The UCSC Silicon Valley Extension Course Catalog was generated on March 30, 2026. The information is a snapshot of what was available in early spring 2026. It is not the most current information about our programs. The current information is still found on our website.
For a downloadable PDF version of the course catalog, double click on this page.
Please let us know if you have any questions: extension@ucsc.edu
Six areas of study
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension provides professional development courses and certificates in the following areas:
Most of our professional certificates take 9–12 months to complete. Once students start taking classes in a program, they have up to four years to earn a certificate or up to three years to earn a specialization.
Artificial Intelligence Application Development
Clinical Trials Design and Management
Data Science and Data Analytics
Early Childhood Education: Advanced Teacher
Early Childhood Education: Associate Teacher
Early Childhood Education: Supervision and Administration
Medical Device Quality and Design
Project and Program Management
Silicon Chip Design & Semiconductor Engineering
Software Engineering and Quality
Special Education Teacher Assistant
User Experience and Web Design
To see the latest information on these programs, please visit our certificates page.
Most of our specializations offer a fast, focused look at a specific area of industry so professionals can take practical skills to work right away. Students usually complete our short specializations in 4–9 months.
Content Marketing and Campaigns
DevOps and Data Virtualization
Digital and Customer Experience Marketing
Mobile Application Development
To see the latest information about our these programs, please visit our specializations page.
University of California, Santa Cruz invites motivated high school students to join a transformative academic journey through the Pre-College Summer Enrichment Program.
Each session provides an immersive introduction to a specialized area of study, combining college-level instruction, hands-on projects, and guest lectures from leaders in academia and industry.
Students collaborate in small teams, guided by UC student mentors, as they build essential skills in research, communication, and critical thinking. Each session concludes with a final project presentation to peers, instructors, and advisors—preparing students for the academic rigor of college and the demands of future careers.
Program details
In this hands-on, project-based course, students will be guided by mentors and industry experts as they explore the essentials of launching a startup. They'll use the Lean Startup methodology—an agile, proven approach to innovation and business development. By the end of the program, students will have the mindset and toolkit to transform creative ideas into sustainable business ventures, powered by design thinking and regenerative innovation.
Step into real research—one phage at a time
Step into the world of real scientific discovery through the study of bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria. In this hands-on, project-based course, you’ll learn how to design and carry out hypothesis-driven research while exploring the structure and genome of your own unique phage.
Working in a lab, you’ll isolate and characterize bacteriophages that infect mycobacterium, a harmless soil bacterium related to the one that causes tuberculosis. Along the way, you’ll practice essential lab skills such as sterile technique, solution preparation, DNA manipulation, and bioinformatic genome analysis.
Phage hunting combines art, science, and adventure—you’ll collect samples from the environment, investigate how phages interact with their bacterial hosts, and uncover the secrets hidden in their genetic code. By the end of the course, your discoveries will contribute to a growing scientific database that helps researchers better understand phage diversity, bacterial genetics, and even tuberculosis biology.
Design games that inspire change
Video Game Design will focus on the art of game design, including critical elements such as storytelling, character development, plot construction, and the creation of engaging gameplay. Students will engage with lectures, in-class exercises, discussions, and hands-on projects focused on video game development fundamentals.
The course emphasizes problem-solving, teamwork, brainstorming, and storytelling. To build a practical understanding of game development, students will create small games throughout the course. Working in teams, they'll participate in all aspects of building a serious game. They will learn how to generate ideas, develop a narrative, and transform their story into a playable experience. Additionally, students will create small-scale games related to different topics to explore how video games can help us understand and address challenges such as mental health.
With a particular focus on large language models (LLMs), students will learn the core concepts and technologies underlying these systems, including their layered architectures, in-context learning, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and fine-tuning. Through hands-on activities, students will build a simple language model, experiment with creating functional AI tools, and critically analyze them for ethical, alignment, and explainability challenges.
Key topics include AI alignment, interpretability, and explainability, with emphasis on methods that make AI decision-making transparent and its logic accessible to users. The course also explores human oversight techniques, incorporating mechanisms such as reinforcement learning (RL) and reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF).
Explore the foundations of artificial intelligence
Discover the power of artificial intelligence through AI Machine Learning —an introductory, three-week online course designed for high school students eager to explore machine learning, data science, and real-world problem solving. Led by UC Santa Cruz instructors and supported by graduate mentors, this program introduces students to core AI concepts through hands-on coding, research-based projects, and technical instruction.
Students will build predictive models using Python and scientific libraries like NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn, while learning techniques such as clustering, classification, and dimensionality reduction. With guidance from mentors and exposure to generative AI tools, the course culminates in a final research project, equipping students with in-demand skills and a strong foundation for college and careers in technology.
Discover your future in medicine and health
This immersive, 10-day course introduces students to the interconnected world of modern medicine — from the first response in an emergency to the public health systems that safeguard entire populations. Through lectures, guest speakers, and hands-on simulations, students will experience the full spectrum of healthcare roles and gain insight into how care is coordinated across disciplines.
By the end of the course, participants will understand not only how health professionals treat individuals but also how their collective efforts sustain community health.
To see the latest information about these pre-college programs, please visit our Pre-College Program Page.
The demand for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in industry has grown 270 percent in just four years creating huge job opportunities for the people who understand the technology as well as the developing business impact of such disruption. This course is not just for software engineers. In a hands-on, workshop-style environment, students will explore the future of AI and its potential on organizational levels.
You will focus on:
We will start by demystifying AI with an introduction to the technology, including an overview of machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), and autonomous systems. We will review definitions and buzzwords; the hype vs. reality; and the evolution of key AI technologies.
A survey of how enterprises are using AI will help you identify opportunities in your own companies. You will gain exposure to AI applications across functional areas, including:
Topics also include the economics of AI technologies and business models, as well as risks and regulatory compliance. You will explore an AI transformation playbook and learn how AI can be integrated into business functions through rich case studies and an AI-first strategy. Ethical, legal, and economic implications will be covered for business strategy and society as well as AI's impact on work and trends in the labor market.
Finally, the future of work will be discussed, its changing nature, the balance between people and machines and the training, reskilling, and retention of needed talent.
By the end of this course, you will be able to create a business roadmap for implementation of AI in your specific domain areas.
1.5 CEUs
Now available through Coursera!This exciting new course is now being offered in a self-paced, online format via the Coursera learning platform. You are invited to enroll in it today!"Enroll in AI, Empathy, and Ethics with AI architect Kelvin Lwin."More about this course:This nontechnical course provides an overview of artificial intelligence advancements and the ethical challenges we now face as we navigate the development, implementation, and ubiquitous global use of AI.When we demystify AI technology, we encounter intrinsic ethical challenges such as privacy, bias, diversity, equity, explainability, and robustness-all foundational aspects of effective business stewardship.In this course, we confront the ethical considerations of enterprise AI adoption while providing a deep understanding of how to leverage AI in ways that benefit both corporate and society at large.We begin the course with an introduction to AI, including an overview of machine learning, deep learning, neuro-linguistic programming, and autonomous systems. Then, we explore the broader impact of AI technology on enterprise and society and discuss ethical values and frameworks in industry case studies, the future of work, and the training, reskilling, and retention of needed talent.
By the end of this course, you will be able to create a business roadmap and ethical framework for the implementation of AI in your specific domain areas and present a 20-minute pitch on incorporating and building ethical AI frameworks in existing or new projects.
In this introductory course, students will learn about the latest developments in the field of artificial intelligence as well as their practical applications. They will explore ChatGPT, Auto-GPT, Chatsonic, DALL-E, and other AI systems, and have the opportunity to interact directly with the technology to experience its potential and limitations.
This course is ideal for anyone who wants to gain an understanding of emerging AI technology and its industry applications. It prepares you to pursue our developing AI program series as a user or developer, and is suitable for individuals who are considering a career in data science, machine learning, or AI.
0.5 CEUs
This comprehensive course introduces participants to the world of generative AI and its transformative impact across industries. Suitable for beginners and professionals, this course delves into the practical applications of generative AI, from text and image generation to music composition, and its expanding role in healthcare, finance, and other sectors.Throughout the course, you'll gain a solid understanding of the underlying technology, including deep learning and neural networks, as well as the architecture of ChatGPT, its variants, and prompt engineering. You will also learn about the tools, resources, and best practices for building generative AI models. Moreover, you’ll have the chance to explore emerging trends, ethical considerations, and future opportunities in the field.
2.0 CEUs
Python and Machine Learning Basics are recommended but not required.
Streamline your everyday office tasks by leveraging the power of AI and machine learning technology.
Using common office software tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and NotebookLM, you'll discover how AI converts natural language input into actionable productivity tasks, streamlines and automates your workflow and enhances efficiency across document creation, spreadsheets, presentations, calendars, and emails.
This course is designed for nontechnical professionals looking to harness generative AI. You'll explore tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and NotebookLM, gaining hands-on experience in AI-driven content creation, summarization, and automation.
You'll be skilled in prompt engineering and be able to use MS or Google Drive office software more efficiently and effectively, helping you to succeed in today's fast-paced work environment.
Please bring a use case to solve with generative AI.
2.0 CEUs
In this course on robotic process automation (RPA), students in any industry will learn to automate some of the simple, repetitive software tasks encountered by general office workers, managers, and information workers. They will learn to automate transaction processing, data manipulation, digital systems communication, and alerts that trigger a response requiring limited cognitive intelligence.
Students will discover the remarkable abilities of Intelligent Automation using AI agents and smart RPA with open source datasets and tasks, such as MiniWob++, WebShop, WebArena, and Mind2Web, a set of library environments of web-browser-based navigation and interaction tasks for computer control. We'll cover:
Throughout the course, we’ll explore the intricacies of various MiniWob++, WebShop, WebArena, and Mind2Web tasks, observe how AI-agents work on these tasks, and analyze their performance in detail. We’ll highlight tasks where our agent excels and tasks where humans outperform our agent. While we investigate the challenges posed by specific tasks, such as Simon-says and terminal, we’ll shed light on the factors contributing to our agent's performance disparities compared to humans. Some of the intelligent open source agents we will learn in the class are: PIX2ACT, MINDACT, SEEACT, UFO, ProAgent, OpenAdapt, and CrewAI
We’ll also survey research and advancements in achieving human-level performance in smart and agentic RPA tasks; the strategies, techniques, and architectural choices that enable agents to achieve exceptional results; and uncover the challenges and opportunities in the field of RPA.
2.0 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.3 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.3 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.5 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.5 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.5 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.3 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Knowledge of LLM and AI Agents.
Please bring a laptop and have Google, GitHub and Hugging Face accounts to participate in hands-on exercises.
0.5 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.3 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.3 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.5 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.5 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.3 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.4 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.5 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive AI technology workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established AI tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.5 CEUs
This engaging course introduces students to the exciting world of modern generative AI applications in professional settings. We will demystify advanced AI concepts and prepare professionals to confidently apply these innovative tools in their fields.We will explore two key technologies—retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and AI agents. Students will learn how to use these tools in their own work and appreciate the potential of these technologies on productivity and decision-making.
2.0 CEUs
AISV.814: Generative AI Fundamentals
Generative AI and LLM basics. Python for Machine Learning recommended but not required.
Learn the fundamentals of large language models and build practical AI applications for business use. This course covers the transformer architecture basics, prompt engineering, and API integration. Through hands-on projects, you'll develop hands-on skills in crafting effective prompts, creating conversational interfaces, and using popular large language model (LLM) frameworks to build real-world applications, including domain-specific chatbots, productivity tools, and sentiment analysis solutions for customer feedback.
2.0 CEUs
AISV.814: Generative AI Fundamentals
In this course, students explore the core architecture and real-world applications of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-a powerful way to enhance large language models with access to external knowledge. Through hands-on work with document processing pipelines, chunking strategies, embedding models, and vector databases, students gain practical skills in retrieving and enhancing needed information, augmenting prompts, and evaluating performance with key metrics.
Designed for professionals and teams in companies of all sizes, this course shows how RAG can power tools like internal knowledge assistants, research agents, and customer feedback analyzers. With a focus on agentic RAG, where AI can reason and retrieve dynamically, participants learn to build advanced solutions that drive efficiency, insight, and smarter workflows across the organization. As RAG capabilities become more valuable in the workplace, those who can implement them are increasingly essential to innovation and impact.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to
2.0 CEUs
AISV.819: LLM Fundamentals and Practical Applications
As AI agents transition from experimental tools to production-ready business solutions, organizations need professionals who can design, build and deploy these systems effectively.
This hands-on course teaches software developers and technical professionals how to create AI agents that integrate seamlessly with existing business workflows, from sales and customer support to market research and workflow automation.
This course will cover the core components of agent systems including planning, memory, tool use, evaluation methods, as well as patterns and best practices. Through hands-on exploration of AI agent frameworks and projects, learners will build AI agents for real-world scenarios such as sales qualification, business automation, competitive analysis, and research assistance. By the end of the course, students will have both the technical skills and applied understanding to create agent-based solutions that deliver measurable impact to organizations.
2.0 CEUs
AISV.819: LLM Fundamentals and Practical Applications
Machine learning (ML) is the foundation for many artificial intelligence (AI), and ML algorithms that underlie online shopping recommendations, credit card fraud detection, relevant social media content delivery, rideshare trip pricing, and traffic navigation.
In this course you'll explore essential ML concepts, tools, and methodology, such as classical and modern algorithms that drive real-world applications such as search engines, image analysis, biometrics, industrial automation, and market segmentation. You'll work with practical data-driven applications and gain a practical background for creating new products and improving existing ones.
Starting with an introduction to the mathematics underlying ML, we'll leverage open source Python-based libraries, including Pandas, NumPy, and Sklearn. You'll improve your intuitive understanding of the underlying algorithms, such as regression, classification, and clustering, as well as related Python-based code samples. You'll work in a small team or by yourself on a project to present during the final week of class.
Quarter units: 3.0
DBDA.X427: Python for Machine Learning
Deep learning, a branch of artificial intelligence and machine learning, uses multilayered neural networks to create highly accurate prediction models for image recognition, object detection, language translation, speech recognition, and other tasks. In this course, students will use open source and industry-standard machine learning libraries to build and deploy deep learning models.
Students will build deep learning prediction models of different complexities, from simple linear logistic regression to major categories of neural networks including convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), long short-term memory (LSTMs), and gated recurrent units (GRUs).
By the end of the course, students will be proficient in best practices of using standard machine learning frameworks such as Pytorch, TensorFlow and Keras, and using datasets for solving common machine learning problems.
The class prepares students to pursue a career in data sciences and AI model development.
Quarter units: 3.0
AISV.X400: Introduction to Machine Learning
DBDA.X427: Python for Machine Learning
Moderate level of computer programming ability in Python, comfortable with an editor, familiarity with command-line operations on a laptop, and a basic understanding of Machine Learning models.
This advanced course introduces students to many aspects of natural language processing (NLP), a subfield of Artificial Intelligence (AI) focused on human language. The course includes hands-on lab work with popular open source frameworks, such as Pandas, Hugging Face Transformers, and Pytorch and covers a wide breadth of material, ranging from traditional methods, to more recent advancements in NLP, for example ChatGPT.Students will explore natural language understanding (NLU), natural language generation (NLG), and discuss frameworks, algorithms and supervised learning.The course will cover deep learning (DL), how DL and NLP can be combined, modern NLP architectures and language models in the BERT family. In addition, students will learn about the amazing GPT family of language models, for example GPT, GPT3, Instruct GPT, ChatGPT, and GPT4, as well as other recent advancements in generative Large Language Models (LLMs).Students will leave the course with a wide-breadth of experience and understanding of the diverse applications of NLP in the modern world, along with the ability to program NLP methodologies in Python.
Quarter units: 3.0
AISV.X401: Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence
Moderate level of computer programming ability in Python, comfortable with an editor, familiarity with basic command-line operations on a laptop, and a good understanding of Machine Learning models and Deep Learning models.
Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) is a critical component of ChatGPT to improve rewards on the generated text. This course will introduce students to RLHF and how ChatGPT leverages PPO, a policy gradient-based reinforcement learning algorithm, in order to build a ChatGPT-like system. As an advanced AI course, students get hands-on experience with a variety of reinforcement learning (RL) and deep reinforcement learning (DRL) tools used to teach machines to make human-like decisions based on observation and interpretation of surrounding environments. The development of a plethora of DRL algorithms shows tremendous improvement in state-of-the-art games like Go and highly sophisticated multi-player games such as StarCraft and Dota, as well as control systems, natural language, self-driving cars, and robotics.After a quick review of deep learning building blocks, and RL and DRL fundamentals, we will dive into available promising DRL algorithms, illustrating them with concrete examples and simulation environments. Students will learn to solve everyday tasks in RL, including well-known simulations such as CartPole, MountainCar, and MuJoCo.You will learn Markov decision process (MDP) formulation and an extensive collection of DRL algorithms: deep q-learning (DQN, DDQN, PER), policy gradients methods (A2C, A3C, TRPO, PPO, ACER, ACKTR, SAC), deterministic policy gradients methods (DPG, DDPG, TD3), and inverse reinforcement learning. To implement these DRL algorithms, students will code in Python 3, OpenAI Gym, tf2.keras, and TensorFlow-Agents. We will also review other popular DRL libraries, such as Google Dopamine, Keras-RL, and Facebook Horizon.
Quarter units: 3.0
AISV.X401: Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence
In this course, students explore the theoretical and mathematical framework of GANs and experience hands-on guided workshops and practical applications in the data synthesis space. We focus on image synthesis while learning the fundamental concepts, mathematical formulation, and practical aspects of building and training generative models required to create innovative AI systems. This course will also introduce ChatGPT-like systems.
GANs are one of the most valuable components of modern AI, be it computer vision, anomaly detection, or language models. In language modeling alone, GANs and other neural network techniques have shown remarkable milestones for text generation, text summarization, language translation, question answering, and more. The recent success of DALL-E 2 and ChatGPT highlight these accomplishments.
ChatGPT leverages the GANs framework and facilitates text-based conversation with humans by generating, synthesizing, and allowing interactive responses to questions. ChatGPT engages in communication just like another human and is just the beginning, with many more excellent AI applications on the horizon. This GANs course teaches you the fundamentals required to build such innovative AI systems and lays a path to the future.
Working in a research environment, you’ll learn the problems and challenges associated with GANs and overcome them at the production level. Students will perform image translation and synthesis tasks with state-of-the-art networks, such as Pix2Pix and CycleGAN. You’ll implement deep learning algorithms from technical papers for deep generative models and focus on building an intuition of efficient training of DL and GAN models.
Quarter units: 3.0
AISV.X401: Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence
Requisite Knowledge
You need to be familiar with probability theory and linear algebra, programming, and deep learning.
The AI robotics industry is rapidly growing, driving demand for professionals who can implement intelligent robotic systems in real-world settings. In this AI for Robotics course, you'll explore how AI enables robots to perform complex tasks across diverse applications - from logistics and manufacturing to healthcare and autonomous navigation. We'll dive into advanced AI techniques for perception, manipulation, reasoning, and learning, and examine how these capabilities are integrated into robotic systems. You'll gain hands-on experience training deep learning models for tasks such as object detection, classification, and segmentation. The course also covers the AI software development life cycle, including data preparation, model training, and validation, with a focus on the unique challenges of deploying AI in robotics.
Quarter units: 3.0
Students should be proficient in programming languages, such as C++ or Python. Knowledge of AI/ML solutions and related frameworks is suggested as well as familiarity with algebra and higher-level mathematics.
Computer vision applications include industrial machine vision systems, optical character recognition, medical imaging, space exploration, image analytics for security surveillance, retail checkout, automotive safety, artificial intelligence in robotics, biometrics, and the emerging natural and intuitive human-computer interfaces.In this course, you will learn the concepts, methods, and applications of computer vision and image processing. You’ll build a foundation that can be used to develop practical applications and provide the basis for more advanced studies. The course begins with vision and image fundamentals, including image formation and display, digital camera and image capture, the human visual system, and visual perception. You will learn the basics of image processing, including spatial and frequency domain filtering techniques and applications and compression algorithms. The course further dives into neural network-based algorithms, such as CNN and Vision Transformers. The course covers practical image analysis and inference methods, including edge, contour, feature detection, image segmentation, matching, and stitching, as well as object and facial recognition. Additional discussions will cover the development of 3D computer vision, real-time human-computer interaction, emerging technologies, applications, and trends.We will use Python and TensorFlow to develop these apps. Numerous well-illustrated examples and engaging hands-on projects will be used to demonstrate these principles in practical real-world computer vision applications.
Quarter units: 3.0
AISV.X401: Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence
This course provides developers a practical, industry-oriented training on how to develop integrated artificial intelligence (AI) applications for enterprises. Leveraging knowledge acquired through various elective courses, you will learn to apply your skills to cutting-edge AI applications during hands-on classroom sessions using machine learning frameworks.
In the classroom, we'll focus on convolutional neural networks and how they work, and perform training and inference using Tensorflow/Keras for image detection, recognition and segmentation. You'll learn various aspects of designing and deploying applications in the real world and work on a final project encompassing the new technologies you've learned.
Quarter units: 2.0
AISV.X401: Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence
A working knowledge of GCP.
A brief introduction to bioinformatics and Next-Generation sequencing.
0.5 CEUs
Bioinformatics plays a crucial role in the storage, search, and analysis of biomolecular sequence and structure data. A significant amount of data is now available on the web, along with software tools for data search and analysis. It is essential that professionals working with biological sequences or structures in public and private sectors are knowledgeable about these databases and tools.
This practical course introduces the main public domain tools, databases and methods used in bioinformatics, including DNA and protein databases such as Genbank and PBD, software tools such as BLAST, and methods for aligning sequences.
Topics include multiple alignment, phylogenetic analysis, microarrays and system biology.
The course emphasizes the needs of the user of bioinformatics tools and databases, rather than complex algorithm development and advanced computational methods.The course includes computer lab exercises and online demonstrations of the various databases and tools on the web. It is intended both for life scientists and computer engineers and is the recommended first course for those wanting to gain skills in bioinformatics.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course will give students a theoretical and practical introduction into important methods in molecular biology. This is a lecture-based course that provides a theoretical overview of the key molecular biology techniques used in basic life science research and by the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry for the discovery of novel therapeutics. Students will understand how to work with molecular biological laboratory equipment and identify biological solutions relevant for molecular biology research. Laboratory safety aspects will also be a focus.
Along with the practical aspects of the course, there will also be a particular emphasis on the planning, presentation, and critical evaluation of the results in the form of a laboratory report or oral presentation. You'll also learn about high-throughput sequencing and microarray expression analysis, methods that generate massive amounts of biological data. The instructor discusses the types of data these techniques generate, the relevance to bioinformatics, and their uses in the diagnosis and treatment of human disease.
Quarter units: 3.0
Quarter units: 3.0
There are numerous algorithms available as freeware or by public access in the cloud that make complex biological sequence analyses accessible to everyone. This self-paced, introductory course, aimed at professionals who want to break into the sequencing-related field of bioinformatics, explores important public access tools used for analyzing biological sequence data.Through hands-on examples and exercises, you will learn how to access public databases for raw sequence data and perform the basic steps in processing next-generation sequence data for RNA, DNA, and ChIP sequencing data to obtain interpretable results.You will get to explore the analytical parts of next-gen sequencing without having to do wet lab work because we’ve designed this course for people who are interested in a quick introduction to tools that allow for quick problem-solving without a deep theoretical understanding of how the tools work.
