los Angeles, you can easily explore California’s well-known national parks, such
as Yosemite, Channel Islands, Death Valley, Sequoia, and Point Reyes.
Los Angeles is an ideal place to continue your education, do business, and
experience the best of life in exciting Southern California.
Los Angeles
Average Temperatures and Rainfall in
Los Angeles, California
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
14
Temperature Rainfall
High Low
19 C
20 C
20 C
22 C
23 C
25 C
9 C
10 C
11 C
12 C
14 C
16 C
8 cm
8.2 cm
6.8 cm
2.6 cm
.8 cm
.2 cm
Month
July
August
September
October
November
December
Temperature Rainfall
High Low
28 C
28 C
27 C
25 C
23 C
20 C
17 C
18 C
17 C
15 C
12 C
10 C
.1 cm
.2 cm
.6 cm
1.2 cm
3.4 cm
6.2 cm
Important Websites
www.ucla.edu
www.summer.ucla.edu
www.college.ucla.edu
www.registrar.ucla.edu/schedule/schedulehome.aspx
www.uclaextension.edu
www.uclalive.org/calendar
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UCLA Extension
10995 Le Conte Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024-1333
www.uclaextension.edu
Not Printed at State Expense / 10188-09