Quarter units: 3.0
BINF.X401: Experimental Methods in Molecular Biology
Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS) has transformed our understanding of genomics. The ability to sequence a human genome at an incredibly low cost has vastly expanded the potential applications of genomics in cancer diagnostics, pathogen identification, forensic human identification and genetic disease diagnosis. For researchers, NGS is a powerful tool that allows you to address questions that were impossible to pursue just a few years ago. This course, taught by a leading expert in the field, begins with the basics of this revolutionary process and then delves into specific applications of NGS in research and clinical settings. You will develop the knowledge needed to perform analyses from sample prep to generating the final data.The course begins with an introduction to genomics. It then reviews the primary methods used for highly parallel sequencing technologies. The course covers standard workflows from sample prep to final data analysis. This is the only course available in the Bay Area that builds comprehensive knowledge in next generation DNA sequencing.
Quarter units: 3.0
BINF.X400: Bioinformatics Tools, Databases and Methods
BINF.X401: Experimental Methods in Molecular Biology
With double-digit annual growth in the global gene therapy market, people with the skills to treat or prevent disease through experimental gene techniques have never been in higher demand. This course brings you closer to the exciting discoveries in genetics by providing a foundational survey of the existing technology for gene editing and helps you understand the tools of discovery.
Quarter units: 1.5
Prior molecular biology coursework or background is strongly recommended.
This course explains where large data sets come from and how they are stored and managed. It also examines data sizes, accessibility approaches, and how data are transformed and used for AI consumption. You will examine the challenges and considerations when choosing data for training sets.
By the end of course, you will understand the types of data used in bioinformatics, how the data are collected, stored, managed and searched, and how the data are transformed for further processing and analysis. You will also develop skills on how to aggregate and normalize the data to be used for machine learning and/or AI training sets.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course offers a hands-on introduction to machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in bioinformatics. Designed for those with a working knowledge of Python (or similar languages), it focuses on the practical application of existing ML/AI tools to solve real-world biological data challenges.
You will explore how AI and ML are applied across a range of bioinformatics tasks and investigate the factors that influence their performance-such as data quality, integration, model explainability, ethical considerations, regulatory issues, and infrastructure. By the end of the course, you'll have the foundational skills to apply AI methods to biological data and evaluate their effectiveness in research and clinical contexts
Quarter units: 3.0
This introductory course provides a framework for understanding the process of drug discovery, from target selection and validation to lead optimization and preclinical studies. Although the fundamental principles of drug discovery are well established, the tools, technologies and methods used in the discovery and development of safe and effective drugs are constantly evolving. Personalized medicine and novel diagnostics involving biomarkers, pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics in clinical practice are changing the landscape of drug discovery. The instructor will address fundamental and translational principles and cutting-edge approaches along with strategies for integrating current scientific approaches into the drug discovery process.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to
Completion of "Bioinformatics Tools, Databases and Methods or Experimental Methods in Molecular Biology" is recommended.
End
Quarter units: 3.0
This course offers a comprehensive and structured introduction to the fundamental principles of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, and genetics, providing a solid foundation for undergraduates pursuing the life sciences and related disciplines. No prior coursework in biology or chemistry is required-if it has been some time since your last exposure to these subjects, rest assured that we will cover the necessary background to support your success.
Quarter units: 5.0
This course explores the structure and function of plants and animals, from the cellular to the organismal level, with a focus on anatomy, physiology, and development. Students will examine the fundamental biological processes that govern growth, reproduction, and adaptation, gaining a deeper understanding of how organisms interact with their environments. Through an integrative approach, this course provides essential knowledge for students pursuing careers in the life sciences and related fields.
Quarter units: 5.0
BIOL.X001_A: Cell and Molecular Biology
Cell and Molecular BiologyAn equivalent course may also meet the prerequisite. This course is intended for postbaccalaureate students. UCSC undergraduates should follow their major's course requirements.
This course provides an introduction to ecology and evolution, exploring fundamental principles of evolution at the molecular, organismal, and population levels. Students will examine key ecological concepts and evolutionary mechanisms that shape biodiversity and species interactions.
Quarter units: 5.0
Prerequisites: Cell and Molecular Biology (or equivalent course).This course is intended for postbaccalaureate students. UCSC undergraduates should follow their major's course requirements.
This course provides an introduction to proteins, protein structure and function, membranes, bioenergetics, and metabolism. The course is intended to provide strong preparation for health professional schools and their entrance examinations. The course is designed to impart a deep understanding of how life works at the molecular level, as well as an understanding of the methods and logic used to study and manipulate biological molecules. Throughout, we will study examples of how the principles of biochemistry serve as a foundation for basic research into how life works, as well as a foundation for understanding medicine, including the development, mechanism and specificity of drugs.
Quarter units: 5.0
Prerequisites: Cell and Molecular Biology, Development and Physiology, and Organic Chemistry II (or equivalent courses).This course is intended for postbaccalaureate students. UCSC undergraduates should follow their major’s course requirements.
This course covers biochemistry concepts central to the biotechnology industry with an emphasis on the enzymatic and metabolic processes of living systems at the molecular level. Topics include the structure and function of biomolecules including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids; enzymes and enzyme kinetics; and metabolism, including energy production and storage. The course is beneficial for scientists and non-scientists interested in the critical biochemistry processes underlying core technologies in the pharmaceutical, medical devices, diagnostics, biotechnology and biofuel industries.
Quarter units: 3.0
A college-level chemistry course. Some knowledge of organic chemistry is required.
Immunology involves a complex network of interacting molecules and cells that function to recognize and respond to foreign agents. It also has wide-ranging implications for the pharmaceutical, healthcare and biotechnology industries. This course provides the fundamental principles of immunology, along with recent developments and their implications for drug discovery and development, as well as disease treatment.
The course highlights immunological techniques important in research and clinical laboratories. This course is intended for researchers in biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, nurses, and others interested in gaining a background in the fundamentals of immunology. It has been specifically designed both for those who are new to immunology and for those who already have some understanding but wish to update their knowledge.
Quarter units: 3.0
General microbiology and basic chemistry. Knowledge of cell biology is recommended.
This course provides a sound foundation in business analysis concepts and lays the groundwork for advanced studies. You'll learn the techniques to define value including the project management skills needed to plan, manage, and communicate; requirements management approaches needed to elicit, analyze, solicit, and verify requirements; and enterprise architecture techniques to promote knowledge retention, reduction of complexity, and reuse. Learn to control your current business processes and derive business requirements for process and automation projects that add value to your organization. The course includes group and individual exercises, a threaded case study, and tactics for on-the-job (OTJ) implementation.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course introduces students to the international business environment within the global economy, especially key changes stemming from the global pandemic. We’ll leverage lessons learned from business economics and introduce students to non-economic factors influencing an international business in the global economy.
Drawing business insights from ethics, culture, and political economy, students will discuss international business scenarios through small case analysis.
Quarter units: 3.0
Intermediate Algebra. Familiarity with Online eBook (Pearson/MyLab), Microsoft Office, or another office suite, and Canvas.
Business professionals and students interested in learning financial accounting skills get hands-on experience in this course analyzing and evaluating the information behind financial statements and relevant data. Master basic business accounting concepts and processes, financial statements, budgets, and financial ratios. Get the financial literacy you need to succeed in the business world.
Quarter units: 1.0
This course is designed to develop the essential communication skills required for success in the world of business. Learn key communication and leadership skills vital to success: listening, storytelling, public speaking, and meeting facilitation, while building confidence and credibility in your ability to positively influence others.
Through interactive activities, role-play, and problem-solving team assignments, students will develop the confidence and competence to communicate effectively in a business setting. You'll have the opportunity to deliver impromptu and prepared speeches, improve your listening skills, enhance your credibility, and learn new modes of business communication. In addition, as a leader you will learn how to facilitate meetings with ease, while being creative, flexible, and adaptable in real-time.
This course will include assignments that involve reading, researching, and creating content to share during class. By the end of the course, you will have a well-rounded communication skill set to help you succeed in your career.
Quarter units: 2.0
Fluency with the English language (written and spoken).
Internet access with ability to upload/download files, bandwidth to support continuous video throughout class.
Ability to log on to Zoom, use Chat, Share Screen, and enter/exit breakout rooms.
This course addresses financial management, including fundamental principles, planning and evaluation, and appropriate financial tools. Through lecture, readings, group discussion, and a group project, this course covers the concepts and tools of the financial marketplace.
This course is designed for managers and team members from corporations, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and those self-employed who are increasingly required to address the organization's goals for financial planning, working capital, capital budgeting and return on investment for goal alignment with corporate planning to meet stockholder goal of wealth maximization.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to
Quarter units: 3.0
A foundation in basic financial accounting knowledge is recommended.
This course explores the fundamentals of statistical methods and reasoning. Topics include descriptive methods, data gathering, probability, interval estimation, significance tests, one- and two-sample problems, categorical data analysis, correlation and regression. The instructor will demonstrate how to use spreadsheets and statistical software to analyze and interpret data. Real-world examples are drawn from a variety of fields including biology, business and marketing. While not too mathematically rigorous for the novice, the course provides some mathematical detail to illustrate basic concepts. No prior background in calculus or statistics is required.
Quarter units: 3.0
Formerly "Business Law and Its Environment."
The business environment has become more complex and litigious; therefore, knowledge of general principles of business law is more important than ever.
In this course we'll review the American legal process, business law and its development, and organizational structures in the context of the managerial challenges in today's highly litigious environment.
Through analysis of actual cases, group discussions, and lectures, you will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to identify and analyze legal issues, assess the legal implications of business decisions, and develop strategies to mitigate legal risks.
Quarter units: 3.0
Negotiation is an integral part of our daily life. Whether you are seeking project resources, deciding on a new hire’s salary, or inking a high-stakes deal for your company, your success depends on your skills as a negotiator.
In this foundational course, you will gain insight into the psyche of an effective negotiator and learn to steer clear of the most common pitfalls in deal-making. You'll practice each stage of a business negotiation, from initial planning to the final handshake and memorandum of agreement. We’ll discuss 10 negotiation principles, including how to use the four basic forces in every business negotiation: power, information, timing, and approach. The Negotiation Matrix, developed by Roy Lewicki and Alexander Hiam, is used to shift from ineffective negotiating strategies and tactics to more cooperative and mutually beneficial approaches. Through group exercises, you will learn how to execute proven tactics, refine your personal negotiating style, and improve your ability to make a deal successfully and ethically in any situation. Along the way, you will gain new appreciation for how negotiating skills can help you overcome a wide range of challenges—at work and beyond.
This course, which is designed for anyone who wants to enhance negotiation skills and work more productively with customers, colleagues, partners, and vendors. No prior training in negotiation is required.
Quarter units: 1.5
Formerly SCMT.X406 - Supply Chain Operations Management.
Operations management involves designing, managing, and improving the set of activities that create products and services and deliver them to customers. The activities, along with the people, technology, knowledge, and procedures that dictate how work is organized, collectively form the operating system.
This course covers operations from a supply chain network perspective, helping students understand key processes and process thinking that manage the flow of products, services, and information.
In Supply Chain Operations Management, you will learn how supply chain partners and functional groups interact with each other as a supply chain network. We'll cover inventory models, optimization using MS Excel's linear programming add-in, forecasting, aggregate planning, and quality tools. You will also learn the planning activities required to manage operations across the supply chain from the supplier to the customer and end user.
Quarter units: 3.0
Formerly SCMT.X402 - Logistics and Transportation Management.
Logistics management is the art of moving and storing materials from one point to another on the globe. In this course for people interested in building supply chain expertise, we study various transporting modes for products through road, rail, water, and air. Students will gain an understanding of transportation models and inventory localization which are focal points in network planning strategies.
We will review the supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model with its focus on improving supply chain processes. Finally, we will discuss the increased costs of logistics resulting from the worldwide lockdown due to the COVID pandemic, and lessons learned.
Quarter units: 3.0
Formerly SCMT.X405 - Managing Global Supply Chains.
The products that consumers use every day do not reach their local stores by accident. They are produced, assembled, and shipped from all over the world. Advanced modern technologies and pandemic-related changes have highlighted global interdependencies and challenges. Linear thinking of supply chain is out of date. The global supply chain is more and more a supply network.
In Managing Global Supply Chains, you'll learn how a product reaches its final destination and how the latest industry trends impact global supply chain network management. We'll cover how to make the best global sourcing decisions, choose alternatives to delivering products to customers, and ensure international supplier performance despite time zones differences.
It is highly recommended that students take "Evolving Role of Supply Chain Manager" as the first course prior to taking this course.
Quarter units: 1.5
This course explores the foundational principles of chemistry, from atomic theory and the periodic table to chemical bonding and molecular structure. Students will examine intramolecular forces, chemical reactions, and stoichiometry, developing both conceptual understanding and analytical skills essential for advanced studies in chemistry and the health sciences.
Quarter units: 5.0
Previous or concurrent enrollment in Algebra or higher.This course is intended for postbaccalaureate students. UCSC undergraduates should follow their major's course requirements.
This course explores chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, solution pH, buffers, and chemical kinetics. Students will analyze reaction dynamics, equilibrium shifts, and the factors influencing reaction rates, building essential skills for advanced studies in chemistry and the life sciences.
Quarter units: 5.0
Prerequisites: CHEM.X001_A (General Chemistry I) with a grade of C or better or equivalent non-UCSC course. Previous or concurrent enrollment in Precalculus or higher.This course is intended for postbaccalaureate students. UCSC undergraduates should follow their major's course requirements.
This course builds foundational science skills through immersive, hands-on experience in a general chemistry laboratory environment. Students will develop core competencies in laboratory safety, chemical handling, waste disposal, precise data collection and analysis, and scientific writing. Emphasis is placed on collaborative learning through small-group work, equipping students with the practical and communication skills essential for future lab and research settings.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to
Quarter units: 2.0
Prerequisites: CHEM.X001_A (General Chemistry I) and previous or concurrent enrollment of CHEM.X001_B (General Chemistry II) or equivalent non-UCSC course(s)This course is intended for postbaccalaureate students. UCSC undergraduates should follow their major's course requirements.
This course covers thermodynamics, redox reactions, electrochemistry, phase changes, and solution properties. Students will explore energy flow, reaction spontaneity, and phase behavior, building a strong foundation for advanced chemistry studies.
Quarter units: 5.0
Prerequisites: CHEM.X001_B (General Chemistry II) with a grade of C or better or equivalent non-UCSC course.This course is intended for postbaccalaureate students. UCSC undergraduates should follow their major's course requirements.
The second laboratory course in the general chemistry series, this lab-based course emphasizes science skill development through guided experimentation and collaborative learning. Students are introduced to key concepts and practices including laboratory safety, essential experimental techniques, chemical handling, waste disposal, accurate data collection and analysis, and scientific writing and communication. The course also fosters teamwork through structured small-group collaboration.
Quarter units: 2.0
Course Eligibility and Prerequisites
Prerequisites: CHEM.X001_B_L, (General Chemistry II Lab) and previous or concurrent enrollment of CHEM.X001_C (General Chemistry III) or equivalent non-UCSC course(s)
This course is intended for postbaccalaureate students. UCSC undergraduates should follow their major's course requirements.
This course serves as the foundation for biochemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, environmental toxicology, and numerous other scientific disciplines. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the structure, properties, and reactivity of organic molecules, equipping students with the essential knowledge needed to understand biological processes, drug development, and chemical interactions in the environment.
Quarter units: 5.0
Prerequisites: CHEM.X001_A (General Chemistry I), CHEM.X001_B (General Chemistry II), CHEM.X001_C (General Chemistry III) or equivalent non-UCSC courses.This course is intended for postbaccalaureate students. UCSC undergraduates should follow their major's course requirements.
This course introduces students to core techniques in synthetic organic chemistry, with emphasis on applications in pharmaceutical and research industries. The course covers essential methods for isolating and purifying organic compounds, along with qualitative and quantitative analysis. Students apply these skills to carry out organic reactions safely and efficiently. Technical writing is developed through the preparation of lab reports and scientific abstracts.
Quarter units: 2.0
This course introduces organic chemistry with a focus on the reactivity and synthesis of organic compounds. Students will explore molecular structure, functional groups, reaction mechanisms, and key synthesis strategies, gaining a foundation for advanced studies in chemistry and biology.
Quarter units: 5.0
This course introduces students to fundamental techniques in synthetic organic chemistry, with a focus on applications in pharmaceutical and research settings. Students will learn essential methods for the isolation and purification of organic compounds, along with both qualitative and quantitative analysis. These skills are applied to organic reactions, with an emphasis on conducting lab work safely and efficiently. Technical writing is integrated throughout the course through the preparation of lab reports and abstracts.
Quarter units: 2.0
Course Eligibility and Prerequisites
Prerequisites: CHEM.X002_A (Organic Chemistry I), CHEM.X002_A_L (Organic Chemistry I Lab) and previous or concurrent enrollment of CHEM.X002_B (Organic Chemistry II) or equivalent non-UCSC course(s)
This course is intended for postbaccalaureate students. UCSC undergraduates should follow their major's course requirements.
C language is popular for engineering and commercial applications. It allows developers to maintain the structure and portability of a high-level language while having the detailed control, efficiency and speed of an assembly language. C is the leading language used in hardware application and in software compilers, libraries and interpreters. This course gets you started with application development using the C language.
The course begins with programming and tools overview. It introduces the functions, data types, input/output, strings, operators, precedence, and expressions. It also demonstrates the use of control statements, arrays, and pointers for problem solving. Students will receive assignments to write non-trivial programs and learn to create modular programs with efficiency and readability.
This course will benefit individuals who want to learn C programming language but have little or no programming background. The lectures stress the strengths of C providing students with the means of writing efficient, maintainable and portable code. Each instruction is supplemented with programming exercises.
Quarter units: 2.0
Technical aptitude and experience with a computer operating system or equivalent knowledge.
C remains one of the most popular programming languages. It is widely available on most, if not all, computing platforms. This language is highly valued for its speed, low-level capabilities and platform independent characteristics. It is also actively used in the development of other languages. This course will broaden your skills as a C language programmer by introducing sophisticated problem-solving and optimization techniques.
This course delves into the design, implementation, and use of advanced data structures. Students will solidify their understanding of strings, arrays, pointers, structures, unions and bit manipulation. Emphasis will be on programming that employs and improves upon a variety of data structures. Through this course, you will learn to write efficient programs by understanding the complexities of various algorithms.
Quarter units: 3.0
CMPR.X400: C Programming I
Students should have a good understanding of programming using data types such as pointers, structures, control flow, and iterative vs recursive programming.
This course covers object-oriented programming using modern C++. Because most automation, embedded applications, gaming, and many large data processing applications are written in C++, it is essential that software developers understand and master it. Hardware engineers are increasingly using C++ and OOP in system verification tasks and as of the current decade, there has been a noticeable shift from C to C++ on microcontroller systems.This course offers an excellent foundation in developing optimized modern C++ applications. The participants will learn to write faster and modular code, and the debugging techniques, for real-world applications. There will be assignments and exercises to accompany the lectures.
Quarter units: 3.0
CMPR.X400: C Programming I
Experience with a high level programming language such as C/Java/Python.
Computing professionals are required to solve increasingly complex problems using new algorithms, systems or programming paradigms. Fortunately, black box computational intelligence tools can be configured and applied to problems without revealing intimate knowledge of low-level details to a user.
This course is for computational professionals who are interested in exploring new techniques for solving problems that are ill-defined, have conflicting constraints, or contain data with high noise levels.
Students will discover the industrial applications found in software algorithm development, electronic design automation, data mining, medical diagnosis, and pattern matching.
You will learn the strengths and weaknesses of various computational and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques using supplied software. There is also a brief introduction to spiking neural networks, which uses more sophisticated, and more capable, neuronal models and networks to address problems usually attempted by traditional neural networks.
Quarter units: 1.5
Experience with a computer programming language and basic algebra skills.
There are two sides of a program: data structures, which are used to represent data, and algorithms. While entry-level programmers focus on learning programming languages, today’s employers seek professionals who know how to program with high reliability, and with efficiency, in terms of resource and performance. The way you represent a program’s data is as central to program design as the algorithm. This course focuses on the use of efficient algorithms with powerful data structures in the Java language—and offers the skills you need to stand out.
This course covers data structures such as dynamic array, dynamic string, long numbers, lists, heap, hash, trees and graphs. You will learn to create objects from scratch using object-oriented Java programming concepts, and then build bigger objects using the objects that have already been built and tested. You will write algorithms on these objects using techniques such as recursion, greedy, divide and conquer, back tracking and dynamic programming. The course discusses algorithms such as searching and sorting, union find problems, knapsack problems and NP complete problems. You will also learn to compute the worst case complexity of the algorithms in terms of time and space in order to choose the best techniques, and to ensure that the objects scale with arbitrarily sized inputs.
The course emphasizes common problems and implementation details in Java and does not cover advanced Java features. It provides ample examples and testing of codes. Many of the problems solved in the class are coding questions that are asked in interviews and on popular coding websites.
Quarter units: 3.0
CMPR.X413: Java Programming II
Working knowledge of Java or C/C++.
This course is an introduction to Java programming for those who are new to the field or need a refresher. The course covers how to apply key programming concepts and use Java programming environment for real world applications. This introductory foundation in Java programming will prepare students to start simpler programming projects for applications.
The course begins with programming concepts and Eclipse IDE. The instructor introduces basic and intermediate Java syntax, and then methodically addresses abstraction, object-oriented paradigm, procedural programming, elementary data structures, and more. Other useful topics include graphics user interface, collections and generics. Students will gain a strong conceptual foundation in these areas while starting to write programs for real applications.
The course consists of lectures and discussion, with some lab work. Students are expected to complete assignments on their own computers. By the end of the course, students should be able to program in the Java language and will be exposed to many useful programming concepts.
Quarter units: 2.0
Students should have experience using logic. Some programming experience will be helpful. Ability to install and configure open-source software on own computers.
Java is the premier development language for web servers, enterprise servers, network applications, embedded devices, appliances and wireless applications.
This course, which covers Java 21+, teaches students to apply object-oriented concepts, design and develop Java applications, and use Java libraries. You’ll learn to write, maintain and debug applications, and make effective use of standard packages. You’ll also learn key design concepts and implementation skills needed for professional Java programming. Additionally, you'll explore leveraging AI tools to enhance coding efficiency and debugging.
Quarter units: 3.0
CMPR.X412: Java Programming I
Foundational programming experience in Java or a language such as C or C++.
This hands-on, lab-based course is intended for newcomers to programming. Python is favored by first-time programmers because it presents engineering concepts in a straightforward, clear language, while quietly and behind-the-scenes, it takes care of the difficult, tedious, and error-prone details that present the major obstacles to writing a program in older languages. Python is an open-sourced language with rich features and is used extensively in many industries.The course covers the important concepts and programming mechanisms that exist in all programming languages: reading and writing to standard IO, using operators, controlling the flow of execution, using functions, reading and writing files, and basic object-oriented programming concepts. It also includes Python-specific facilities such as code introspection, re-use, built-in sequence types, and iteration.
Quarter units: 1.5
Python language is gaining popularity because its use enhances program correctness and increases programmer efficiency. Because of its clear and elegant syntax, dynamic typing, automatic memory management, and straight-forward module architecture, Python is simple to learn and fun to use. Its code is easy to read, write, extend and modify. This lab-based course offers proficiency in the core concepts of Python, and the skills and knowledge for building applications using any of the hundreds of thousands of task-specific Python libraries.
Quarter units: 3.0
Significant experience in any programming language.
Demand for Python programmers who understand the latest skills in today’s fastest growing computer language, grows every day. Object-oriented programming (OOP) has become a must-have technique in today’s high-tech software development jobs.In this intermediate course, students will use Python to explore OOP techniques including: encapsulation, polymorphism, and inheritance. The material is introduced and explained through the development of graphical user interface elements and, in a fun way, by building highly approachable, simple computer games. The Python language, because of its simple syntax, makes the implementation of OOP very clear. To build interactivity, we will use the well-known Pygame extension to introduce event-driven programs.Along the way, you will gain an intermediate level of understanding of the Python language. After this course, you should be able to translate the underlying concepts to other OOP languages with ease.
Quarter units: 2.0
CMPR.X415: Python Programming for Beginners
Basic programming experience with Python.
In this comprehensive overview course, both beginning and experienced students learn mobile application development for Android and iOS while exploring Flutter, Google’s latest cross-platform development framework; and the Kotlin and Swift programming languages. Through coursework and classroom exercises of increasing depth, students will create a fully functional mobile application.You will get exposure to the latest technologies while learning the fundamental building blocks of application development, such as understanding architecture, life-cycles, GUI, and MVC design pattern. Developing a basic Android and iOS application during the class gives you valuable hands-on experience. A combination of theory and practical programming experience will best prepare you for your career.We will also use AI coding assistance to help increase efficiency and productivity, allowing developers to focus on more complex aspects of coding, such as problem-solving and creativity.This course also benefits individuals in management or on developer teams who want to efficiently execute on mobile application projects. At the end of the course, students will understand the fundamentals of building a cutting-edge mobile application on Android and iOS and how to publish it as well.
Quarter units: 3.0
CMPR.X412: Java Programming I
Familiarity with at least one programming language.
In this course students move from the introductory concepts of our first Mobile Application Development course to a more comprehensive coverage of popular concepts and architectural topics required for developing successful, high quality mobile applications. Students will enhance their understanding and skills using a more advanced technology stack including background operations, web operations, and image handling. You will also practice interactions with operating system features-audio, video, camera, telephony, maps, location services, notifications, advanced GUI layouts, and navigation bars. This course also covers performance and memory management recommendations. Through coursework and classroom exercises of increasing depth, students will create a fully functional mobile application involving multiple advanced features and cloud back-end.
To truly complete the picture, you will explore the basics of cloud-based backend infrastructure and its integration with mobile applications. Using the Firebase cloud platform from Google, we will focus on essential topics such as user authentication, data synchronization across multiple mobile devices, analytics, and continuous application monitoring. This course also covers fundamentals of cyber security techniques for both Android and iOS mobile platforms, an extremely valuable skill set for any professional developer.
Quarter units: 3.0
CMPR.X421: Mobile Application Development - Android and iOS, Introduction
CMPR.X421 - Mobile Application Development - Android and iOS, IntroductionFamiliarity with at least one higher-level language such C++, Java, C#, Python, or PHP and Introduction to Mobile Application Development.
Deep knowledge of how to organize data and data structures, in addition to performing operations that result in meaningful algorithm answers, is essential in science and engineering.
In this course, students will use Python, a widely-used, general-purpose, high-level programming language, to learn a variety of data structures including array, list, stack, queue, heap, hash, binary trees, disjoint sets, and graphs. Python, which has a design philosophy that emphasizes code readability, has a syntax that allows programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of code than would be possible in languages such as C++ or Java. It is considerably easier to learn.
Students explore algorithm techniques like brute force, greedy, dynamic programming, and backtracking, and implement algorithms using those techniques. Both time and space complexities will be analyzed for all the code written in class.
By the end of the course, you will have experience with many data structures and algorithms and be able to implement them easily using Python. Mastering fundamental data structures and algorithms will help you confidently succeed in software engineering interviews at FAANG and other companies.
Quarter units: 3.0
A course on C/C++/Java/Python.
This comprehensive course provides an introduction to Rust programming, covering its core features and practical applications.
Students interested in writing efficient, concurrent, and interoperable code, will learn to set up the development environment, write and run programs, and explore built-in data types, operators, and control flow constructs. They will gain a deep understanding of memory safety, ownership, borrowing, error handling, and standard libraries.
Advanced topics such as thread programming, generics, and FFI will be explored. We'll compare Rust to other programming languages to understand its unique features and advantages.
Quarter units: 3.0
CMPR.X400: C Programming I
Programming experience in C/C++
Soft skills are those skills that help to shape your personal habits and traits, and also shape how well you work with others. These are the kind of skills that previous studies have suggested are crucial as technology takes on many of the hard, technical skills. Learning these types of skills have been shown to reduce the amount of jobs lost to automation. The soft skills that you will learn in this course will help to make yourself more marketable to employers and improve your networking skills.
Skills Covered:1.CommunicationPresentation Skills2. Critical Thinking3. Emotional Intelligence4. Teamwork5. Attitude/Friendliness6. Conflict Management7. Time Management/Organization8. Networking9. Adaptability10. Work Ethic
0.5 CEUs
High-quality clinical data are at the heart of a successful clinical trial. If the data are not complete or do not reflect the actual reported results, the analysis and the conclusions drawn from that analysis may not be reliable. This course provides clinical trial personnel a solid understanding of the steps involved in clinical data management from study site data collection through data extraction for analysis.
Quarter units: 2.0
This course presents the effective planning and management of drugs and biologics clinical research trials. Exercises and case studies will illustrate how to develop and manage activities, timelines and budgets; examine staffing and resource requirements; and lead and motivate effective teams. Strategic clinical development plans, team and clinical site performance problems are also discussed.
This course will benefit clinical research professionals who are planning to begin or like to manage clinical research studies.
Quarter units: 2.0
Clinical studies succeed or fail on the strength of their statistics. This course takes a practical approach to address the fundamental statistical concepts essential for non-statisticians involved in clinical research. Through lectures, discussions and in-class exercises, the instructor explores clinical study designs, hypothesis testing, sample size calculations, assumptions, controls, endpoints, data-management principles, data presentations and analysis plans, methods of analysis, and conclusions. You'll learn how to interpret the statistics commonly encountered in clinical research as well as how to communicate effectively with statisticians. The approach is practical, simple and qualitative. No previous background in statistics is required.
Quarter units: 2.0
Formerly "Document Preparation: Protocols, Reports, Summaries."
Clinical trial documentation must be clear, scientifically sound, conform to regulations and established standard operating procedures, and follow regulatory guidelines. Despite pressure to start the trial "yesterday," a clinical trial cannot begin without a study protocol in place. Many other documents are needed before and during the trial, and the trial does not end until a final report has been submitted. Documentation of the trial often continues with articles in the biomedical literature. This course provides insight into the processes for preparing effective study protocols, reports, and summaries. Participants have opportunities to practice preparing documents and applying the rules governing clinical trial documentation.
Quarter units: 2.0
Formerly "Drug Safety and Adverse Events Reporting."
Regulators, the public, and the medical community are scrutinizing the safety profiles of pharmaceuticals more closely than ever. Thus acquiring, verifying and reporting quality safety data are crucial to obtaining and maintaining product approval. This course introduces fundamental concepts essential to drug safety and adverse event reporting and how to apply them to situations encountered during clinical trials and post-marketing reporting. You'll learn why safety reporting is crucial; the definitions of an adverse event and the key reporting issues of seriousness, expectedness, and relationship to the study drug. The course includes a brief overview of reporting requirements in the U.S. and abroad and the documents associated with these reports. The content is appropriate for CRAs, CRCs, drug safety associates, and regulatory affairs personnel.
Quarter units: 1.5
CTDM.X411: Good Clinical Practices
To be successful in this class all students should have working knowledge of Google's G Suite or Microsoft Office, proper email etiquette, and essential understanding of Canvas.
Clinical research is governed by a set of broad regulatory requirements, industry standards and recommendations. Interpreting and implementing these “best practice” standards presents a challenge for all the stakeholders involved in human research. This course explores the framework and principles of Good Clinical Practice (GCP) as it relates to the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders like the FDA, Investigator, Sponsor, IRB and the study subject. Through lectures, homework, quizzes and the final exam, you will gain knowledge of regulations (federal, state and local) and learn to apply the principles of GCP.
Quarter units: 3.0
Formerly "Medical Writing."
All biopharmaceutical companies must produce scientific reports and summary documents for regulatory agencies. Good documentation should be not only scientifically sound, but also clear, effective and concise. This course provides the practical skills needed to write effective documents for the healthcare industry. You'll gain practice through hands-on exercises and group projects based on documentation used in pharmaceutical development.
Quarter units: 2.0
Formerly: Preparing for FDA Inspections and Conducting Sponsor Audits - GxP
In the regulated pharmaceutical and biotech medical device industries, inspections by government agencies are often a prerequisite for new product-marketing approvals. Knowing what to expect and how to prepare for and respond to such inspections is as critical as conducting sound clinical research. As the FDA and other regulatory authorities increase the frequency of inspections, it is imperative that everyone involved in the development of new therapies be familiar with government inspection processes and their role during these inspections. This course helps participants prepare for FDA inspections and conduct sponsor audits considering GxP guidance.
Quarter units: 1.5
CTDM.X411: Good Clinical Practices
This course reviews the science that forms the basis of effective clinical trial design. You'll learn to classify and describe trial design by stage in drug and device development. The course covers the purposes of clinical trials, including types of trial designs. You'll learn to define hypotheses and study objectives and determine population and sample size.
Quarter units: 2.5
The discovery and development of a new drug is a complex, lengthy, and expensive process. Given that regulatory approval to market a drug is required before a company can generate revenue, it is one of the riskiest endeavors that a company can undertake.In this course, you will examine this process—from the discovery of small synthetic and generation of large, biologic drug molecules through the preclinical efforts to evaluate and enhance the pharmacologic properties of a potential drug for safety and efficacy. We’ll discuss the objectives, the overall mechanics, and ethics of testing investigational drugs in clinical studies with human volunteers. Lastly, we’ll take a look at how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews the marketing application for a new drug, and the post-approval requirements it imposes on biopharmaceutical sponsors.During the course, you’ll get a sense of what makes the biopharmaceutical industry a fascinating area for study. You’ll see the science and government regulations underlying the development of drugs, as well as the politics often associated with bringing a new drug to the marketplace. Course discussion is infused with real-world examples that demonstrate the challenges that people in the biopharmaceutical industry routinely face as they try to advance a potential new drug through the developmental pathway to FDA approval.The course provides an important foundation in drug development for professionals from all disciplines who are currently working in or are considering a move to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Quarter units: 4.0
The development of a new drug is a complex, lengthy, and expensive process. Since regulatory approval is required before a company can bring a drug to market and generate revenue, it remains one of the riskiest endeavors in the biopharmaceutical industry.
In this course, you will explore the drug development process-from preclinical efforts to evaluate a drug's pharmacologic properties for safety and efficacy to the clinical trials required for regulatory approval. You will examine the objectives, mechanics, and ethical considerations of testing investigational drugs in human clinical studies. The course also covers how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews new drug applications and the post-approval requirements imposed on biopharmaceutical sponsors.
Through real-world case studies, you'll gain insight into the science and regulatory frameworks guiding drug development, as well as the challenges biopharmaceutical professionals face in bringing a new drug to market. These case studies illustrate the complexities of the process, providing a practical perspective on the regulatory and business considerations influencing the industry.
Designed for professionals across disciplines who are currently working in-or considering a move to-the biopharmaceutical industry, this course offers a foundational understanding of drug development and equips students with the knowledge needed to navigate the biopharmaceutical landscape.
Quarter units: 3.0
Drug discovery is a complex and rapidly evolving process that brings together many different fields of knowledge. While the fundamental principles of drug discovery are well known, the tools, technologies and methods used are always changing and improving. Effective drug discovery requires that professionals have an understanding of the entire process and are using the best practices.This course introduces students to the key steps in drug discovery from choosing a target to improving drug candidates in the lab. Students will learn how various scientific methods intersect to find and develop new treatments. The course also explores current trends and special topics, including cancer drug discovery, precision medicine, and the use of artificial intelligence in research.
Quarter units: 1.0
Formerly "Big Data, Introduction."
In the era of big data and compute-intensive analytics, the ability to write high-performance Python code is essential. This course is designed for learners with basic Python knowledge who want to handle large volumes of data efficiently and optimize their workflows. We will explore how to make Python performant-moving beyond basic pandas use-by introducing tools, techniques, and tradeoffs for improving execution speed, memory use, and scalability.
You will learn strategies such as vectorization, avoiding unnecessary loops, leveraging data structures like NumPy arrays, and using multithreading/multiprocessing. We will also explore distributed computing with PySpark and Dask, and introduce Polars as a cutting-edge alternative to pandas. These skills will be placed in the broader context of big data frameworks and architectures, including Apache Spark, Apache Kafka, and modern NoSQL databases like MongoDB and Cassandra. GPU optimization techniques will also be discussed at an introductory level.
The final project will integrate these concepts into the design of a high-performance data processing pipeline, giving you hands-on experience with tools and methods to analyze large datasets efficiently.
Quarter units: 3.0
Basic Python programming knowledge and familiarity with Python data analysis libraries such as pandas, or completion of a course such as DBDA.X420 - "Python for Data Analysis."
In this comprehensive course aimed at business intelligence (BI) developers and analysts, students get to review BI tools in a hands-on environment. You will learn to convert relevant information into knowledge that supports better strategic decisions through the exploration of various business intelligence tools capable of integrating multiple data sources, processing data analysis, and building interactive dashboards. You will also work with databases that are often used with data management, reporting, and analytics capabilities.Using the Microsoft BI stack as an example platform, you will learn how to create supercharged pivot tables with Power Pivot, a Microsoft Excel add-in application and a data model that makes Power Pivot perform amazingly fast allowing you to analyze the data in new and interesting ways.We’ll also use Power Query to do some data munging—shaping, cleaning and transforming data using intuitive interfaces without having to use code. Additionally, we’ll build dashboards, charts, and maps using Power BI, Microsoft’s premiere analytics and reporting tool.By the end of the course, you will have experience building BI solutions with multiple data sources using popular tools.
Quarter units: 3.0
DBDA.X415: Relational Database Design and SQL Programming
Data analysis is the process of converting data into valuable information to inform decision-making. This course provides a foundation in the tools, techniques, and common practices used in the industry. It covers the full lifecycle of a data analysis project, including how to obtain, manipulate, explore, model, and present data.
We will explore different analytical approaches and frameworks, using popular tools like R and Python. The course emphasizes hands-on application, with R being the primary language for instruction and examples. You will learn to prepare raw data for use, perform exploratory analysis, and apply techniques like regression, simulation, and forecasting. We will also cover various graphing and visualization tools to help you understand and present your findings.
Additionally, the course now includes an introduction to leveraging Generative AI for data analysis. You will use an AI-based tool to generate and validate R programs, helping you streamline your workflow.
By the end of the course, you will be able to apply a working framework to any data analysis project and use R or Python to complete a large-scale project, including a professional write-up with insights and visualizations. All tools are open-source, except for a trial version of the AI tool.
Quarter units: 3.0
Some programming experience is recommended. (R will be covered in class and used in examples. Python experience can be helpful.) Basic knowledge of probability and statistics required, at the level of basic statistics textbooks (see example: www.stattrek.com).
Oracle and MySQL are both reliable database engines commonly used for storing and serving data as web content. They are popular among developers of open source platforms and projects on the Web. High volume major websites use them. They also have a significant user base in the enterprise database market. This course is intended for DB developers and designers who want to learn MySQL and Oracle technology in depth.
The course begins by reviewing the basic SQL queries, DDL and DML operations, data retrieval from multiple tables, and different types of storage engines in databases. It then introduces the aggregate, the index merge, data manipulation, and stored procedures in MySQL. You will learn to write complex queries and get hands-on experience with advanced features such as creating sub programs, data security, triggers, and dynamic SQL. You will also learn a performance tuning strategy, server configuration, loading techniques and the application architecture for efficient database design. This is a hands-on lab-based course designed to help students master MySQL features and tune for performance.
Quarter units: 2.0
Students should have prior knowledge of the installation and basic operation of MySQL.
NoSQL schema-optional or non-relational databases support Big Data by providing scalability, high availability, clustering, efficient storage and easy access to huge amounts of semi-structured data.This introductory course gives you a hands-on overview of the two most popular NoSQL databases—MongoDB and Cassandra—as well as an overview of core concepts and other types of open-source NoSQL databases.We will cover installation, database shell usage, programmatic access, data modeling, scaling/clustering, categories of NoSQL databases (column-based, document-based, key value-based, or graphic-based), the CAP theorem, and BASE semantics.You will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience via homework assignments and a course project that involves setting up, populating (with publicly available datasets), and using a NoSQL of your choice (subject to instructor approval).
Quarter units: 3.0
You will need experience using a programming language such as Python, Ruby, or Java and the ability to set up open-source software, databases, tools, and development environments on personal computers.
Most business and technical data consists of multiple tables with interlocking relationships. Such databases must provide reliable storage, transaction management, access security and multi-user support. In this course, you will learn the concepts and design for a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) and focus on the Structured Query Language (SQL) to define and manipulate data.The course covers how to create conceptual, logical and physical designs of relational databases in response to a set of user requirements. Instructions will be provided through the use of several case studies. You will learn design methodology, entity-relationship diagrams (ERD) and normalization principles. You will use an Oracle database to design the ERD and implement a working database. SQL is the query language used to access, maintain and share data with the relational database. You will learn methods for producing readable output, creating and manipulating tables and creating and managing constraints using SQL.The concepts and SQL language learned here apply to all major RDBMS. You will gain understanding of the relational DB and have hands-on experience in creating database and working with data. The instructor recommends MySQL as an example database.
Quarter units: 3.0
Familiarity with general database concepts and ability to install software or databases on a personal computer.
This course introduces dashboard and data visualization technologies with a hands-on approach. Dashboard is a presentation of key performance indicators (KPIs) important to an enterprise. Database and data analytics professionals often build, use, and support dashboards. Data visualization is the application of data science to extract intelligence from data sources, often in a graphical format.
The course introduces the characteristics of dashboards and the principles of data visualization. It also covers how to select KPIs, identify dashboard content requirements, design and implement dashboards and scorecards, and apply data visualization techniques. In addition, you will learn how to identify and select the software tools used to create dashboards and their visual content, as well as common mistakes, tips, and best practices relevant to dashboards and data visualization.
You will learn how to choose data sources, extract required data, perform data analysis using an example tool, and visually present the results on a dashboard using tables, charts and maps. As a course project, you will identify and specify dashboard requirements (including selecting the appropriate KPIs), design the dashboard views, reports, layout and navigation, as well as create the dashboard and the data visualizations to be incorporated in it. You will learn new visualization techniques like 'word cloud', 'Sankey Charts','Tooltip visualization', and about the HYPER data format that enhances performance. In addition to these, you will also learn the newer features of the Tableau software. Your grade will be based on the project, in-class participation, a midterm and a final exam.
Quarter units: 3.0
Knowledge of database concepts and any business experience related to decision-making.
With data now being created at the rate of 2.5 quintillion bytes a day, there is a tremendous demand for people who can explore vast amounts of data. In this lab-based course, you will learn how to glean empirical truth from data using Python with Pandas, how to make the right decisions, and how to bring order from chaos.Experience Python's straight-forward syntax, built-in data types, and object-oriented programming (OOP) and make your own data types. Learn how Python's brilliant architecture allows you to jump into any of more than 300,000 libraries provided for Python. In this course you work with the Pandas, NumPy, and Matplotlib libraries to inspect data, manipulate data, calculate statistics, and provide informative and beautiful visual representations for data sets via interactive Jupyter Notebooks.
Quarter units: 3.0
Helpful, but not required, are a basic experience in any programming language and a rudimentary knowledge of statistics.
Data modeling defines and applies structure to the information systems in an enterprise. Data stored in various relational databases needs data modeling to depict the relationship between entities in the databases. The models provide pictorial views of how the data flows across the enterprise, departments, or business areas. Before creating a database for any application, you need well-constructed data models to maintain the integrity of data and improve query performance. This course provides in-depth knowledge and hands-on practice in data modeling and design.
After introducing the basic concepts and principles, the course addresses data modeling techniques and practices in four modeling areas: conceptual, logical, physical and dimensional. The course first addresses the collection of user requirements, followed by design approaches for logical and physical models. You will study real-world examples of data models for transactional systems, data marts and enterprise data warehouses. Expert instructors will share their practical experiences.
This is a hands-on course using an industry-leading data modeling tool in class. By the end of the course, you will be able to create data models for enterprise applications.
Quarter units: 3.0
DBDA.X415: Relational Database Design and SQL Programming
Big Data platforms are distributed systems that can process large amounts of data across clusters of servers. They are being used across industries in internet startups and established enterprises. In this comprehensive course, you will get up to speed on the use of current Big Data platforms and gain insights into cloud-based Big Data architectures. We will cover Hadoop, Spark, Kafka and other Big Data platforms based on SQL, such as Hive.
The first half of the course includes an overview of the frameworks for MapReduce, Spark, Kafka, and Hive as well as some aspects of Python programming. You will learn how to write MapReduce/Spark jobs and how to optimize data processing applications and become familiar with SQL based tools for Big Data. We use Hive to build ETL jobs. The course also includes the fundamentals of NoSQL databases like HBase and Kafka.
The second half of the course covers stream processing capability and developing streaming applications with Apache Spark. You'll learn how to process large amounts of data using DataFrame, Apache Spark's structured data processing programming model that provides simple, powerful APIs. In addition to batch and iterative data processing, Apache Spark also supports stream processing, which enables companies to extract interesting and useful business insights at near real-time.
The course consists of interactive lectures, hands-on labs in class, and take home practice exercises. Upon completion of this course, you will possess a strong understanding of the tools used to build Big Data applications using MapReduce, Spark, and Hive.
Quarter units: 3.0
Basic SQL skills and the ability to create simple programs in a modern programming language, like Python are required. An understanding of database, parallel or distributed computing is helpful.
This course introduces students to the Python programming language essential for data manipulation, statistical analysis, and predictive modeling techniques required for machine learning and artificial intelligence.
We will explore the wonderfully concise and expressive use of Python's advanced module features and apply it in probability, statistical analysis, training models, and various other applications. Students will explore mathematical operations with array data structures, optimization, probability density function, interpolation, visualization, and other high-performance benefits of core scientific packages such as NumPy, Pandas, scikit-learn, and Matplotlib.
Additionally, students will learn modern machine learning concepts and techniques, including supervised, unsupervised, and semi-supervised learning, to develop predictive models using Python libraries. The course concludes with a real-world, end-to-end machine learning project, providing students with practical experience in solving challenging problems.
Quarter units: 3.0
Basic Programming Knowledge as can be acquired in Python Programming for Beginners (CMPR.X415) and a knowledge of Fundamentals of Statistics
This course will examine ways of creating an environment where parents and teachers work in partnership for the education of young children. Attitude, understanding and skills which lead to effective communication and cooperation between home and school will be shared and explored.
Quarter units: 5.0
This course focuses on the history of early childhood education, the laws governing early childhood centers in California, and the goals of early childhood education. You'll also discuss the administrator's job description, budgeting, personnel selection and standards, records and reports, and staff policies. The course discusses laws and regulations pertaining to the operation of an early childhood program and examines how to budget administrative responsibilities. You'll develop the skills necessary to create an early childhood environment which meets space, equipment, health and safety requirements, and evaluate your program quality using the Environmental Rating Scale. This course is a good fit for educators interested in obtaining the California Child Program Director Permit.
Quarter units: 5.0
This course explores the challenges and issues related to the supervision and operation of preschool programs. Staff-administrator relationships, staff inservice education and working with parents are also covered.
Quarter units: 5.0
ECEA.X321: ECE 11: Supervision and Administration of Early Childhood Centers, Part A
This course examines the process of building a staff organization through development of effective communication and interpersonal relationships. Topics include the criteria for selection and evaluation of personnel, involvement of staff in the planning and evaluation of programs, the administrative role in promoting professional growth, teaching effectiveness and developing sensitivity to individual needs.
Quarter units: 5.0
Participants explore human development from prenatal stages through middle childhood and study the interrelationships among social, emotional, physical and cognitive development, with a focus on the role of play in early childhood. Using observational techniques, the class identifies developmentally appropriate characteristics and activities.
Quarter units: 4.0
This course studies the philosophy, history and development of early childhood programs. You'll examine the teacher-child relationship and how existing programs meet the needs of preschool children and review programs to evaluate how they meet the criteria of a quality learning environment. You'll get a chance to see how ECE programs operate in the real world by attending mandatory field observations at sites designated by the instructor.
Quarter units: 4.0
In this course, you'll examine basic child development theories in relation to design and implementation of curriculum for young children. Topics include the design of developmentally appropriate lesson plans and learning centers to fit the needs of specific age groups, the steps involved in curriculum development, material and equipment selection, planning group experiences, and basic guidance techniques for young children. The course emphasizes the value of play and learning environments and developmentally appropriate materials and activities.
Quarter units: 4.0
This course focuses on the dynamics between the young child and his or her family, school and community, including various cultural and social influences. Participants explore ways to develop communication skills between young children and peer groups, parents and teachers. Community resources and social services, including healthcare, welfare and counseling, are reviewed.
Quarter units: 4.0
Participants in this course learn to identify children's behavior to determine whether it is normal, developmentally appropriate or problematic. Cooperative discipline is explored in the wider context of classroom management, working with staff and parents. Behaviors are examined to better understand why children behave the way they do and to correct behaviors with a guidance and discipline strategy that is positive, respectful of both child and adult, and developmentally appropriate. Participants also learn to practice prevention of certain behaviors and guide children through the use of positive discipline. The focus is on how an adult can behave when a difficult situation arises and be as effective as possible in creating an atmosphere of safety that supports all children in reaching their fullest potential.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course explores diversity, values, culture, racism and oppression from the educator's viewpoint and the impacts these factors have on creating a positive multicultural classroom environment. You’ll learn various styles of communicating with parents, and role-play scenarios to practice handling awkward situations. Course assignments provide an opportunity to develop multicultural lesson plans that can be used in an early childhood classroom.
Quarter units: 3.0
Formerly "ECE 7: Practicum in Early Childhood Education"
This course provides early childhood education professionals with the opportunity to observe and evaluate children, applying theoretical and practical models from the field of early childhood education. Course activities include structured observation, analysis of the roles of adults, lesson planning, parent conferencing and reflective teaching.
Meets the California requirement of 3 semester units (equal to 5-quarter units) of supervised experience for teachers applying for a Children's Center Permit as described in the Child Development Permit Matrix see here:Child Development Permits- Worksheet
Quarter units: 5.0
ECED.X301: ECE 1: Development in Early Childhood
ECED.X302: ECE 2: Introduction to Teaching Young Children
ECED.X303: ECE 3: Curriculum Development in Early Childhood Programs
ECED.X304: ECE 4: The Young Child in the Family and Community
ECED.X308: ECE 8: Child Health, Safety and Nutrition
ECED.X301, ECED.X302, ECED.X303, ECED.X304, and ECED.X308 or equivalent experience.
This course is highly beneficial for anyone working in an early childhood educational setting. It introduces the theory, practices, and requirements for establishing and maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment. Topics include healthcare policies and procedures in the child-care setting, childhood nutrition and obesity, prevention of disease transmission and injuries, child abuse and neglect. You will also learn to provide a quick health check for children and plan healthy menus.
Quarter units: 5.0
This course covers the development of language in children and outlines experiences and techniques that enable children to further that development. You’ll learn how to promote oral language abilities through the active use of books, poetry, dramatic play and group discussions. You’ll gain insight into grammar, phonology and semantics; common speech problems, and language arts curricula that can help foster literacy in the classroom. The course also reviews the reading process along with various reading theories and issues.
Quarter units: 3.0
How does the human brain develop during the first years of life? How can a child learn two or more languages at the same time? How does stress slow brain growth? This course answers those questions, providing parents or teachers of infants, toddlers or preschoolers with the latest research in brain development, demonstrating how this information can enhance parenting and teaching practices. This course will help you appreciate a child's unique qualities and your own strengths, as you work toward long-term success in parenting or teaching.
Quarter units: 3.0
You know intuitively that art activities engage children of all ages. But how can you make the most of your teaching with art? How can you---even without formal training---organize stellar lessons that leave the kids asking for more? In this fundamentals course, participants start with a review of art expression at each stage of early childhood development, then move on to understanding ways to foster creativity and the creative process. Next, participants work hands-on with basic art processes, such as painting, drawing, and creating designs. Through mini-lectures, discussions, videos, and readings, participants prepare age-appropriate lessons that build visual and spatial awareness and relate art to other key curriculum---science, mathematics, language arts, and social studies. Participants leave the course with an individualized portfolio, complete with lesson plans and objectives. Course activities include ample instructor modeling.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course is designed for those who work or plan to work in child-care programs for children up to three years of age. The focus is on understanding growth and development and recognizing the range of individual differences within developmental norms. Participants engage in a variety of activities to promote theory learning and observation skills. Topics include gross and fine motor skills, perception, emotions and feelings, social skills, cognition and language.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course satisfies part of the State Licensing requirement for the application of infant/toddler caregiving principles. We encourage students to visit the cdss.ca.gov website for more information on the requirements. The course "Infant/Toddler Growth and Development" fulfills the remainder of the requirement. This course is designed for those who work with children up to three years of age. The course focuses on understanding the principles of high-quality caregiving. Topics include understanding the adult role in the development and implementation of curriculum for infants and toddlers, and essential curricula components such as physical setting, social environment and play.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course focuses on teaching math to young children and covers California math standards for early childhood. You'll participate in hands-on activities and create exciting math games for young children. The course also addresses how young children recognize patterns in nature and how you can connect math to art. With ample instructor modeling, you'll practice ways to create unforgettable moments of discovery, enchantment, and magic by studying geometric patterns and numbers. This course is recommended for teachers, parents, and caregivers of preschoolers and kindergartners. A strong background in mathematics is not required.
Quarter units: 2.0
Young children ask a lot of questions. They are naturally curious about the world around them. Through playful science activities, teachers of young children can leverage that curiosity to create inquiry-based learning investigations. This course explores how easy it is to design an inquiry-based investigation using hands-on experiments, games, puppet shows, story books, and more. Lesson plans, mathematics connections, and California learning foundations in science will be discussed in the broader context of early childhood education. Science Play will inspire you to expand your comfort with science education and feel confident teaching science while keeping it developmentally appropriate and highly engaging.Educators will learn to design hands-on lessons and units that connect to general curricular topics incorporating circle time activities, puppet shows, literature connections, and ideas for extending investigations. You will also learn inquiry-based and emergent science curriculum development, including methods for teaching children to document their own experiments and observations, and ways to document and communicate classroom science learning for parents and colleagues. Grades are based on reflections, lesson plans, and class participation.As a foundation for understanding science principles appropriate for the early childhood classroom, the course examines the California Preschool Learning Foundations in science, as well as science position statements from the National Science Teachers Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Quarter units: 1.0
The average classroom may include several students who exhibit symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Many educators need to build skills to meet the educational needs of these children. This course provides the tools needed to better understand, identify and evaluate the ADHD student. It addresses school-related problems associated with ADHD. In-depth coverage of practical, effective instructional strategies is offered as well as social skills training activities that can be easily incorporated into the regular curriculum. You'll learn how to implement effective classroom behavior management systems.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course provides an overview of learning disabilities, attention, and behavior difficulties in young students. Participants will gain familiarity with the current special education field and their role within it. The materials provided are designed to support understanding of how disabilities affect learning and instruction. Participants will also be introduced to state and federal laws relating to providing free and appropriate education to students with disabilities.
Topics include atypical brain development, characteristics of learning disabilities, ADHD, autism and co-occurring difficulties, behavior, attention, and the role of the special education assistant.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to
Quarter units: 4.0
This course provides a practice-oriented foundation for effectively supporting students with disabilities across developmental stages-from early childhood through age 10. Designed for aspiring and practicing teaching assistants, the curriculum emphasizes evidence-based instructional strategies, individualized interventions, and adaptive supports tailored to special education needs.
Students will explore the role of teaching assistants within specialized settings. Key areas of focus include practices related to instruction for students with disabilities, curriculum adaptations, and accommodations aligned with students' specific needs. The course also highlights the importance of the social and behavioral needs of students with special needs. By focusing on hands-on support practices, this course prepares students to contribute meaningfully and enhance outcomes for special education students.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to
Quarter units: 4.0
ECED.X320: Introduction to Special Education in Early Childhood Settings
Welcome to our immersive Education Innovation workshop series. Join master educators to explore the most current, evidence-based best-practices to keep your knowledge and skills up to date and to strengthen your ability to support every student. Each session is led by an expert in the field with real world experience, who will guide you through the material and help you apply it immediately to your work..
0.5 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive Education Innovation workshop series. Join master educators to explore the most current, evidence-based best-practices to keep your knowledge and skills up to date and to strengthen your ability to support every student. Each session is led by an expert in the field with real world experience, who will guide you through the material and help you apply it immediately to your work..
0.3 CEUs
This course provides an interactive overview of the educational therapist's role, including discussions of ethical practices, state and federal laws related to professional responsibilities and limitations. The responsibilities of the educational therapist, including case management, information gathering, assessment practices, goal setting and intervention strategies are also examined.
Quarter units: 3.0
Formerly "Educational Therapy: Reading I"
Structured Literacy I introduces you to the theories, issues, strategies, and materials related to literacy instruction and assessment for both reading and writing. While not focusing on students with learning difficulties, in this literacy course you will learn foundational skills for supporting all your students.We will emphasize the science of reading and structured literacy, as well as best practices of instruction and informal assessment. You'll also practice developing materials and gain the skills to teach literacy to a broad range of students.
WhileStructured Literacy I(formerly Reading I) focuses in depth on the teaching of literacy,Structured Literacy II(formerly Reading II), focuses on teaching literacy to students with learning disabilities, speech and language disabilities, ADHD, ASD, and other challenges.Both courses are required for the certificate in Educational Therapy and are closely aligned to the requirements of the Association of Educational Therapy.You'll master the skills and knowledge you need to help all the diverse students who will come to you in your practice.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course deals with two key areas of math learning: computation and problem solving. You will learn the background of “mathematics differences” and strategies for dealing with math anxiety, risk factors, and the importance of developing “number sense.” Important elements of mathematical reasoning will also be addressed, including the role of attention, memory, and language in math. You’ll learn the use of multisensory math and gain strategies for improving long-term and working memory capacity through case studies of students with math learning differences.
Quarter units: 3.0
Assessment is critical for determining what we've learned, how we learn, and how to best target and bolster instructional approaches as we move ahead. This course introduces the assessment tools and procedures frequently used in educational therapy settings. Participants will gain experience using specific assessment instruments. They will have access to a limited number of assessment instruments which they may use for practice. Testing is limited to educational assessment tools, which are widely used by educational therapists and do not require credentialing as a school psychologist or licensing as a clinical or educational psychologist. The course offers insight into how to administer tests used by educational therapists and how to interpret psycho-educational evaluation reports.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course introduces the formal educational assessment process from start to finish. Discussion is limited to educational assessment tools which are widely used by educational therapists and do not require credentialing as a school psychologist or licensing as a clinical or educational psychologist. Select assessment tools previewed in the previous assessment course (Educational Assessments I) are used for testing purposes, to generate a written report, and to verbally share findings. Participants will also learn how to interpret test results, reports, and findings from other allied professionals.**NOTE** Participants will be required to find a volunteer school-aged student for the purposes of learning how to complete an educational assessment.
Quarter units: 3.0
EDTH.X303: Educational Assessments I
This course explores the fundamental cognitive processes that are necessary for learning to occur at maximum capacity. These include motor, auditory, visual, visual motor integration and verbal processing areas. The course will also include how to increase the functionality of these areas as well as attending skills. The "affect" of learning or how the student feels about himself in terms of academic performance will also be addressed. We review possible scenarios of client experiences and how to support their learning.
Quarter units: 3.0
EDTH.X301: Educational Therapy: Structured Literacy I
EDTH.X303: Educational Assessments I
In this course educational therapists and learning specialists delve into the business realities of establishing a successful independent educational therapy or a learning specialist practice. Students focus on best practices for one-on-one instruction to young students and adult learners with learning differences. Learn how the role of the educational therapist/specialist includes working as an investigator/support person and strategically communicating with a client’s family, school, community, and culture. Additional course materials encourage students to dig deeper into the psychosocial aspect of learning differences and address topics of transference, countertransference, and termination. Establishing and operating a successful private practice is a learning process for those just entering the field of educational therapy. This course fosters the confidence that comes with knowledge of basic business practices.This is an online course, and all assignments and lectures are hosted though Canvas. In addition to lectures, students master the content by:Analyzing case studies;Interviewing parents;Developing marketing collateral such as business cards, flyers, and essential information forms; andWriting by prompt for self-discovery.
Quarter units: 3.0
EDTH.X300: Principles of Educational Therapy
EDTH.X303: Educational Assessments I
The principles of cognitive, developmental and social psychology, as they apply to the exceptional learner, are examined in this course. Current research is reviewed as it relates to individual differences, the learning process, and theories and problems of learning, including the impact of motivation and intelligence on the special learner. The fundamentals of physical, motor, social and emotional development at critical stages are examined. This course covers the key human learning theories, including classical, social, Piagetian, and information-processing perspectives.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course helps professional educators, counselors, educational therapists, and parents understand learning differences. Current theories on neurological processing, attention and memory are presented. Through case studies, discussion, video and lecture, participants learn to identify the signs of autism, Asperger's Syndrome, nonverbal learning disorder, learning disability and attention deficit disorder, as they relate to learning tasks.
Quarter units: 3.0
Technology can help struggling students leverage their learning strengths and bypass weaknesses to improve performance, independence, and self-confidence. In this online course aimed at teachers, learning specialists, educational therapists, and parents, you will learn about a wide range of tools to support students with learning disabilities, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), executive functioning deficits, and issues with processing information and memory. Through readings, lectures, video demonstrations, and hands-on activities, you will learn:
Quarter units: 3.0
Professional experience addressing the needs of students with learning differences.
Completion of "Understanding Learning Differences" (EDTH.X309) or equivalent coursework.
Prior review of material on learning differences (provided by the instructor).
Other requisites may be approved in advance by the instructor.
A growing body of scientific research and evolving cultural awareness have affirmed the value of addressing neurodivergent learners in the classroom and in the workforce.
In this course for educators and professional trainers, we will explore brain differences, reduce cultural prejudice, and identify tools to support the creative potential and abilities of neurodivergent learners. Students will examine the social and cultural dynamics of being neurodivergent and address inequities in the current educational paradigm.
Once we explore difficulties such as overdiagnosis and gaps in educator training, we will examine how the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can be a strategy for leveling the playing field and put it to use in a new design for the classroom or workplace.
This course is designed for K-12 teachers, college educators, school administrators, home-schoolers, therapists, and HR professionals.
Quarter units: 1.0
Developing presentations and analyzing research content
This course is part II of a two-course series, Structured Literacy I and II. Spreading the content over two courses offers us the luxury of focusing more in depth, first on the teaching of literacy and then on teaching literacy to students with learning difficulties. Both courses are required for the Certificate in Educational Therapy, and are more closely aligned to the requirements of the Association of Educational Therapists. Together, they provide a foundation of the skills and knowledge base necessary to adequately teach all of the students who will come to you in your practice.Structured Literacy II builds upon the Structured Literacy I groundwork to explore how to teach, remediate and support students with learning difficulties, whether due to dyslexia, speech and language disability, ADHD, ASD, a mismatch between home and school culture, learning English as a second language, or a number of other challenges. The course emphasizes the neurobiological and neurocognitive underpinnings of literacy, the science of reading and structured literacy, best practices of instruction, using informal and formal assessments to guide instruction, and the development of materials and skills to teach literacy to a broad range of students.
Quarter units: 3.0
EDTH.X301: Educational Therapy: Structured Literacy I
This final course in the Educational Therapy Certificate Program provides an opportunity for the intern to practice all aspects of educational therapy under the supervision of an experienced professional in the field. To arrange your internship, contact UCSC Extension for information.
Quarter units: 5.0
EDTH.X300: Principles of Educational Therapy
EDTH.X301: Educational Therapy: Structured Literacy I
EDTH.X302: Strategies for Learning Differences in Mathematics
EDTH.X303: Educational Assessments I
EDTH.X304: Educational Assessments II
EDTH.X305: Techniques of Educational Therapy: Affective, Cognitive and Perceptual Elements
This course introduces K-12 teacher candidates to current technologies that enhance the classroom and learning experience. You will learn to leverage new modalities to communicate with students, parents, colleagues, and administration; design technology-integrated instructional activities; gain insight into related legal and ethical issues; and practice with various technologies for instruction and assessment. By the end of the course, you’ll have a toolkit of technology resources and strategies to benefit your classroom. This course meets the SB 2042Level 1 technology requirement(Standard 11) for teacher preparation.The goal of this course is to lay a foundation of educational technology pedagogy. In order to increase knowledge around available educational technology resources. This course aims to make learning practical and applicable- starting with your classroom reality and personal comfort level with technology. The course objectives also satisfy the state technology requirement for your credential.EDUC.XSC209 is worth 2 CEUs, which equals 20 hours of “in-class instruction” and participation, not including homework time. The course workload has been calibrated to meet, but not exceed these parameters. The instructor reserves the right to make slight adjustments to the course schedule to best meet the needs of the students.
Quarter units: 2.0
This course covers the entire basic printed circuit board (PCB) design process, including component library creation, schematic capture, and PCB layout. Students learn to use industry-standard software tools like Altium Designer to create detailed schematics and translate them into PCB layouts. Emphasis is placed on best practices for component placement, routing techniques, and design rule checks to ensure manufacturability and functionality.
Through hands-on learning, students develop a strong understanding of component libraries, schematic best practices, and various methods for wiring schematics. They also explore the PCB structure setup, including mechanical layer assignments and layer stack-up considerations. The course covers design rule checks (DRC), component placement strategies, routing methodologies, and the use of polygons, pours, and planes in PCB design. Additionally, students learn about PCB verification, cleanup processes, and documentation preparation for fabrication and assembly.
Upon completion, students can produce industry-standard documentation for analog and digital multi-layer, flexible, and high-speed PCBs, adhering to current IPC standards. This course provides the foundational knowledge and technical skills necessary for entry-level positions in the electronics industry or further study in advanced PCB design.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to:
3.0 CEUs
High-speed signaling technologies with multi-gigabit data transfer rates are critical to high-bandwidth communications. However, the physical limitations of the channel (in board, package, and connector), the transceiver circuits, as well as voltage and timing noises introduced along the signal paths, make the design of high-speed links very challenging. Accurate modeling and analysis of high-speed digital systems requires a good understanding of physical effects and system architecture in order to optimize the design parameters in the channel, transmitter, and receiver subsystems. This course in applied signal/power integrity gives students a set of skills for problem solving and strategies that bridge the gap between theory and real world applications by going through case studies from real designs.
This course starts with a comprehensive overview of signal and power integrity analysis for high-speed systems. The instructor promptly moves on to cover the state-of-the art modeling and analysis techniques used in high-speed links. The course introduces accurate interconnect modeling including high frequency and second-order effects, and behavioral modeling of IO and ESD, including IBIS. Students will learn the concepts of equalization design and various signaling techniques (such as differential, NRZ, pulse, multi-level, etc.). At the system level, topics include clocking schemes and timing jitter analysis, as well as power analysis topics such as IR Drop, AC noise, simultaneous switching noise, and decoupling capacitor. The course concludes with a discussion of variations in manufacturing and methods to handle them in simulation and design.
Upon completing the course, students will have a strong understanding of signal and power integrity concepts and terminology. They will acquire the skills to design, model, and analyze high-speed interconnects. They will be able to relate various link blocks and parameters to system performance and make trade off decisions.
Quarter units: 3.0
EMBD.X409: Printed Circuit Board Design for Signal Integrity and EMC Compliance
Students must have a basic understanding of signal integrity, electromagnetic compatibility, printed circuit boards or packages.
All embedded systems require firmware to enable their features. In addition to C programming, firmware engineers must understand system and CPU architecture, as well as the IO and memory interface. They must also master techniques to manage limited memory and tasks, and code programs that are suitable for hardware bring-up and application development. In this course you will learn practical, in-depth knowledge and coding exercises for firmware development.
We'll review embedded system architecture and hardware configurations specifically on the Espressif ESP32 and its CPU core architectures. You will be introduced to C codes, how to enable hardware features, and work with real-time operating systems, task management and interrupts as well as various inter-chip communication interfaces and access to the outside world. We will introduce the wireless functions of these devices.
Most firmware development in industry is done on Linux systems. You should have solid C programming skills and be ready to complete all class projects with GNU tools. You'll gain experience working on several on-hardware projects. This course prepares you for additional embedded software courses covering a wide range of product interests.
Students are required to purchase a hardware starter kit, a small board, breadboard, resistors, LED, and wires (estimated $45-$60, not included in the tuition) to do class projects on their laptops. These are available on Amazon https://a.co/d/bmhGjaYorhttps://a.co/d/7ZHsEDG and should be purchased before the first class. For additional sensors or actuators depending on the student's interest, please contact the instructor.
This course integrates AI throughout the learning experience. Students use AI-powered guidance to focus on high-level concepts, complete more advanced assignments without getting stuck on syntax, and learn practical techniques for building, fine-tuning, and deploying small neural networks on embedded devices. The course also teaches effective AI prompting, agent usage, and introduces AI-accelerated hardware fundamentals.
Quarter units: 2.0
CMPR.X400: C Programming for Beginners
LINX.X400: Linux, Introduction
The power supply is a critical component in any system and has a major impact on overall reliability. System designers need to understand the designs and requirements of their power supplies to meet the evolving needs of the system, and to satisfy regulatory requirements for energy efficiency and standby power. This course covers both analog and digital switch-mode power supplies.
This course starts by introducing the fundamental concepts of a real switch-mode power supply and its functions, operations and interactions. Discussions will cover the various topologies as they relate to power supply operation, design, component selection, and rating for a particular application. The course focuses on the most popular topology: the Flyback converter. The case study includes the clamp, snubber networks, transformer, and EMI filter. You will learn the design considerations for EMI, thermal management, and product safety with detailed discussions of PCB design. Lastly, the course discusses the challenges of power supply development in the face of evolving system requirements and regulations. You'll learn how to meet requirements of high efficiency, high power density, digital control and reporting, and stringent ultra-low no-load standby power. The course has expanded practical discussions of digital implementations of a real switch-mode power supply with added features, enhanced performance, and programmability.
You'll gain practical power supply design knowledge and skills relevant to your hardware engineering environment and be able to satisfy actual market and regulatory requirements with practical component implementations. The course features live demonstrations and waveform observations of power supply behaviors using state-of-the-art solutions.
Quarter units: 3.0
Knowledge of electronics and basic understanding of an electrical system design with power supply.
PCI Express has become the dominant intrasystem IO interconnect from the largest servers to mobile phones and embedded devices. In this course for developers and support engineers in hardware, firmware, software, and field-application, students will gain a stronger understanding of the protocol.
We will start with an introduction to IO concepts which will give us an understanding of why IO protocols behave the way they do. We will then dive into PCI Express including the6.0 version.PCI Express enables interfacing with Ethernet and other protocols to achieve intersystem communication. We will end with an overview of Ethernet and how PCI Express and Ethernet work together to enable communication.
Through lectures, homework assignments, and a final exam, students will gain a broad idea of how IO works in a modern computer system and be better prepared to work with device drivers and troubleshoot IO problems.
The course does not cover chip or board design aspects of IO.
Quarter units: 3.0
An introductory course or practical experience with operating systems internals, an introduction to computer architecture and organization, and systems programming experience.
Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are configurable logic devices with programmable links. They allow you to implement, update, and ship ASICs with low non-recurring engineering costs and are widely used in system design. This course offers a practical introduction to programmable logic design with Xilinx FPGAs, emphasizing design implementation. The course focuses on improving design methods to advance overall design quality; in essence, to bulletproof a design.
Standard logic designs translate automatically and effectively to the world of field programmable logic devices. The course covers common methods based on design constraints used in most design software. You will learn design implementations such as clocking (which creates various clock frequencies from an external reference), including how to handle control and data signals migrating across different clock domains, how to manage clock jitter and debounce input asynchronous signals. You will also learn to manage ground bounce and control power dissipation, while including considerations for safety and security. Practical design examples include discussions of RAM, DSP blocks, basic fabric and A/D converters.
The course places an architectural focus on the Virtex-7, Artix and Kintex families, as well as the Zynq programmable system on a chip. In-class demonstrations and student design projects will feature the Xilinx Vivado Webpack design software. By the end of the course, you should be able to complete practical designs with Xilinx FPGAs and understand design and timing reports. The course includes a student project with design tools; real device implementation or programming is optional.
Quarter units: 3.0
Experience with logic design of digital systems or equivalent knowledge.
This course presents simplified design techniques for the design and layout of printed circuit boards to achieve both signal integrity and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). Signal integrity is a primary concern for system functionality while EMC compliance allows a product to be legally sold. This course was developed for both experienced and entry level engineers who are responsible for printed circuit board designs and system level products.Upon completion, students should be able to create a high-density, high technology printed circuit board that meets or exceeds test and system level requirements easily. In an informal tutorial format, design and layout techniques are introduced in a simple to follow step-by-step presentation that allows plenty of opportunities to address specific questions. Major instructional emphasis is placed on real-life examples that demonstrate good layout practices that can be incorporated immediately. Simulation results will be presented to demonstrate basic principles. This course is taught at the fundamental level, not tied to any PCB tool. Rigorous mathematical analysis and theory will not be presented. Multi-layer, high-density designs is the focus of the course, however, single- and double-sided designs are examined based upon fundamental concepts for multi-layer boards.
Quarter units: 1.5
Prior experience with printed circuit board and system level design and testing is highly desired. A solid foundation in basic electrical engineering principles helps one understand fundamental design concepts. This course targets the spectrum of designers, from entry-level to senior engineer, including EMC engineers.
A real-time embedded system is designed to monitor and respond to external environments within a time deadline. A wide variety of devices that you see on the market today fall into this category - personal health and fitness trackers, smart thermostats, home security systems, and smart video cameras, to name a few. These systems interact with the environment using a variety of hardware and software interfaces. The embedded software manages these interfaces and makes sure that the tasks are accomplished within tight timing constraints. The Real Time Operating System (RTOS) on these devices is responsible for scheduling independent tasks and managing processes. This introductory course provides a foundation in the features and programming models of real-time embedded systems with hands-on learning.
The course introduces the fundamentals of real-time scheduling and resource management protocols that are essential in designing and building commercial products and covers the use of RTOS to effectively design tasks and device drivers to meet real-time requirements. You'll learn about important topics in real-time systems, such as priority-based real time scheduling, interrupt handling, using timers, and detecting and preventing deadlocks. The course will also discuss multi-threading, cooperative versus preemptive multi-tasking and inter-process communications, focusing on programming in FreeRTOS and understanding internals such as schedulers and idle tasks.
You'll design and code a real-time embedded systems project in C language on an open source FreeRTOS emulator. Upon completion of the course, you'll understand real-time embedded systems programming and the interactions of hardware, software, and the OS in such systems.
Quarter units: 3.0
A strong background in C programming and an understanding of embedded system architecture.
How are you harnessing the immense amount of data embedded inside The Internet of Things (IoT)? This phenomenon promises many new technological innovations and business benefits. The prospect of connecting potentially millions or even billions of embedded devices, sensors, appliances and other data-collecting gear to the cloud is daunting yet exciting. It requires new processes and tools for collecting and processing IoT big data and analyzing the device information to glean insights embedded within vast amounts of data. Discover how to transform this data deluge into actionable insights by using state-of-the-art AI and machine learning techniques, and by utilizing modern big data processing tools.
The course first defines IoT and why IoT data processing is very different from typical big data analytics, with its unique requirements for data security, device identity, huge data volume, and real-time processing. The course reviews the challenges and current architectures of IoT data collection to the cloud. Using a hands-on approach in Amazon Web Services (AWS) with simulated data, you will learn to build a messaging and data streaming system with Apache Spark and Kafka. You will explore current IoT architectures and learn how to build robust data pipelines that can handle the scale and complexity of IoT data.
You will work with simulated and real IoT device data, designing and implementing your own data flows to extract valuable business intelligence. The course provides a deep dive into industrial practices of IoT big data processing and analytics, with a focus on practical application of tools and frameworks.
Quarter units: 3.0
CMPR.X415: Python Programming for Beginners
CMPR.X415 - Python Programming for BeginnersSkills NeededSoftware installation and some programming experience in C, Java or Python (one of the three) is required.
Beginning technical professionals who want to learn the big picture of embedded systems will get a solid grounding in key concepts of embedded systems hardware design, one of the particularly hot areas for U.S. engineers today. Embedded systems are computer systems designed to perform one or more dedicated functions. They are found in a wide range of electronic devices, including PDAs, consumer electronics, networking equipment, industrial controllers, and military electronics. Gaining an inside look at some of the most common embedded systems and the functional blocks within those systems, students in this course examine hardware components and their interfaces as well as important considerations with regard to procurement and design. They learn embedded systems design considerations and several approaches to system building common in the industry. Other key concepts in embedded hardware design include memories used in embedded systems and their interfaces, basic concepts in microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSP), and the typical buses used at the system level.After completing the course, you will see how the key concepts in embedded hardware design fit together, including the interaction of these hardware components as well as important considerations with regard to procurement and design.
Quarter units: 3.0
Some familiarity with the hardware components of a computer system is required.
This course has a fundamentals based approach, designed to give students the knowledge and skills they need in a competitive job market covering wireless communications and standards, in particular 5G, as well as antenna and transceiver design principles and practices for mobile devices.
The course briefly reviews amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM), which are essential in understanding IQ modulation used in virtually all modern radios (WiFi, OFDM, CDMA, TDMA, 4g, 5g, etc.). Building on these fundamentals, the course examines the industry’s digital wireless standards, including but not limited to IS-136, IS-95, Bluetooth, 4G, 5G, 802.11(a, g, n), and long term evolution (LTE).
It is equally important to understand antenna design and here you will learn about antenna trade-off considerations for cellphones, Bluetooth, and WiFi, including antenna size versus range on various configurations, dipoles, dish, beams, phase arrays, and slotted antennas. The course will analyze the practical designs used in the Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. Instruction emphasizes an intuitive understanding of the fundamentals, rather than complex mathematics, and industry insights from an experienced professional.
Quarter units: 3.0
A general background in electrical engineering and networking.
In this course, you will explore the vital role of system calls in Linux and other systems, enabling user-space applications to connect with the kernel and perform privileged functions. System calls contribute to application and operating system compatibility and interoperability by offering a defined interface for accessing the kernel that is used for functionality.
You will explore system call APIs to learn how to build interactive and service (daemon) applications that control the system and perform operations. We categorize based on the type of operation they perform: process management and file management. Practical projects include building standard Linux applications, such as ls, cat, etc. as well as some service processes, such as ftp.
Key topics covered include I/O control, file systems, access, and locking; signal handling; process and threads management; IPC using pipes and TCP/UDP sockets. Additionally, the course will address makefiles, man pages and packaging utilities.
By the end of the course, you'll have developed a complete ftp package and mastered the implementation of client-server programs using TCP, UDP, and RPC. This course adheres to the POSIX standard, ensuring a solid foundation, while also incorporating discussions on portability considerations for BSD extensions and SVR4 differences.
Quarter units: 3.0
A basic knowledge of C language programming and a working knowledge of the Linux/UNIX operating environment are required.
The growing popularity of Linux—the preferred operating system for servers, embedded systems, and mobile devices—is driving a huge demand for programmers who can modify the open-source kernel for optimal performance. In this course you will gain in-depth knowledge of the latest 5.x kernel so you can understand the architecture and write kernel code to achieve a desired output.
The course introduces kernel-level programming in Linux and writing kernel modules, covering core kernel with a hands-on coding approach. We will start with the kernel source code organization, learn how it functions and address various data structures and algorithms used in the Linux kernel. Students will explore making static and dynamic changes to the kernel as well as the underlying portability considerations.
We will explore the design and implementation of device drivers in Linux, such as the interfaces to the Linux kernel for writing device drivers, resource allocation paradigms and error-handling best practices. Other topics include understanding concurrency from a driver perspective, for example, the impact of CPU hyper-threading and task preemption.
The instructor will share code samples and real-world experiences of device and kernel porting to augment your learning. In your assignments you will get to analyze, develop, and debug different modules and kernel drivers. Any distribution is fine so long as the Linux kernel version is recent.
Quarter units: 3.0
EMBD.X420: Linux Systems Programming
Proficiency of C programming language and knowledge of Linux Systems Programming or equivalent experience is recommended. You will need access to a Linux environment with root privileges. Options include VMWare, VirtualBox, LiveCD, disk partition or dualboot.
Advanced knowledge of Linux kernel data structure and the ability to use its framework for writing device drivers is critical for Linux programmers.
In this course, students learn to differentiate between the kernel development environment and writing user space programs. They study Linux kernel subsystems, such as Linux scheduler, memory management, networking stack, and Linux block layer, all of which helps them build high-performing kernel drivers.
We will develop kernel modules that use kernel facilities and services to perform actions, such as interrupt handling, direct memory access (DMA), bus-independent device access, invoking kernel threads, and mapping device memory into the user space.
By introducing students to the proper use of available Linux synchronization primitives such as mutex, rwlock, semaphores, and read copy-update (RCU), students will learn to handle concurrency issues in the driver code.
Quarter units: 3.0
EMBD.X421: Linux Kernel & Drivers
This course covers the fundamentals of building and installing a custom embedded Linux for an ARM processor platform, and provides hands-on experience for creating cross-platform environments using the GNU tools. Basic concepts for designing, testing, and customizing embedded Linux will be covered, including how the Linux scheduler is implemented, and how to write Linux kernel modules and remotely debug embedded Linux applications.
Quarter units: 3.0
Working knowledge of C programming language and UNIX/Linux operating-system internals. Advanced C programming recommended.
Edge AI is revolutionizing embedded systems by bringing powerful machine learning capabilities to low-power devices. This hands-on course explores how AI can be deployed for visual AI (object detection with a camera), audio AI (keyword and command detection), and even lightweight large language models (LLMs) for natural language processing.
Designed for aspiring engineers and developers, students will explore how to leverage AI to enhance the capabilities of embedded AI hardware based on OpenML. Over eight sessions, participants will learn the fundamentals of AI, build and optimize neural networks, and deploy custom AI models for real-world applications.
With a strong emphasis on practical application, this course blends in-class exercises, homework assignments, and project-based learning to ensure a deep understanding of AI's potential in embedded systems. Whether you're new to AI or looking to enhance your expertise, this course offers the tools and knowledge to innovate in the rapidly growing field of embedded AI.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to:Explain fundamental AI concepts and neural network principles.Implement the AI applications using tools like TensorFlow Lite and Edge Impulse on OpenML.Train and optimize models for embedded systems, focusing on performance and efficiency.Develop a capstone project that integrates AI into a practical embedded solution.
Quarter units: 2.0
You will need programming experience in Python.
This event is an excellent opportunity for you to meet qualified Silicon Valley professionals, many of whom have completed course work at UCSC Extension and actively strive to further their careers. We will be promoting all participating partners in our marketing materials, including e-mail campaigns, advertisements, and more.Our student population is largely composed of mid-career professionals with backgrounds and degrees in engineering and technology, project management, business communications, marketing, human resources, the biosciences, and more. Our previous career fair brought together a diverse and accomplished pool of over 350 candidates with more than 50% of those candidates possessing a Master's Degree or higher. We are excited to once again be able to connect companies with our eager, talented and qualified students.
Human resource management is a rapidly evolving profession. This seminar provides an exploration of modern HR and the role it plays in an organization. Designed for those who are new to the field, the course covers HR basics through lectures, class discussions and a team exercise. You will learn the fundamentals of HR functions and specialties, including workforce planning, compensation and benefits, training, talent acquisition, employee relations, and the latest theories in human resources.
Quarter units: 1.5
Organizational development is needed now more than ever.
The course on Organizational Development and Change aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate and lead change in an ever-evolving work environment. Students will gain insights into managing successful change initiatives by exploring the historical development of organizational development theories, evaluating different frameworks, and analyzing the impact of organizational culture and employee engagement. The course emphasizes the role of leaders and change agents, the challenges and opportunities associated with change, and the importance of effective communication and feedback.
Through practical application and reflection, students will develop the ability to develop and design change management processes that foster organizational effectiveness and adaptability while addressing cultural and diversity considerations. In this experiential, interactive course, participants engage in group activities and collaborate on a team project, both in and out of class.
Designed for leaders charged with bringing about change, this course builds a valuable foundation for managers, human resource professionals, internal and external consultants, and those interested in pursuing a career in this field. It provides an overview of the field of OD, the nature of change, and the role of the OD and HR practitioner.
Quarter units: 2.0
Effective performance management systems involve goal setting, coaching and feedback, motivation, measuring performance against goals, no rating systems, employee check-ins, performance appraisals options, employee development and retention strategies.
In this overview course for managers, supervisors as well as human resources business partners, you’ll learn how a PM program can benefit your team, how to implement the complex components above and techniques to effectively partner with line managers to enhance your process.
We will watch and defend a mock performance appraisal review, listen to guest speakers discuss best practices in performance management, and review manager training at various companies. By developing high potential employees and identifying successors for senior level positions within an organization, you will see how employee coaching and leadership development tie in with succession planning. We will also review and implement the key elements of a performance improvement plan.
Quarter units: 2.0
The world of work is changing due to four forces: digitization; flexible work designs; the evolved nature of employee expectations and attitudes; and black swan events that require adaptations to work delivery systems. These existential challenges are impacting compensation systems. The era of total rewards management is here to stay.
We will take a wholistic view of total reward systems, looking critically at the compensation systems and how they are impacted by changes in our society and economy.
It is highly recommended that students new to Human Resources begin with "Human Resource Management.” After that, courses may be taken in any order.
Quarter units: 2.0
This course outlines the laws and agencies that regulate employment relationships in California and on a federal level. These fundamental labor laws must be understood to prevent or, if necessary, defend against employment claims.
Quarter units: 2.0
This course focuses on how facilitation skills are applied to create and support learning activity designed to improve individual, group, and organizational performance. Participants also learn how these skills can be applied to other organizational needs related to training: effective meetings, team-building efforts, and individual training and development programs. This experiential course gives participants an opportunity to practice facilitation skills and receive feedback on how to improve their performance.
Quarter units: 2.0
The unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have had a tremendous impact on companies and the human resource professionals who are navigating new competitive benefit programs, paid leaves, and mental health strategies. The crisis has not only significantly shifted how we look at and craft our new benefits. It has changed the way we communicate about their offerings.
This course presents a comprehensive view of this new benefits landscape, including the latest approaches for analyzing and negotiating benefits programs and funding options. A key focus will be developing strategies to reduce healthcare costs. Students will learn to evaluate employee needs and help them better understand and use their coverage.
It is highly recommended that students new to Human Resources begin with "Human Resource Management." After that, courses may be taken in any order.
Quarter units: 2.0
Recruiting top talent for an organization is one of the most difficult challenges for staffing departments today. Those responsible for staffing are under immense pressure to obtain the talent necessary for organizations to meet business goals. This workshop explores critical issues related to managing the staffing function. Course exercises reinforce student understanding and student projects provide an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge acquired.
It is highly recommended that students new to Human Resources begin with "Human Resource Management.” After that, courses may be taken in any order.
Quarter units: 1.5
The increasing rate and scope of change is having a profound effect on the workplace. In this course, you will learn essential leadership skills, including how to inspire and motivate individuals, manage talent, influence without authority, and lead teams. Managers, supervisors and Human Resource professionals often bear the responsibility of maintaining morale and productivity during difficult change processes. Doing this effectively requires grasping the impact of change on people, understanding the change process, acquiring critical coping skills, optimizing the positive payoffs from change, and implementing action plans for leading people through change. You will obtain practical resources and develop a personal action plan for leading people through change.
Quarter units: 1.0
HR generalists, business partners, and newly promoted human resources specialists will deepen their understanding of employee performance programs in this extensive and practical overview of workplace relations.
We will learn current legal and practical methods for handling employee relations, performance management strategies, and provide a special focus on common workplace issues such as on-the-job behavior which accounts for 80 percent of terminations.
We will also explore topics such as employee communications, handling employee complaints, resolving employee conflicts, and workplace harassment as well as how-to conversations that coaching managers employ to help with employee issues; performance management; voluntary and involuntary terminations, abusive behavior, and the impact of mergers and acquisitions. More importantly, we will also focus on the new world of work and how teams influence new employee behaviors.
It is highly recommended that students new to human resources begin with the introductory "Human Resource Management” course. After that, courses may be taken in any order.
Quarter units: 1.5
The 3-session Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) Excellence course provides a comprehensive personal and professional development experience for the student who is either currently an HR Business Partner or aspiring to develop the skill set to grow into this role. Course participants will have the opportunity to take a "deep dive" into the craft of HR business partnering, explore the competencies required to become effective, and plan to reach heights of excellence in their current or future HRBP role. The HRBP Circle of Excellence Framework combined with the HR Functional Competency Dimensions will provide stimulating and robust content and insights for the student; all of which can be practically utilized on the job. As part of the program, every participant will have the opportunity to construct their individualized “action-oriented” development plan with respect to the knowledge, skills and abilities as detailed in the HRBP Excellence Framework.
The course will begin with a self-assessment based on the HRBP Excellence framework. Following this, targeted personal goals for development will be identified. An authentic HRBP case study will be analyzed by teams of students; including an interactive discussion and culminating in a presentation of their findings and recommendations out to the whole class. In addition, students will work in these same teams (using a study group approach) on a final project to be presented out to the whole group in Session 3. The final project will entail identifying real-life HRBP issues and challenges, selecting the most compelling scenario and then conducting a comprehensive analysis, applying the HRBP Circle of Excellence framework and functional competencies to the selected scenario (s). This project will be graded.
Quarter units: 1.0
HRMT.X400: Human Resource Management
In People Analytics, students learn the power of using data to drive measurable business outcomes and design data-driven people strategies to catalyze change and transformation in the workforce. You will see how to find and use data, win support for your new people analytics program, diagnose missteps, predict success, and prescribe change based on data rather than intuition. With data as our foundation, we will discuss the four stages of analytics and common pitfalls of people analytics programs. Learn to motivate and inspire leaders to integrate data and analytics with their personal expertise, thus enabling a more effective use of an organization’s most precious resources: people’s time and energy.
Quarter units: 1.5
Basic mathematics concepts and functions, including square roots and be familiar with the concepts of ratios and proportions. Should possess a grasp of elementary algebra. Also should be able to translate a verbal phrase or sentence into an expression or equation. Be familiar with basic statistical concepts or randomness, likelihood, and correlation.
In today's dynamic and diverse professional landscape, effective conflict resolution skills are essential for fostering a harmonious and productive work environment. Within this introductory course, designed specifically for working professionals, you'll gain insights into handling employee's interpersonal conflicts. You'll also learn techniques to support your staff to effectively resolve workplace and group conflicts.
We will explore conflict resolution and mediation approaches to identify the most effective interventions to facilitate employee conflict resolution. Through a combination of engaging lectures, interactive discussions and practical exercises, you’ll acquire essential skills to effectively manage conflicts.
This course is ideal for managers, team leaders, human resource professionals, project managers, and anyone interested in fostering a healthier, more collaborative work environment.
Quarter units: 1.5
Virtualization is a fundamental technology underlying most modern computer systems and networks, yet little understood by many in industry. Virtualization products are now being applied at the network level, in storage infrastructure, and for virtualized operating systems. They are helping to meet critical IT goals such as cost reduction, productivity, scalability, and cloud computing. This course builds the foundation skills that IT and engineering professionals need to make use of this important technology.
The course covers virtualization at various levels. For computer systems, it includes hardware virtualization and support for Hypervisors. For network virtualization, it addresses virtual LANs, virtual SANs, WAN acceleration, network access control, server load balancing and firewall virtualization. In the area of storage virtualization, discussions cover basic concepts and deployment at the device block level, file system level, and more. Licensing issues arising from virtualization are also covered. You will learn the basic concepts of virtualization and how it is applied to CPUs and operating systems, networks, and storage systems.
Quarter units: 2.5
A basic understanding of storage systems and networking concepts.
The successful development of medical devices requires that the design be controlled to ensure product safety and that the device can fulfill its intended use. This course provides a practical understanding of the engineering value of design control throughout the product lifecycle as it pertains to product quality. You'll learn to use the nine elements of design control to make design objectives clearer, products more testable, and to better satisfy customer requirements, thereby shortening the path to product and business success. The course highlights the practical implementation of the design history file, reviews and records, transfer planning, requirements engineering and project planning. You will also learn topics related to design verification and validation testing, such as process validation, biocompatibility, shelf-life, sterilization and packaging validation.
Quarter units: 2.0
MEDD.X407: Quality Management Systems for Medical Devices: ISO 13485 and FDA QMSR
Understanding and applying human factors is essential to ensuring product usability and user satisfaction. More importantly, consideration of human factors during the design and development of medical devices helps to ensure patient safety by minimizing the risks introduced by user error. This course begins with the fundamental principles of human factors and builds on that foundation each week to cover core concepts and demonstrate how human factors fit into the larger context of medical device software and hardware development. Lessons address the integration of human factors and usability into the product development lifecycle, regulatory considerations, including applicable FDA guidance and standards (ANSI/IEC), and human factors methods.The course is beneficial for professionals who already have a basic understanding of risk management and quality systems, as well as a broad range of technical professionals, including those with no prior medical device experience.
Quarter units: 2.0
Formerly "Mobile Health, SaMD, and AI/ML Devices."
Wearable technology and AI-powered digital health products are reshaping healthcare in real time—from performance wearables navigating the line between wellness and medical claims, to smart glasses highlighting new questions about safety, data use and privacy. This instructor-led course equips you to understand how innovation actually makes it to market—safely, compliantly, and at scale.
You will gain a practical, hands-on understanding of the regulations, standards, and guidance governing the rapidly evolving digital health ecosystem, with a focus on mobile health, wearables, Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), and AI/ML-enabled technologies. Through real-world case studies, interactive lectures, and applied assignments, you will learn to develop regulatory strategies, classify products, manage post-market changes, and address privacy and data governance.
This course explores how digital health solutions span the full spectrum—from general wellness and consumer devices to clinical decision support, chronic disease management, and digital therapeutics. It also provides an in-depth review of current FDA policies and guidance, including general wellness, mobile medical applications, SaMD, and AI/ML-based medical devices-arming you with the tools to confidently assess emerging technologies and make informed regulatory decisions in a fast-moving industry.
Quarter units: 1.5
MEDD.X407: Quality Management Systems for Medical Devices: ISO 13485 and FDA QMSR
REGL.X410: Foundations in Medical Devices: Developing Regulatory Strategies
Once medical devices are on the market, manufacturers are required to follow specific requirements and regulations. This includes investigating complaints, submitting to the FDA's eMDR system for reporting device malfunctions, injuries or deaths; handling recalls, managing post-market surveillance studies requirements under section 522 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, as well as post-approval studies required at the time of approval of a premarket approval (PMA); and handling advertising and promotional labeling. This course offers the opportunity to apply these post-market regulatory requirements in activities using case studies.
Quarter units: 1.5
REGL.X410: Foundations in Medical Devices: Developing Regulatory Strategies
Formerly "Quality Management Systems for Medical Devices: ISO 13485 and FDA Requirements"
Stay current in the evolving medical device regulatory landscape with this hands-on, interactive course. Designed for both new graduates and experienced professionals, the course focuses on the FDA's Quality Management System Regulation (QMSR) amendment (21 CFR 820) and its alignment with ISO 13485:2016, emphasizing a risk-based, process-driven approach to compliance.
Through lectures, interactive discussions, and case studies, participants learn to apply quality system principles to real-world scenarios, including inspection readiness, noncompliance challenges, and effective CAPA management. The course highlights how the updated QMSR aligns with ISO 13485:2016, enabling participants to leverage quality systems as strategic business tools-not just compliance obligations.
Key topics include risk-based quality system processes, regulatory intelligence, the Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP), and practical approaches to achieving and sustainable compliance. By the end of the course, participants will have the knowledge and practical skills to navigate the updated QMSR framework and ISO 13485:2016 requirements effectively, applying them directly in their regulatory, quality, or operational roles..
Quarter units: 2.5
This course offers a comprehensive overview of the current European and U.S. Regulatory and Quality Affairs for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products. You will gain a perspective on the critical elements of the regulatory requirements for obtaining IVD marketing approval. This course will take an extensive look into specific in vitro diagnostics topics and learn about the new and emerging regulatory requirements surrounding them. Learn about the impending transition for IVDs from the current European Directives (IVDD) to new substantially different European Regulations (IVDR), which will bring a majority of currently self-declared IVDs to require Notified Body involvement.Skills needed: "Quality Systems for Medical Devices: FDA QSR and ISO 13485" or working knowledge/experience in Quality Systems is needed.
Quarter units: 2.5
MEDD.X407: Quality Management Systems for Medical Devices: ISO 13485 and FDA Requirements
This course discusses how risk management is applied in the medical device, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and in vitro diagnostic (IVD) industries. Lectures and workshops delve into risk management concepts and tools, including hazard identification, hazard analysis, fault tree analysis, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), mitigation application, regulatory requirements, the creation of risk management plans, reports and files, how to conduct Risk Management Reviews, and what might be audited in your Risk Management System. By the end of the course, you'll be able to conduct risk management for a variety of products, processes and services within the biomedical industries and beyond.
Quarter units: 3.0
Formerly “Validating Software for Medical Devices and Emerging Technologies.”
With the increasing number of medical devices running on software, there is an enormous demand for quality assurance and regulatory affairs professionals who can address the validation, documentation, compliance and submission requirements unique to software-controlled devices. This how-to course covers the requirements for validation for all types of software, including Class II and III embedded medical device software, digital health apps, software as a medical device, medical device data systems, manufacturing software, automated test software, process software, quality system software, and spreadsheets. Students engage in interactive classroom discussions and an in-depth survey of the regulations, guidance documents and standards specific to medical device software and validation.You will work on a project designed to help you determine software level of concern, define a software validation strategy, write a software validation plan, create software validation test procedures and test cases, and write a software validation report. Overall, you will learn how to create these types of documents and activities while also learning the regulatory requirements and expectations for software used in the medical device industry.
Quarter units: 2.0
MEDD.X400: Design Control for Medical Devices
REGL.X410: Foundations in Medical Devices: Developing Regulatory Strategies
Validation is a critical aspect of medical device development and manufacturing and insufficient or noncompliant validation is a common reason for warning letters. Through lectures, assignments, in-class games, you will learn about industry best practices in a hands-on manner on how to set up and maintain a validated process. Utilizing an example surgical device, you will gain a thorough understanding of when to validate a process, how to develop and conduct IQ/OQ/PQ, qualify methods through Gage R&R, and extend concepts to sterilization and packaging validation. You will also be provided templates for validation plans, validation protocols and reports that are compliant with US FDA regulations as well as harmonized regulatory requirements from the IMDRF (International Medical Device Regulators Forum).
Quarter units: 2.0
The FDA quality management system requirements and ISO 13485:2016
Formerly REGL.X407 - "Value-Added Quality Audits"
In today's dynamic business environment, effective quality audits are essential for achieving sustainable compliance while contributing to corporate objectives. This hands-on course introduces participants to the skills and knowledge required to conduct effective internal audits, while building a strong foundation in core auditing principles and techniques - including planning, executing, analyzing, and communicating audit results in terms that are meaningful to key stakeholders and top management.
Participants will also gain insights into the psychology of auditing, practice questioning techniques to uncover root causes, and learn how to present audit findings in a manner that drives corrective action and fosters management engagement. By the end of the course, participants will be prepared to elevate their organization's quality audit program to a more strategic and impactful level.
Quarter units: 1.5
MEDD.X407: Quality Management Systems for Medical Devices: ISO 13485 and FDA QMSR
Formerly "Principles of Marketing."
Marketing drives business growth by connecting companies with customers, markets, and opportunities. This course introduces students to the core principles of marketing that create customer value while providing practical skills to develop, implement, and assess marketing strategies in today's digital and AI-driven landscape. Students learn to apply marketing theory to practice through real-world examples, exercises, and projects, gaining insight into how digital marketing, social media, and AI-enabled technologies influence customer engagement and growth.
Quarter units: 2.0
Formerly "Power of Market Research."
Market research provides the foundation for informed business decisions. This course introduces the methods and applications of market research with a focus on supporting strategic decisions in product planning, pricing, communications, distribution, and customer engagement. Students learn how to design research studies, collect and interpret data, and apply findings to guide marketing strategy. Through applied assignments, real-life examples, or discussions, students practice secondary and primary research techniques, survey design, and competitive analysis. The course also examines how modern analytics and AI-enabled technologies are influencing market research practice.
Quarter units: 2.0
Formerly "Public and Analyst Relations."
In today's rapidly evolving media landscape, building credibility and trust requires both traditional communication skills and the ability to use AI-powered technologies. This course explores how public relations, media outreach, and campaign communications are adapting to the integration of AI. Students will learn how PR and media professionals use AI to create targeted media lists, draft press releases, personalize pitches, analyze media coverage, and monitor brand reputation. The course also covers AI's role in campaign planning, message development, and reporting, along with its increasing importance in crisis communication and fighting misinformation.
Quarter units: 2.0
Please note: This course was previously offered under the title "Implementing Marketing and Sales Strategies."
This course offers an applied perspective on marketing and sales strategies by exploring how organizations develop customer strategies and gain a competitive edge. Students learn how to coordinate marketing and sales functions, manage customer relationships, and implement both marketing and sales tactics to increase revenue. Through real-world cases and practical exercises, students learn how companies manage risk, uncertainty, and competitive pressures while creating cohesive strategies that combine marketing planning with sales execution.
Quarter units: 2.0
There are no prior course requirements. However, it would be helpful if students have some marketing-related experience, or have taken a course such as MKTG.X400 - "Customer-Driven Marketing: Principles and Practice" (formerly titled "Principles of Marketing)."
Formerly "Customer Acquisition Strategies."
Succeeding in today's marketplace requires a customer acquisition plan that targets the right audiences, provides value at each stage of the journey, and promotes sustainable growth. This course gives students practical strategies and tactics to develop and implement acquisition programs in both B2C and B2B markets. Students learn to map customer funnels, develop personas, and design multi-stage campaigns that combine demand generation, account-based marketing, sales enablement, and marketing technology. The course emphasizes how to measure acquisition success at every step using clear metrics and highlights how digital platforms and AI-enabled technologies can influence customer acquisition planning and execution.
Quarter units: 2.0
Formerly "Product Marketing and Management."
Successful product marketing requires balancing customer needs, competitive dynamics, and organizational goals throughout the product lifecycle. This course offers an applied introduction to product management and product marketing, guiding students from concept to launch and beyond. Students learn to identify customer problems, analyze markets, and develop product strategies that include positioning, pricing, forecasting, and go-to-market planning. The course covers creating product requirements, collaborating with engineering and cross-functional teams, and supporting sales, channels, and merchandising. Emphasis is placed on practical skills for planning roadmaps, launching products, managing lifecycle transitions such as end-of-life planning, and understanding the leadership and business skills necessary for product professionals.
Quarter units: 2.0
MKTG.X400: Customer-Driven Marketing: Principles and Practice
Familiarity with basic concepts in business, marketing, would be relevant. Besides that, there are no prerequisite skills needed for this course.
Formerly "CRM: Customer Relationship Management."
Creating seamless customer experiences requires more than software. It requires a strategy for implementing customer relationship management (CRM) effectively across sales, marketing, and service. This course introduces the principles and practices of CRM, from its roots to its current role as the foundation for designing customer experiences.
The course also acknowledges how digital platforms, customer data systems, and AI-enabled technologies could influence CRM implementation and customer experience design.
Quarter units: 2.0
Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) emphasizes delivering a consistent message across advertising, public relations, digital channels, and promotional efforts. This course introduces students to IMC principles and prepares them to create campaigns that align brand strategy with customer engagement. Students explore how analytics, measurement, and AI-enabled technologies, such as platforms for targeting or creative development, support campaign evaluation and communication planning.
Quarter units: 3.0
It is generally expected that you have had some marketing experience or have taken the MKTG.X400 "Customer-Driven Marketing: Principles and Practice" (formerly titled “Principles of Marketing”) course.
Formerly "Search Engine Marketing."
Unlock your website's potential with Search and AI Engine Optimization (AEO), where modular content aligns with the questions users are asking. This practical course provides students with hands-on skills to excel in search and digital marketing in today's AI-driven environment. Participants gain expertise in optimizing websites and content for AI-powered search engines, voice assistants, and intelligent platforms. The course explores SEO and AEO fundamentals, SEM and paid campaign techniques, social media, and analytics. Students also design integrated strategies that connect web, search, social, email, or paid media for sustained growth.
Quarter units: 2.0
Formerly "Web and Mobile Analytics."
The rise of online and mobile businesses has made analytics crucial for understanding and boosting customer reach, engagement, and growth. This practical course introduces students to web, mobile, and AI-powered analytics, giving them the skills to define customer metrics, analyze data, and enhance campaign performance. Students work with platforms like Google Analytics, Tableau, or mobile analytics tools, while also exploring how generative AI assistants or conversational AI applications can improve profiling, site analysis, and conversion optimization. Through labs and projects, students learn to create reports and deliver actionable recommendations that connect data to marketing strategy.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to
Quarter units: 2.0
MKTG.X400: Customer-Driven Marketing: Principles and Practice
Formerly "Consumer Insights: Data Analysis and Interpretation."
Understanding customers and market potential is key to creating successful products. This practical course introduces techniques for gathering and analyzing customer insights, then demonstrates how to turn those insights into product, pricing, and positioning strategies.
Students examine qualitative and quantitative research methods, including surveys, conjoint analysis, and customer metrics, and practice applying them through labs and hands-on exercises. The course highlights how to estimate market size, assess product opportunities, and communicate findings with actionable recommendations. Students also explore how modern analytics and generative AI can impact customer research and market modeling.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to design and analyze customer studies, forecast target markets, and develop data-driven strategies without needing programming skills.
Quarter units: 2.0
Formerly "Applied Digital Media Planning and Platforms."
Successful digital marketing requires both strategic planning and hands-on execution across multiple platforms. This course teaches students how to design, run, and measure integrated campaigns that connect with audiences and drive results. Students gain experience with key digital channels, including search (SEO/SEM), social media marketing, display advertising, mobile, video, and email (CRM). Through hands-on exercises, quizzes, and case studies, students learn to analyze audiences, create media plans, develop creative strategies, and assess campaign performance using analytics and reporting tools.
The course emphasizes how to integrate multiple channels into a cohesive strategy, optimizing performance, and utilizing data-driven insights for growth.
Quarter units: 2.0
MKTG.X400: Customer-Driven Marketing: Principles and Practice
MKTG.X400 - Customer-Driven Marketing: Principles and Practice
Formerly "Generative AI for Marketers."
This hands-on course teaches marketers how to practically apply AI to enhance content, campaigns, and customer experience. Students examine frameworks, workflows, and real-world AI applications in marketing, focusing on automating content creation, publishing, customer interactions, and analytics. No programming experience is needed. By the end of the course, participants will be able to design AI-driven workflows, assess marketing uses of AI, and implement generative AI techniques to improve productivity and decision-making in marketing.
Quarter units: 2.0
Formerly "Marketing in Practice."
This capstone course brings together the knowledge and skills gained across the Marketing program and applies them to real-world challenges. Students practice marketing decision-making across the career spectrum, from entry-level execution to executive strategy. Students work with case studies, projects, or simulations to evaluate companies, analyze the marketing environment, and design customer-driven strategies. The course highlights how digital marketing, analytics, and AI-enabled tools support better decisions and measurable results.
It is important that you have already successfully completed the 3 Required courses (7 units) and 3 Elective courses (6 units) prior to enrolling in this final Capstone course. If you have any questions or have not met the prerequisite requirement, contact the department for approval by emailingextension@ucsc.edubefore enrolling in this course.
AI*- This course follows a Human-Centered AI (HCAI) approach, where students complete both AI-supported and AI-free work to build independent judgment, evaluate AI critically, and use it responsibly to support more advanced decision-making across marketing roles.
Quarter units: 2.0
MKTG.X400: Customer-Driven Marketing: Principles and Practice
MKTG.X403: Integrated Marketing and Sales Strategies
MKTG.X408: Integrated Marketing Communication
In this weekly workshop, students strengthen the personal qualities they need to become a successful medical student and superior physician. They clarify your own learning style and gain practical skills to keep on track with time management, organization and self-care practices. Students also prepare for high-pressure settings, exam accommodations, and business management. Through research and discussions about bias, diversity, equity, and inclusion each student is better-prepared to make more informed health care decisions. Students will also build their cultural competency and interpersonal communication skills, learn about self- and patient advocacy and how to finance a medical education.
3.0 CEUs
Live Online or On Demand Options
Engage with MCAT experts from anywhere! learn proven test taking strategies to help get a higher MCAT score" when you put in the work with our expert teachers -picked for their extensive knowledge and high ratings from students -in our flexible, online MCAT prep courses that fit your life.
The UC Santa Cruz Premed Postbacc Program is proud to partner with Kaplan to offer our students access to flexible, comprehensive prep with both Live Online and On Demand course options designed to fit individual study needs at a reduced rate.
This opportunity is available to any UC Santa Cruz Premed Postbacc DIY student. Students can choose between Kaplan’s On Demand or Live Online MCAT prep options at this UC Santa Cruz student rate and specify their preference when they enroll using the yellow button above.
Please note that tuition is non-refundable. Once you click 'Enroll,' you’ll be able to explore a variety of scheduling options to find what works best for you.
3 one-on-one academic advising sessions by appointment for Postbacc DIY students.
A pre-health advisor will assess your academic readiness for your journey into the medical field including veterinary medicine. Your advisor will evaluate your interest in specialties, required training, timelines, career trajectories, and expected outcomes. Advisors also help set realistic expectations concerning work-life balance, salary prospects, and career advancement.
These live-online, one-on-one conversations, 60 minutes each, are tailored to your unique needs. We can help you with:
The primary objective of these action-oriented sessions is to help you map out your personal journey, ensuring that you are well-prepared, effective, and capable of achieving your goals.
Specific appointment times will be made available upon enrollment.
Students are invited to repeat this series as needed.
This year-long, cohort-based course supports postbaccalaureate premedical students through a structured sequence of seminars and hands-on workshops that strengthen readiness for medical school and healthcare careers. The course meets four times per quarter and alternates focus across the academic year, integrating mentorship, career exploration, and applied skill development. In the winter and summer quarters, the course is offered as a workshop series focused on experiential learning, including medical school application preparation (personal statements, interviews, MCAT strategy, school selection), networking, and foundational clinical skills such as Stop the Bleed and suturing. In the fall and spring quarters, the course transitions to a seminar series featuring physicians, medical students, and residents who share their pathways into medicine, providing insight into diverse careers, medical training, and professional success while fostering mentorship and networking.
1.5 CEUs
In this course for technical and non-technical professionals, students learn to establish high-performance teams by exploring the fundamental principles and characteristics that make them effective. By examining what makes individuals standout, you will better understand how to develop and leverage their contributions to a successful project team. The course focuses on key team development skills-trust building, goal setting, role agreement, and how to sustain commitment for the duration of a successful collaborative project.
The course also covers how to design and manage virtual teams. Through participating in a virtual team, you will learn to identify and respond to typical challenges, including group meetings and team decision-making. Concepts learned in the course are applicable to building highly effective strategic and tactical teams at all levels of an organization.
Quarter units: 1.5
Project risk management is the application of tools, techniques, and practices to both increase the likelihood of positive project outcomes and reduce the likelihood of negative ones. It requires constant vigilance from the earliest stages of a project through planning and execution and even beyond its completion.
Students in this course will learn risk management practices as they apply to traditional (waterfall) projects and Agile projects, and ultimately to the realization of a project's intended benefits.
The course reviews basic risk management concepts for waterfall projects and introduces techniques for quantitative risk analysis, incorporating analysis insights into project plans, developing effective risk response plans, and creating project reserves. It also examines Agile practices such as backlog management, sprint planning, and quality management to reduce project risk.
Additionally, the course includes two key risk management topics - root cause analysis and organizational risk management. Root cause analysis helps teams identify potential risks during planning and how to manage them after they occur. Organizational change management assures a higher rate of adoption of project deliverables and realization of benefits to project stakeholders.
Coursework includes in-class team assignments, take-home assignments, and a final project, providing students with practical experience in applying risk management principles.
Quarter units: 1.5
PPMT.X425: Project Management Fundamentals
PPMT.X426: Agile Project Management Fundamentals
Basic level training or experience in waterfall project management and agile.
This course introduces the principles and practices associated with Agile project management using the popular Scrum framework. We will discuss the project management processes of the full project lifecycle in the context of Scrum. Theory and real life examples will be used to demonstrate the benefits of the Scrum framework in maximizing customer value delivery and promoting open collaboration and flexibility in adapting to changing market requirements. Concepts and techniques will be reinforced as students simulate a Scrum team and execute a real-world project.
Quarter units: 1.5
PPMT.X426: Agile Project Management Fundamentals
Increasing acquisitions, mergers, innovation, the pressure of change, and the shorter life cycle of competing products demand viable businesses to have global footprints. Multinational organizations rely on international projects for growth, as globalization affects nearly every industry. However, most projects, particularly international ones, are expected to fail to meet their stated or planned end goals due to challenges in adapting to cultural, technical, or collaborative processes. Surveys of various institutions indicate that only 40% of international projects meet their planned milestones.
In this course, we provide project managers with tools and practices to help them succeed in developing and managing international projects in the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) era. You will learn critical success factors in managing global projects including the use of objective metrics, applicable methods and the latest GAI's enhancements. This course, at a high level, covers techniques for developing and managing projects in the international business arena and finding winning partners in emerging markets.
This course assesses students on practical problem-solving, applying the latest tools and techniques using Generative Artificial intelligence, and using exercise-based projects. This course is ideal if you're looking to expand your company's market reach or establish your start-up in emerging markets.
Quarter units: 1.5
PPMT.X425: Project Management Fundamentals
This course is designed to equip students with the "soft skills" needed for managing projects, including leadership, communications, team organization and development, conflict management, quality management, and negotiating. Using case studies and exercises, students explore vital aspects of project leadership such as the use of participative management to build commitment, leadership styles, organizational cultures and configurations, interpersonal skill development, project staffing, and working with distance-separated teams. Students also learn to establish clear project goals, overcome communication problems, write performance reports, and manage agreement.
Quarter units: 3.0
PPMT.X425: Project Management Fundamentals
This is the final course in the certificate program and enables students to apply what they've learned from previously completed project-management courses, by developing a simulated but realistic team project. Students will be given project-management tools to facilitate the development of their project. Emphasis will be placed on practical application of project-management principles, processes, and techniques, including project control, cost management, project tracking, and project outsourcing.
Students will also learn how to control project schedules, budgets, and scope, using methods that minimize or completely eliminate "scope creep." Techniques such as fast-tracking, critical-path crashing, stochastic estimating, and exploiting activity lead-lag times will enable students to develop fast, accurate project schedules. In-class exercises and case studies lead students to skills they can take back to work and immediately apply to their own projects.
Quarter units: 3.0
PPMT.X406: Project Risk Management
PPMT.X415: Project Leadership and Communication
PPMT.X425: Project Management Fundamentals
PPMT.X426: Agile Project Management Fundamentals
Project managers are, above everything else, decision makers and problem solvers. A project manager's effectiveness is directly proportional to his or her decision-making ability. This course is for those professionals who want to improve their decision-making skills through the use of modern-day computer tools and techniques. Participants learn how to make effective decisions relating to project schedules, product design trade-offs, project cost estimating, problem solving and project risk analyses. Examples, in-class exercises and homework using spreadsheet techniques and Internet tools enable participants to become confident in the use and application of practical decision-making methods.
Quarter units: 1.5
PPMT.X425: Project Management Fundamentals
PPMT.X425 - Project Management Fundamentals
Few companies can survive long without releasing to market quality products and services, cost-effectively and ahead of competition. Increasingly high-value work calls for lean-agile teams, often using the SAFe(C) framework. This Agile class empowers students to understand lean-agile principles and practices, and readily and effectively collaborate with or integrate in SAFe(C) teams. Since 2016, enterprises have adopted SAFe(C) as the No. 1 approach for scaling agile, more than Scrum of Scrums and any other approach.
Quarter units: 1.5
PPMT.X425: Project Management Fundamentals
Experience working in a team or project, in any role.
Quality management (QM)—planning, assurance, and control—is a critical skill in today’s fast-paced business environment. In Quality Management for Enterprises, Products, and Programs, you will learn the widely adopted methodologies, such as Lean, Six-Sigma, and Continuous Improvement, which build successful outcomes. These are the techniques that produce organizational, product, and service excellence in corporations around the world.
You’ll have the opportunity to work with typical framework, analytical techniques, and underlying principles and receive guidance with quality standards setting, root-cause analysis, and tactical decision making.
Quarter units: 2.0
PPMT.X425: Project Management Fundamentals
The landscape for project management is changing, requiring an iterative, value-based, model to remain competitive in a dynamic, changing market. To align with organizational goals and customer value, project managers need to create a set of actionable outcomes to execute projects based on values and principles.
In this course, you will assess values and principles, including Waterfall, hybrid, and agile models and frameworks. You will learn how to make value-added decisions for the benefit of project stakeholders that are in alignment with the goals of an organization.
Quarter units: 1.5
PPMT.X425: Project Management Fundamentals
Formerly PPMT.X400 - Role of the Project Manager.
Delivering on time and on budget is not enough. Projects must generate value for stakeholders. This foundational course goes beyond the nuts and bolts of project management, exploring the strategic value that projects deliver to customers and sponsoring organizations. In this course, students focus on traditional waterfall project management as defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI) while learning how it differs from Agile project management methodology.
Quarter units: 3.0
Agile, typically associated with software development and product development, is quickly becoming the preferred project management paradigm. It enables organizations to deliver value to organizations and customers quickly, to recalibrate scope and priorities frequently, and to reduce project overhead. Agile teams constantly work to improve team performance. With roots in Japanese quality management practices, Agile has also become a model for process, product, and IT management.
In this overview course, students dive into the history, principles and practices of this highly collaborative project management system.
Quarter units: 1.5
Project managers are largely judged by their ability to deliver planned scope on time and within the budget which is why this intermediate course dives into the complex interplay of the three components of the triple constraints-scope, schedule, and cost.
Often referred to as the Iron Triangle of Project Management, these components of each deliverable and project task contain elements of each of the triple constraints: What is being made? How much will it cost? How long will it take? Changes to any one of these factors will impact the other two. So, successful project management demands constant monitoring of each constraint and its mutual dependencies.
This course focuses deeply on how to manage the triple constraints, their interplay, and their impact on risk, quality, and procurement management throughout the project life cycle.
Quarter units: 3.0
PPMT.X425: Project Management Fundamentals
Some familiarity with execution of a project (not necessarily technical).
Turn your big ideas into real-world solutions in this hands-on, project-based course. Guided by mentors and industry experts, students will explore the essentials of launching a start-up using the Lean Start-Up Methodology-an agile, proven approach to innovation and business development.
In this course, students will:
By the end of the program, students will have the mindset and toolkit to transform creative ideas into sustainable business ventures, powered by design thinking and regenerative innovation.
Through class discussions, presentations, and group projects, students will learn to
Unlock your entrepreneurial potential this summer with UCSC’s Entrepreneurship For Researchers—a dynamic, two-week online experience designed for motivated high school students ready to think big, move fast, and make an impact. Led by UCSC faculty and supported by experienced mentors, this program introduces students to the core principles of innovation and venture creation using the Lean Startup Methodology and Design Thinking.
Through hands-on, project-based learning, students will ideate, prototype, and refine a business concept that addresses a real-world problem, gaining firsthand experience in what it takes to launch a startup. With guidance from guest speakers and startup leaders, the program culminates in a final pitch presentation, equipping students with essential skills and a strong foundation for college and beyond.
Discover the power of artificial intelligence through AI/ML: How Machines Learn -an introductory, three-week online course designed for high school students eager to explore machine learning, data science, and real-world problem solving. Led by UCSC instructors and supported by graduate mentors, this program introduces students to core AI concepts through hands-on coding, research-based projects, and technical instruction.
Students will build predictive models using Python and scientific libraries like NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn, while learning techniques such as clustering, classification, and dimensionality reduction. With guidance from mentors and exposure to generative AI tools, the course culminates in a final research project, equipping students with in-demand skills and a strong foundation for college and careers in technology.
Discover the power of artificial intelligence through AI for Researchers—an introductory, two-week online course designed for high school students eager to explore machine learning, data science, and real-world problem solving. Led by UCSC instructors and supported by graduate mentors, this program introduces students to core AI concepts through hands-on coding, research-based projects, and technical instruction.
Students will build predictive models using Python and scientific libraries like NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn, while learning techniques such as clustering, classification, and dimensionality reduction. With guidance from mentors and exposure to generative AI tools, the course culminates in a final research project, equipping students with in-demand skills and a strong foundation for college and careers in technology.
Python Experience: Recommended, but self-paced learning materials are provided.
This course provides an interactive environment with lectures, in-class exercises, discussions, and hands-on projects focused on the fundamentals of video game development. It emphasizes problem-solving, teamwork, brainstorming, and storytelling. To build a practical understanding of game development, students will create small games throughout the course. Working in teams, students will participate in all aspects of building a serious game. They will learn how to generate ideas, develop a narrative, and transform their story into a playable experience. Additionally, students will create small-scale games related to different topics to explore how video games can help us understand and address challenges such as mental health.
Step into the world of real scientific discovery through the study of bacteriophages-viruses that infect bacteria. In this hands-on, project-based course, you'll learn how to design and carry out hypothesis-driven research while exploring the structure and genome of your own unique phage.
Working in a lab, you'll isolate and characterize bacteriophages that infect Mycobacterium, a harmless soil bacterium related to the one that causes tuberculosis. Along the way, you'll practice essential lab skills such as sterile technique, solution preparation, DNA manipulation, and bioinformatic genome analysis.
"Phage hunting" combines art, science, and adventure-you'll collect samples from the environment, investigate how phages interact with their bacterial hosts, and uncover the secrets hidden in their genetic code. By the end of the course, your discoveries will contribute to a growing scientific database that helps researchers better understand phage diversity, bacterial genetics, and even tuberculosis biology.
Through class discussions, presentations, and group projects, students will learn to
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the design, development, and responsible use of modern artificial intelligence models, with a particular focus on large language models (LLMs). Students will learn the core concepts and technologies underlying these systems, including their layered architectures, in-context learning, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and fine-tuning. Through hands-on activities, students will build a simple language model, experiment with creating functional AI tools, and critically analyze them for ethical, alignment, and explainability challenges.
Key topics include AI alignment, interpretability, and explainability, with emphasis on methods that make AI decision-making transparent and its logic accessible to users. The course also explores human oversight techniques, incorporating mechanisms such as reinforcement learning (RL) and reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF).
A foundational understanding of computer programming concepts, including variables, loops, and functions.
This immersive, ten-day course introduces students to the interconnected world of modern medicine - from the first response in an emergency to the public health systems that safeguard entire populations. Through lectures, guest speakers, and hands-on simulations, students will experience the full spectrum of healthcare roles and gain insight into how care is coordinated across disciplines. By the end of the course, participants will understand not only how health professionals treat individuals but also how their collective efforts sustain community health.
Familiarity with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) regulations is necessary for employees engaged in the manufacture, regulation, quality assurance, and control of drugs and biologics. Through lectures, discussions, and case studies, you’ll gain an understanding of the FDA GMP and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations. While primarily aimed at the manufacturing, quality control, and quality assurance worker, the course is also useful for regulatory affairs and clinical research professionals, as well as anyone who wants to understand which regulatory controls apply to the manufacture of drugs and biopharmaceuticals for human use.
Quarter units: 3.0
The global nature of the medical device industry presents both opportunities and challenges for medical device companies and regulatory affairs professionals who must navigate a diverse regulatory terrain. Through interactive lectures and facilitated group projects, students gain a practical understanding of international medical device requirements and regulations for major and emerging markets around the world, with emphasis on the US, EU, Canada, Japan, and China. A comparative approach highlights regulatory and process similarities and differences between countries and underscores the impact they have on global regulatory and business strategies. This course will benefit regulatory affairs professionals who need to help their organizations understand the barriers to entry into the global medical device market.
Quarter units: 1.5
Formerly "Communicating and Negotiating with the FDA."
This course prepares regulatory affairs professionals to engage effectively with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) throughout the medical device lifecycle, with a strategic focus on Q-submission planning and modernized workflows using AI-enabled regulatory tools.
Students will explore the structure, mission, and jurisdiction of the FDA, including its centers and field offices, while analyzing the societal, political, and industrial forces that shape regulatory priorities. Through lectures, case studies, and roleplaying, participants will gain practical experience in preparing for FDA inspections, formal meetings, and informal communications.
A central component of the course is the Q-submission process, taught as a proactive tool for regulatory alignment, risk mitigation, and strategic negotiation. Students will learn how to craft effective Q-submissions and leverage AI-based platforms to support regulatory intelligence, submission planning, and decision-making.
This course is designed for both emerging and experienced regulatory professionals, as well as cross-functional team members who interface with the FDA.
Quarter units: 1.5
Formerly "Regulatory Submissions: Devices and Diagnostics."
This course is designed to provide individuals with pragmatic knowledge of how to craft medical device submissions for approval by the FDA using traditional and new AI tools. Students should already have a foundation in medical device terminology and regulations prior to taking this course. Through lectures, case studies, and hands-on exercises, new and experienced regulatory professionals learn how to work with the regulations, guidance documents, and AI tools to write portions of key medical device submissions that both comply with the requirements and are clear to the reviewers. Students explore the content and process of medical device submissions, as well as gain insight into timelines, important strategic considerations and business impacts.
Quarter units: 2.5
REGL.X410: Foundations in Medical Devices: Developing Regulatory Strategies
In today's dynamic business environment, every aspect of an organization needs to perform value-added activities that have a positive impact on the bottom line. Regulatory and quality units in more and more biomedical industry corporations are relying on quality audits as a means to improve operations. By auditing domestic and international quality system regulations (GXP, QSR and ISO), these organizations are assessing and improving the effectiveness of their internal systems and those of their suppliers and corporate partners.This hands-on course introduces participants to fundamental auditing principles and techniques including planning, conducting, analyzing, and communicating audit results in terms that are meaningful to senior managers. By understanding the psychology of audits and practicing questioning techniques, participants will take their organization's quality audit program to another level.
Quarter units: 1.5
Formerly " European Medical Device Regulation: Clinical Evaluation and Post-Market Surveillance."
Regulations for medical devices in the European Union are going through the most comprehensive revision since they were created in the 1990s. These revisions are driven in part by technological advancement. They are also aimed at ensuring safety and effectiveness of medical devices in response to several high-profile product scandals in recent years. Key changes have resulted in clinical evidence requirements, pre-market review of the technical file by notified body, post-market surveillance and vigilance, transparency and traceability through Unique device identification (UDI) and strengthening of the oversight of the medical devices by the notified body.As the EU transitions to this new standard of regulations, medical device companies need to prepare to be in alignment with new standards. Not only do new device designs need to be in compliance with new standards, but all existing products and technologies must be recertified.Students inEuropean Medical Device Regulationwill learn the details of the new regulations, and how to serve their organizations' needs for highly qualified regulatory affairs, clinical affairs, and quality assurance professionals.
Quarter units: 3.0
Formerly " Foundations in Medical Devices: Developing Premarket U.S. Regulatory Strategies and Working in a Regulated Environment."
New to the industry? Or maybe you need a basic understanding of the U.S. FD&C Act and U.S. FDA regulations? Maybe you have a medical device that you'd like to commercialize in the U.S.? Maybe you just want some practical regulatory advice for working in the industry or how to do remote work? This online synchronous-lecture course will give you the medical device industry basics all from the comfort of your home. The course will answer your questions such as: how to work in a regulated environment, what are the roles available to you, and what are the differences between regulatory affairs, quality assurance, quality control, compliance, and quality engineering. This course will also help you create or be a part of producing a regulatory strategy for your medical device, IVD, stand-alone software, or combination product. Live discussions, class group games, etc. will be used to help you in navigating through the US FDA regulations including California's FDB requirements. You'll learn about the various US FDA device classifications, including the various regulatory pathways 510(k), De Novo, PMA, and HDE. You'll also learn about the different programs such as Q-submissions, Investigational Device Exemptions (IDE), Breakthrough Designation, Pilot Programs, and more. Including the medical device program enacted by FDA during emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic: Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
Quarter units: 2.0
Object-oriented design involves transforming the descriptive analysis models into computational models for coding. During an object-oriented requirements analysis, a descriptive model of the problem domain is developed into system specifications. This course which integrates GenAI topics and their applications to Object-Oriented design is intended for software engineers and managers who will be involved in the design of an object-oriented system. The course focuses on case studies and carries them through the design phase. Instruction uses the notation specified by the Unified Modeling Language (UML) developed by Booch, Jacobson and Rumbaugh.
Students will learn Agile and Iterative Development methodologies, such as Unified Process and SCRUM, alongside use case and requirements driven design, among other important topics. The course covers the principles of object-oriented design as well as practical applications. Students will have the opportunity to utilize GenAI to analyze requirements and examine generated code for completeness and accuracy.
The course includes a comprehensive final project for students to practice requirements gathering and documenting design using different UML diagrams. Upon successful completion of this course, students should have an understanding of the principles of object-oriented design and system modeling and experience in applying these principles to real-world projects.
Quarter units: 3.0
Programming experience required in an object oriented language. e.g. Java, C++, C#, Python, etc.
The requirements for high-quality, reliable, predictable software becomes increasingly necessary as its use continues to grow—both generally and in mission- or life-critical environments, as well as in the latest AI technology. As the software industry evolves, the need for qualified engineers trained in the principles, methodologies, techniques and tools of software quality assurance, software ethics, and data model accuracy for AI has also grown. This course presents the specifics of software quality assurance and software testing. The course also describes how these processes fit into the software development process, how ethics apply to software engineering and how software models are developed for AI.
Quarter units: 2.0
This course provides an overview of agile software development with an emphasis on popular software development practices like test-driven development (TDD) and behavior-driven development (BDD). It covers best practices, techniques and tools used in TDD and BDD, providing an overview of testing methodologies, including black box and white box testing in the evolving Agile/Scrum model. You will learn how to use Git for version controlling and GitHub for source code management. The course introduces xUnit framework based test automation using Python pyUnit and nose as well as Selenium WebDriver based functional test automation. Test coverage concepts, strategies and tools such as coverage are also addressed. By the end of the course, you will gain hands-on exposure to cutting-edge tools heavily used in the software industry. You are encouraged to bring laptops to class.
Quarter units: 3.0
Coding knowledge of any general purpose programming language such as Python, Java, C++, Ruby, or C# is required. Students without prior programming experience in Python are encouraged to go through a quick learning guide such as
before the first lab starts.
With the complexity of distributed architectures, dynamic environments and diverse user bases, testing web applications requires specialized skills. This course offers essential knowledge for testing Web apps and services, focusing on client-side testing for quality assurance across platforms and browsers.
The course begins with an introduction to the basic structure and components of modern Web applications. It covers key architectural patterns (like client-server, microservices, and serverless architecture) and the flow of data within web apps. Using an example of a feature in a large Web application, you will learn to develop a test plan and test cases that can be executed automatically. The course covers three aspects of Web testing: UI, Web services, and load/performance. You will use the Selenium tool to interact with browsers and to automate UI testing. The course also covers setting up test environments, and using open source tools to test Web application performance, along with an introduction to behavior driven testing. The course concludes with continuous integration, continuous development concepts, and security testing.
The course employs open source and free tools to practice the various aspects of Web testing. Students are required to bring laptops to class and install tools on their own computers.
Quarter units: 3.0
CMPR.X412: Java Programming I
CMPR.X415: Python Programming for Beginners
Experience working with Python and HTML. JavaScript and Networking protocols such as TCP/IP required.
New and experienced project managers wanting to improve their management of software projects need to include key planning elements, appropriate techniques, effective communications, and ideas for self-improvement. In this interactive course, new and experienced project managers explore the most common causes of project failure; and are introduced to up-to-date methodologies, principles, and practices for successful software projects.
The course is excellent for those seeking to improve their software project management skills for producing full scope, adequately tested, on time and on budget results. Students are guided to those processes outlined by the Project Management Institute
Quarter units: 1.5
Knowledge of software development fundamentals and the development lifecycle.
Databases, websites, and business applications need to exchange data. This is accomplished by defining standard data formats such as Extensible Markup Language (XML) or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), as well as transfer protocols or Web services such as the Standard Object Access Protocol (SOAP) or the more popular Representational State Transfer (REST). Developers often have to design their own Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to make applications work while integrating specific business logic around operating systems, languages or servers. This course introduces these concepts with a focus on the RESTful API.
The course also introduces the data exchange mechanism and common data formats. For Web exchange, you will learn the HTTP protocol, including how to use SOAP with XML. The course compares SOAP and REST, then covers the concepts of stateless transfer. It introduces software API design and best design practices. The second half of the course focuses on RESTful API design and implementations using Python Django, the most popular web development framework. You will learn how to build and consume RESTful services using JSON and XML, and integrate RESTful API with different data sources through hands-on coding projects. Through four coding assignments, which form the course project, you will apply what you have learned to implement a Single-Page Application (SPA) with both the front-end (provided by the instructor) and the Django-based backend with REST web service.
This course is intended for software developers who use data in projects. It is also useful for data professionals who need to understand the methods of data exchange and how to interact with business applications.
Quarter units: 2.0
CMPR.X415: Python Programming for Beginners
Python programming experience is required for the exercises and the project.
DevOps is a combination of software development and IT operations methodologies and technologies. DevOps introduces many functional and technical changes in how companies design, develop, and deploy technologies, infrastructures, and applications. DevOps combines Agile software development practices and IT automation techniques to achieve rapid rates of high quality deployment.This course will focus on the technologies and tools used by DevOps engineers. Upon completion of this course students will understand the core technologies and tools used within DevOps environments.
Quarter units: 3.0
Students must have basic programming experience using a high level programming language like Java, Python, C#, or a scripting environment like Bash.
As more and more industries use DevOps practices and technologies, the demand for skilled DevOp technologists is skyrocketing. This course builds on the DevOps training in our introductory course, expanding on the methodologies and techniques necessary for students to understand real-world DevOps-based deployments. Through examples and hands-on assignments, students explore core DevOps concepts, container orchestration, cloud-based deployments, automated deployment tools, and system monitoring. Students also work with networking, Bash shell and Python scripting, package installation/management, Linux server configuration, and automated source code control mechanisms.
Quarter units: 3.0
SEQA.X408: DevOps Technologies
Students must understand the topics covered in "DevOp Technologies" or have professional-level experience deploying systems in a data center or cloud and programming experience or a course in Bash scripting or Python.
This professional development course in Coastal Climate Resilience is a collaboration between theCoastal Science and Policy Programand theCenter for Coastal Climate Resilienceat UC Santa Cruz. Students in the Coastal Climate Resilience course will draw on UC Santa Cruz's expertise in coastal climate resilience and policy, including the application of nature-based solutions, local adaptation planning, and innovations. Participants will learn from experts in the academic, public, and private sectors.
Through cohort-based instruction and activities grounded in science, participants will build knowledge and skills relating to adaptation and resilience strategies, nature-based solutions, how to apply for funding, innovative financing, the insurance landscape, equitable engagement of interested parties, and more. This course is designed for those actively working in the field of coastal climate resilience with an aim to have practitioners apply learnings in real time.
The course aims to increase the number of practitioners in coastal communities that are knowledgeable and prepared to integrate a range of sustainability solutions. Practitioners will have the opportunity to network and workshop practical solutions that are applicable to their current role in coastal sustainability and resilience.
Students in the Coastal Climate Resilience course will learn to navigate coastal adaptation and sustainability projects from policies to practice for a resilient future. The course will help practitioners build a framework of opportunities, innovations, and practical solutions in coastal climate resilience.
4.0 CEUs
This course is designed for those actively working in the field of coastal climate resilience with an aim to have practitioners apply learnings in real time. In order to be eligible to enroll students must meet this requirement.
This course provides an in-depth exploration into the expanding world of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), covering responsive website designs that work with smartphone, tablet or desktop monitors. Lectures and hands-on exercises cover essential CSS3 properties, concepts, techniques, and applications of media queries, styling forms, fonts and structural pseudo-classes. You will also learn how to handle browser compatibility issues.By the end of the course, you’ll know how to use the latest CSS capabilities to create Web pages with clean, efficient and cutting-edge designs that meet the demands of mobile, tablet and desktop users.
Quarter units: 3.0
There are hundreds of thousands of mobile apps in the App Store, but only a small portion of them have innovative design principles, friendly user interfaces, and most importantly, widespread adoption by users. In this hands-on lab and lecture course, you will learn the core design thinking and strategy principles for creating effective user interfaces for mobile app design to the development of artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) interfaces, including wearable user experiences such as Apple Watch and Android Wear, and smart device experiences. You will actively create these diverse experiences through hands-on design work using an iterative and user-centered design process.
Designing your own prototype will provide opportunities to explore new types of touch and gesture-based user interaction that can expand the functional possibilities of your apps. This exercise will demonstrate how mobile products can be rapidly developed and released to the market.
The course covers the trends, industry practices and techniques for the most popular platforms, and by the end of the course, you will have created an engaging user interface prototype. This UI prototype will incorporate the new conceptual and technical skills learned, and can also function as a portfolio piece for future endeavors.
Quarter units: 3.0
User experience design is a major factor in creating winning industry products. Design-driven businesses and products have a higher chance of succeeding in the marketplace. This course focuses on using user-centered design strategies and methods to create highly effective, pleasurable, and usable products while meeting business goals and objectives. The knowledge gained in this course directly applies to creating great user experiences for Web sites, Web applications, software as well as user-interfaces of many other products.
The course will also expose you to the multidisciplinary nature of the user experience design process, design thinking, and the steps you can take to succeed. The course covers methods and strategies of six overlapping phases: problem identification, information collection, idea generation, prototyping, evaluation/testing, and implementation.
You will practice with assignments and through team discussions. Some assignments require high-fidelity design of Web applications.
Quarter units: 3.0
Drawing applications (e.g. Adobe Illustrator, Fireworks, Google Drawings, OmiGraffle, Sketch, or a similar program). You will need access and some experience using.
Image processing applications such as Adobe Photoshop and ability to draw flowcharts and basic visual elements are highly recommended. The drawing is to communicate product design in high fidelity graphics.
This follow-up to “User Experience Design Fundamentals” covers new design methods and offers hands-on practice. In addition to understanding the UX design principles and processes at a greater depth, advanced practitioners also have to engage users for research, use tools to communicate design, as well as carry out the design in a collaborative product development environment. If you want to take your design skills to the next level and practice advanced techniques in user experience design, this is the course for you.The course focuses on application of the design methodologies and design strategies, from concept development to prototyping, including user research and design presentations. The goal of this course is to get you ready to take real-world UX design challenges and master industry practices in interaction design, visual design and information design, including DOs and DON’Ts. You will also learn how to apply human cognitive principles in design. The course will expose you to design & prototyping tools to create effective and pleasing user experiences. The course includes techniques for team collaboration, UX design presentation, documentation, and effective codification, as commonly practiced with clients and in corporations.You will work on individual and team projects while sharpening your UX design skills and knowledge, while receiving feedback from the class. Projects may include websites, software applications, or product interfaces. The course will also provide guidance in establishing a UX design portfolio.
Quarter units: 3.0
UEWD.X414: User Experience Design Fundamentals
An image processing and/or drawing application (e.g. Adobe Illustrator, Google Drawings, OmniGraffle, Sketch, or a similar program) is required. The drawing is to communicate product design in high fidelity graphics.
In this course, we’ll explore the designer’s role in crafting intuitive and visually compelling user interfaces. You'll master essential design principles, including color theory, typography, layout techniques, branding, and interaction fundamentals, all of which shape user experiences in digital media.These insights will inform the development of effective design strategies and interactive prototypes that resonate with user needs. The curriculum also covers responsive web and mobile design, optimizing graphics, and incorporating motion design to enhance interactivity. You’ll analyze corporate design systems, understand their role in tech-driven markets, and refine your collaborative skills through projects and potential guest sessions with Silicon Valley professionals, including visual and UX designers and researchers.This course is ideal for graphic designers, web professionals, product managers, web developers, and anyone aspiring to build foundational skills in designing and prototyping engaging interfaces for digital media.
Quarter units: 2.0
This course equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively collaborate on User Experience (UX) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects, particularly in the context of business users. Participants will gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools like Figma, FigJam, and Miro, essential for creating dynamic, interactive design environments. The course will also provide an overview of agile methodologies, covering meeting cadences, timelines, and project management tools such as Jira and Confluence. This practical training ensures that students can thrive in collaborative design teams and contribute to the development of UX and AI solutions.
Quarter units: 3.0
This course provides an in-depth understanding of user research and analysis techniques essential for designing user-centered products and services. Students will learn various user research methods with emphasis placed on real-world applications and developing actionable insights for iterative product design.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to
Quarter units: 2.0
One of the most important ways to impress potential employers is to show strong examples of your user experience projects. This final project course in the certificate program gives you the opportunity to bring all your skills together and create a site or project that demonstrates your abilities. You will seek out your own real-world client and work independently to complete your design project.In this course, you will complete the entire process of analysis, design, development and deployment of a website. You’ll begin by preparing a requirements document that defines the client, the site objectives, the users, and the target technology platform. Then, you will design the information architecture, interface and visual design before implementing the site.Your project implementation may include HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript as needed, as well as other development languages such as Swift for iOS, Java for Android. You may also use content management system tools such as WordPress or Drupal, if required. Some of these tools require advanced skills, and you must provide a well-defined justification for their use in your proposal and obtain instructor approval before proceeding. The course also addresses cross-browser compatibility and briefly reviews jQuery and other JavaScript libraries.Throughout the course, you will explore current trends in website design patterns and frameworks. By the conclusion of the course, you will have presented your design and implementation process and produced a fully functional website or a front-end interface for a web page to add to your portfolio.
Quarter units: 2.0
UEWD.X414: User Experience Design Fundamentals
UEWD.X416: Interaction Design and Prototyping
UEWD.X423: Collaborative Design: Enhancing UX with AI
UEWD.X424: User Research and Analysis
Designing Web pages or executing user experience design processes. Visual design and design implementation courses are strongly recommended. Also required is a code editing tool suitable for Web development, such as TextWrangler, BBEdit, Notepad++, Sublime, Dreamweaver, etc. in order to implement the design and complete the project.
Welcome to our immersive Semiconductor Design and Innovation workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established EDA tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.5 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive Semiconductor Design and Innovation workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.3 CEUs
Welcome to our immersive Semiconductor Design and Innovation workshop series. During these sessions you will be introduced to new and established tools that will help you create and manipulate content in new and powerful ways. Each session is led by an industry expert who will guide you through the material and share its real-world implications.
0.3 CEUs
SystemVerilog is the industry IEEE-1800 standard combining the hardware description language and hardware verification language. This course focuses on the use of advanced verification features in SystemVerilog. Students will learn the step-by-step processes of creating flexible verification components, which form the basis of modern industry-standard methodologies such as UVM (Universal Verification Methodology). They will also gain experience developing an industrial-strength object-oriented programming (OOP) testbench that is layered, configurable, constrained-random, and coverage-driven.The course starts with a brief review of SystemVerilog language semantics and simulation fundamentals such as event ordering, delta cycles and race conditions, which will then feed into closely related entities in program block, clocking block, and interfaces. Students will learn how to develop a complete verification environment by building flexible testbench components via the use of virtual interfaces, classes, mailboxes, dynamic arrays, and queues, etc. Functional coverage in the form of covergroup, coverpoint, and SystemVerilog Assertion (SVA), will round up the development of a complete verification environment. You will become familiar with the flexibility of an OOP-centric technique, the power of constrained random verification and the use of functional coverage tools to ensure the success of a verification project.Concepts introduced in class are reinforced in the lab. In addition to in-class hands-on labs and weekly take-home assignments, students will work on a required project to build an advanced OOP testbench and verification environment for a selected application (such as a 10G Ethernet MAC design), with transaction-level and layered architecture. Students will form a project team, create a test plan, develop an OOP-centric verification environment, perform functional coverage, and submit a complete project report. This course builds the foundation for the course "System and Functional Verification Using UVM (Universal Verification Methodology)."
Quarter units: 3.0
A course in SystemVerilog and knowledge of VHDL, Verilog, C/C++, and some hardware verification experience. Ability to install and configure open-source software on own computers.
Today's mobile, wireless, and consumer electronics employ ASICs and high integration SOCs (System on Chip) that often include the analog blocks for signal processing and the associated analog-to-digital interface circuits. Most MEMS, sensors, photovoltaic and electro-optical devices also require analog components. Understanding the basics of analog IC is essential for application engineers as well as circuit and system designers in a wide variety of electronic fields.
This course introduces analog IC design fundamentals including single/multiple-transistor amplifiers, current mirrors, current/voltage reference, output stages, frequency response, feedback, stability, noise, nonlinearity, and mismatches. Transistor models and CAD tools for analog design will also be covered. Students will gain a basic understanding of analog IC design and become familiar with circuit analysis and simulation tool flow. The fundamentals presented in this course prepare students to tackle advanced analog IC topics such as Op-amp, PLL, ADC and DAC.
Students will have access to simulation and waveform tools to test the performance of analog IC designs in our lab. Upon completion, students will have gained experience with circuit simulation and an in-depth understanding of the basic analog functions in IC.
Quarter units: 3.0
Basic knowledge of microelectronics circuits, semiconductor devices and physics. Experience with UNIX/Linux systems and commands is required for the lab.
This lab-based course covers advanced topics of ASIC front-to-back design automation. At 32nm node and below, ASIC physical designers have to face multi-vdd, multi-vt, high power, noise, and an explosion of process design rules—all while accounting for chip reliability. The course further develops the students' advanced ASIC design skills by introducing state-of-the-art EDA back-end design tools and methodology.The course provides a 28nm library for students to practice techniques learned in class. After reviewing the design challenges, the course covers UPF-based synthesis and placement. The instructor will give an example of congestion analysis and reduction, and proceed with detailed route analysis and optimization. Students will learn the Clock Tree Synthesis (CTS) and how to optimize timing sign-off in nanometer technology. The course also introduces the hierarchical design flow, power mesh synthesis, and IR drop analysis. The instructor will share tips from extensive professional experience in ASIC implementation over many generations and will also provide basic scripts to facilitate lab exercises.
Quarter units: 3.0
VLSI.X408: Physical Design Flow From Netlist to GDSII
VLSI.X414: Timing Closure in IC Design
Basic knowledge of the backend design flow from netlist to GDSII. Knowledge and hands-on experience with Linux/Unix will be required for lab exercises. Students enrolling in this class should be able to answer 'yes' to six of the eight questions on the linked
Google Quiz.
With shrinking process technologies, today's silicon chips are so complex that few engineers and managers fully understand every phase in the IC development cycle.
This unique course provides an overview of all the steps in developing an ASIC, SoC, GPU or FPGA product. Key topics include transistor topology, standard cells, RTL synthesis, meeting timing, functional coverage, formal equivalence, physical design, signal integrity, DFT, chip tape-out, IC fabrication, and emerging packaging trends.
Through small hands-on labs and homework, students become familiar with the roles of architecture selection, micro architecture specification, synthesis, simulation, formal equivalence, and routing tools. The focus is on mostly-digital ASICs with multiple IP cores, low-power goals, and on-chip analog blocks.
Designed for professionals in the semiconductor field-whether experienced or entry-level-this course provides a deeper understanding of the product development process for silicon chips and SoCs. Knowledge gained in this course will improve cross-functional communication with other team members and prepare individuals for more rigorous study in the semiconductor design field.
Quarter units: 3.0
General understanding of digital logic.
Lab exercises require some knowledge of Linux.
This course is a practical introduction to digital logic design using Verilog as a hardware description language. Students learn Verilog constructs and hardware modeling techniques using numerous examples of coding and modeling digital circuits and sub-blocks. Verilog remains the legacy hardware description language for digital designs in the industry.The course starts with the basic concepts of hardware description, then goes into the key Verilog language elements and data types. Students tackle key challenges and learn structural, dataflow and behavioral modeling in Verilog, including common constructs, considerations and coding examples. Instruction in the coding and testing of digital logic includes examples of combinational circuits (gates, mux/demux, encoders/decoders, and general Boolean expression), sequential circuits (various latches, flip-flops, shift registers, counters, RAMs and ROMs), and complex logic (flavors of ALU and FSM).At the completion of the course, students are able to understand and implement Verilog modeling of basic digital logic. Ultimately, students write and simulate approximately 3000 lines of Verilog code. The synthesis and simulation of the test examples is done using freely downloadable tools with instructor guidance.
Quarter units: 3.0
Knowledge of basic logic design and familiarity with a high-level programming language (e.g., C) and use of a text editor.
Formerly: IO Design FundamentalsThis course is an introduction to IO interfacing from one platform to another at both chip and board levels. With today’s chips running over 1GHz, inter-chip communicating is often a limiting factor of the system. Examples of high-speed IO are HDMI, USB 3.0, and 100Base-T.There is no single solution and over the years numerous approaches have been taken, including lowering logic voltages, using differential signals and optical interfaces. The course reviews the various approaches that have been taken in the last two decades, and covers the advantages and disadvantages of TTL, CMOS, low-voltage CMOS, LVDS and optical, from the perspective of speed, power, cost, and complexity.
The course emphasizes fundamental concepts such as transmission line analysis, slew rate, termination, etc. It introduces the basic IO logic, timing analysis and package model, and covers bit error rate, bi-directional IO and decision feedback filters. It does not cover complete circuit designs of the latest IO schemes or board design. Because most solutions are silicon-based, ESD (electro static discharge) concepts and techniques will also be discussed. A circuit simulation tool will be offered to students for exercises but its instruction is not part of the course.
Quarter units: 3.0
A basic course in circuit design and understanding of basic electromagnetic physics.
With shrinking process technologies, physical design is becoming extremely challenging. Physical designers are responsible for producing high quality design tapeout, and an understanding of all aspects of physical design from synthesis to tapeout is critical to success. This course is an introduction to the ASIC physical design flow and tools from netlist (gate level) to GDS-II (fractured data).
After an overview of the ASIC physical design flow and synthesis, the course starts with floor planning and block pin assignment. It then covers placement and clock-tree synthesis, followed by routing, and post-route optimization. You will learn RC extraction, static timing analysis, and physical verification. Upon completion of this course, you will possess the essential knowledge and hands-on experience with the backend physical design flows, from a synthesized netlist all the way to layout completion for ASIC chip tapeout.
For the labs, the instructor will explain the tools used primarily for the placement and route part using IC Compiler (ICC). Other tools such as OpenROAD will be integrated within the flow but are available for students to practice on their own.
Quarter units: 3.0
Basic knowledge of backend design flow. Hands-on experience with Linux/Unix will be required for lab exercises.
Formerly "Practical DFT Concepts for ASICs: Nanometer Test Enhancements"Testing application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system on chips (SOCs) and system in packages (SIP) is becoming very challenging in today's advanced process technologies/nodes. The dense spacing of lines on silicon, gigahertz clock rates, newly-emerging fault classes-these factors make it difficult to reach even 98% coverage. This course is ideal for integrated circuit (IC) designers seeking a deeper understanding of test issues, or test engineers wanting to stay current with emerging trends and tools.
This course is filled with engineering insights. It first builds a solid foundation in scan-based design -a necessary skill for understanding more recent techniques like delay-fault testing, scan compression, and built-in self test (BIST). Students will gain hands-on experience in building scan chains and generating test patterns, using Synopsys DFT Compiler (DFTC) and TetraMAX ATPG. You will learn advanced topics such as inserting multiple scan chains, employing sequential ATPG to handle non-scan flops, optimizing DFT logic, understanding LBIST and MBIST, and following nanometer trends in testing.
The systematic hands-on labs reinforce techniques introduced in lecture, and are packed with useful information and practical guidelines. By the conclusion of the course, you will be able to hand off a full-scan design and generate a high-coverage test program for nanometer ASIC.
Quarter units: 3.0
A working knowledge of digital logic design is recommended.
Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) is the industry standard for functional verification methodology developed by key EDA vendors and industry leaders. It uses a SystemVerilog-based, OOP-centric approach to improve interoperability and code reusability. In this course, you will use the OOP testbench knowledge learned earlier to create a full-fledged, flexible verification environment for solving today’s increasingly complex functional verification challenges. You will also gain real-world, hands-on experience developing an industrial-strength UVM-based testbench that is layered, interoperable, constrained-random, and coverage-driven.The course introduces the UVM architecture; its core set of base-classes and utility methods, and associated factory automation techniques. This framework forms the basic building blocks that facilitate the development of layered, modular, scalable, and reusable verification environments in SystemVerilog. You will be immersed in the practical application and deployment of UVM base-classes, understand their role in the verification environment to reduce design time and risks, as well as increasing quality and efficiency. The main base-classes covered are the UVM test classes, sequence classes, component classes, messaging and reporting mechanism, factory, configuration database, transaction-level modeling (TLM), scoreboarding, coverage and phasing mechanism. You will learn the power of UVM for successfully designing complex constraint-random coverage driven verification projects.Concepts introduced in class are reinforced in the lab. In addition to in-class hands-on labs and weekly take-home assignments, you’ll work on a project to build an advanced UVM verification environment for a selected application with transaction-level and layered architecture. You will form a project team, create a test plan, develop a UVM-based verification environment, perform functional coverage, and submit a complete project report.
Quarter units: 3.0
VLSI.X400: Advanced Verification with SystemVerilog OOP Testbench
Students should have experience with object-oriented programming, C/C++, or have taken "Advanced Verification with SystemVerilog OOP Testbench" course. Prerequisite topics will not be repeated here. Hardware verification experience is helpful.
Technologies like machine learning, autonomous driving, IoT, and cloud computing are ushering a new era of chip design with innovative architectures and advanced process nodes. With billions of dollars at stake, the race to be first-to-market is putting new challenges on the chip design and verification community.
In this course, you will be introduced to SystemVerilog (1800-2017 IEEE standard), a unified hardware design, specification and verification language that is being rapidly adopted by chip designers and verification teams to boost productivity and ensure first-pass silicon success. While it's based on Verilog and some extensions, the SystemVerilog language improvements include enhanced scheduling semantics, rich data types, interfaces with emphasis on assertions, and formal verification-all covered in this course.
You will also be introduced to SystemVerilog Assertion (SVA) concepts and syntax, using small examples and realistic design protocols. You will learn about immediate and concurrent assertions, their differences and use cases, and how to write assertions for formal verification. In the second part of the course covering formal verification theory, students will run the formal tool, debug a counter-example, and learn the refinement process.
This is a lab-based course giving you the opportunity to dive into key topics in detail-from language constructs to assertion coding guidelines that include practical examples of how to use assertions in verification. Students will also learn methodology choices and assertions in a formal context. The course provides hands-on exercises using assertions in simulation (VCS) and formal verification (VC-Formal).
Quarter units: 3.0
As transistor technology becomes increasingly complex in the sub-nanometer process, the timing signoff of designs such as ASIC, FPGA, GPU, and SoC becomes more challenging.In this course, you will learn industry-standard timing methodologies and techniques used during design implementation to achieve targeted clock frequency and ensure manufacturing yield of successful silicon.The course begins with foundational concepts, including transistor topology, delay modeling through digital gates, and setup and hold characterization. You will gain hands-on exposure to clock constraints, exceptions, and what-if analysis, and learn how to address timing violations in ECO (Engineering Change Order) mode.Advanced topics include signal integrity (SI) analysis and prevention, process variations, hierarchical and flat analysis, and STA (Static Timing Analysis) margin. The instructor will share practical examples of block-level and full-chip timing closure, budgeting, and debugging skills. Students will also explore EDA tools and practice with small test cases.By the end of the course, design engineers will be able to perform static timing analysis using PrimeTime, Genus, OpenROAD, or any other STA tool during multiple phases of design implementation.
Quarter units: 3.0
VLSI.X403: Introduction to VLSI and ASIC Design
Linux/Unix skills are required for lab exercises.
Computer architecture focuses on techniques to design high-performance processors and is a prerequisite for both design and verification engineers, in any modern processor design project. This course covers computer architecture essentials, as well as some advanced topics, such as multi-threading, data level parallelism in GPUs and multi-core processors. Through a lecture-based approach, supplemented with practical problem sets, you'll navigate the intricacies of Verilog coding, timing graph walkthrough, and micro-architecture solutions. This course is intended for design and verification engineers interested in working on processor or complex digital system design projects.
Quarter units: 3.0
VLSI.X404: Digital Logic Design Using Verilog
Knowledge of digital system design with Verilog/SystemVerilog is required.
Formerly "FPGA Application in Autonomous Driving Systems, Introduction."
The Silicon Valley-led shift from conventional, fully human-driven vehicles to autonomous driving (AD) systems empowered by artificial intelligence has created a huge demand for engineers and researchers who know these emerging technologies.
In this course, which is open to students with a basic knowledge of programming and digital logic, we will explore the fundamentals of AD systems-machine learning, computer vision, and hardware implementation on a field programmable gate array (FPGA). We will cover critical concepts such as object, vehicle, and lane detection, as well as traffic sign classification, AI, and deep learning algorithms. You will study practical systematic design of typical FPGA applications in AD systems using the hardware description language, Verilog before moving to testbench development, simulation for bit-true design verification, and complete system design synthesis.
The course is designed to strengthen theoretical understanding and provide hands-on experience with hardware. By the end of the course, you will have hands-on experience with FPGA design and be able to design, test, and implement a complete digital system on an FPGA device including interfacing to external devices.
Quarter units: 3.0
VLSI.X404: Digital Logic Design Using Verilog
Some programming knowledge (Python, MATLAB, VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog) and digital system design experience is preferred, but not required.
This course for new and mid-hires in the custom memory design sector reviews key technologies in VLSI design such as CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor), and FinFET (fin field-effect) transistors, NMOS (N-type metal oxide semiconductor) transfer curve and the derivation of MOS (metal-oxide-semiconductor) current across different regions of operation.
Students in this course will learn basic memory operation and principles, discuss various tools used for verification of memories, how these tools are used, how practical compiler SRAMs are built in industry, and how they are verified. By focusing on memories and tools related to verification of memories, students go from ground zero to designing and verifying memories on the job.
The class will analyze the 6T bitcell, study of bitcell stability, typical SRAM architecture and move into a detailed discussion on the decoder architecture, sense amplifier architecture and operation, and exploration of IO architectures.
We will dive into the details of the read/write timing waveforms, and timing analysis of memories using Hspice and Nanotime and discuss other verification tools such as ESPCV (logical equivalence), and fanout and noise tools. We will see how analysis corners are derived, and how memories get characterized and analyzed across these corners. Then we will discuss how compiler memories are designed and what factors go into consideration of selecting the number of entries, bits and mux (multiplexer) factors.
We will go into types of bitcells, how multi-ported and multi-banked memories are designed, and what are the pros and cons of each style.
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to
Quarter units: 3.0
VLSI.X404: Digital Logic Design Using Verilog
CMOS transistor operation, Hspice, schematic entry with Virtuoso is a plus
This course provides an in-depth exploration of the principles, techniques, and applications of three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) packaging. 3D IC packaging is a cutting-edge technology that enables the stacking of multiple integrated circuits (ICs) within a single package, offering numerous advantages in terms of performance, power efficiency, and form factor.
The course begins with an introduction to the fundamentals of IC packaging, including various packaging technologies and their evolution. It then delves into the concepts and challenges associated with 3D IC packaging. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the design considerations, fabrication processes, and assembly techniques employed in 3D IC packaging. The course also covers topics like EMIR and has comprehensive physical verification in the areas of chip stacking.
Quarter units: 3.0
Some familiarity with material science principles and a fundamental knowledge of semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Some of our programs are taught by our curriculum partners.
For questions about your interest in the course and/or eligibility, please email csp@ucsc.edu. Course:
Ziplines Education is a market-driven education company that delivers innovative programs to prepare learners for the demands of today's economy. For questions about these courses, please contact support@ziplines.com. Courses:
These legal studies courses are provided in partnership with Center for Legal Studies, a BARBRI Company that is focused on providing affordable, up-to-date, and effective legal education. Student payment plans available through CLS. Instructors are attorneys, paralegals, and other legal professionals with years of legal experience. They are not affiliated with UC Santa Cruz. For questions about these courses, please contact CLS. Courses:
Program Overview
The Certificate in Coastal Sustainability and Resilience series aims to increase the number of practitioners in coastal communities who are knowledgeable and prepared to integrate a range of sustainability solutions, including nature-based solutions, in coastal adaptation, sustainability, and resilience projects.
Our multisector network of instructors and classmates share a dedication to implementing practical solutions to coastal resilience projects. Through cohort-based activities grounded in science, students build actionable knowledge and skills, such as.
A 10-week online certificate course
In a data-driven economy, creating value means leveraging data to identify, strategize, and solve business problems. In this certificate course, you’ll learn the fundamentals in gathering, analyzing and presenting strategic data effectively to different audiences.
Students are invited to join in on optional online meetings each week. You can enroll up to one week after the start date.
Paying upfront isn’t always realistic. Ziplines Education offers a three-part payment plan. For more information regarding payment options, please contact admissions@ziplines.com.
This Digital Marketing Science certificate course will transform you into a complete digital marketer with expertise in the most in-demand marketing domains. Fast-track your career in digital marketing with practical training and technical certifications you can apply on the job. Delivered online, this comprehensive curriculum is taught by industry experts and supplemented with live/online mentor-led classes.
You’ll leave the course with proof of your digital marketing skills. For your final project, you will apply your new skills to the website of a real business in the form of a playbook and get feedback from industry experts and peers.
Earn industry-recognized certifications and qualifications.
Google Ads Search Certification
Google Analytics Individual Qualification
HubSpot Email Marketing Certification
Plus several highly marketable certifications offered by Marketo, The Trade Desk, and Facebook as well as tools for:
During each session, students are invited to join in on optional online weekly meetings. You can enroll up to one week after the start date.
Paying upfront isn’t always realistic. Ziplines Education offers a three-part payment plan. For more information or questions regarding payment options, please contact admissions@ziplines.com.
Each industry develops its own unique legal strategies and professional lexicon to grow and navigate the constantly evolving world of law. We're offering legal studies courses in key Silicon Valley industries—engineering, nursing, healthcare, and victim advocacy—to give you a practical understanding of your consulting role in the legal realm.
Whether you are an advocate for crime victims or an entrepreneur exploring a medical professional, this curriculum is tailored to your professional development.
This course is endorsed by ACEDS, the gold standard in eDiscovery training and education.
The legal terminology and process, victim rights, ethics, victim advocacy, and crisis intervention skills create the foundation for you to make a difference in the lives of crime victims.
Successful graduates of this training program will be eligible at minimum for theand possibly for the Basic, Intermediate or Advanced Credential based upon experience in the field.
A multitude of statutes cover the complex relationships between employers and employees. In this course, you'll learn about the National Labor Relations Act, the Railway Labor Act, and other statutes dealing with public employees. You'll focus on topics such as master and servant relationships, wages and hours, anti-discrimination in employment laws, minimum wages and maximum hours guidelines and the regulation of working conditions.
Center for Legal Studies and UCSC Silicon Valley Extension are recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits for the SHRM-CPSM and SHRM-SCPSM.
Medical professionals interested in the field of forensic testimony and medical-legal issues will gain the fundamentals they need to advise law firms, insurance companies, and governmental agencies regarding medically related issues and to appear in court as expert witnesses. Click the button below for the course syllabus.
This program has been reviewed and is approved for a maximum of 45 hours of AAPA Category 1 CME credit by the Physician Assistant Review Panel.
Learn to assist attorneys, paralegals, insurance companies, private businesses, and government agencies in the process of civil and criminal investigation. You'll gain investigative skills related to arson, product liability, personal injury and accident forensics, financial matters, professional malpractice and negligence, skip-tracing, and the role of a legal investigator in preparing for civil and criminal litigation. You'll also learn about working in the field: freelance investigation, job search strategies, and placements.
Nurses (PAs and RNs) in the seven-week Legal Nurse Consultant Training Course build on their medical expertise to serve as legal expert consultants and advise law firms, health care providers, insurance companies, and governmental agencies regarding medically related issues and to appear in court as expert witnesses. Click button below for course syllabus available.
Successful graduates will receive a certificate for 42 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development from the Center for Legal Studies, a BARBRI Company, that they may be able to use to fulfill continuing education requirements.
Two seven-week intensives
The Paralegal Certificate Course© teaches students the in-demand skills necessary to perform a variety of paralegal tasks. This continuing legal education course is a valuable asset for paralegal professionals looking to advance their career, grow professionally, increase their earning potential and gain job-ready skills.
Focus on topics that interest you. You are required to complete six seven-week sessions of Advanced Paralegal course topics to receive a certificate of completion. Please choose from the sessions listed below.
UCSC Extension, a unit of the University of California, Santa Cruz, takes academic integrity seriously. All forms of academic misconduct, including but not limited to, cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, or facilitating academic dishonesty, are grounds for student discipline.
Unless otherwise indicated by the course instructor, assignments must be individual efforts.
It is not acceptable to copy (verbatim or even with minor changes) whole sections of a book, article, or internet resource and submit them as your own work. References should be listed and direct quotes indicated as such, with the author cited.
If a student does not follow the Academic Integrity policy above, the following steps will be taken to report the academic misconduct.
Sanctions vary from case to case. Potential sanctions could include but are not limited to:
| 1st Offense |
|
|---|---|
| 2nd Offense |
|
| 3rd Offense |
|
If a case involves more than one student, the Program Manager will determine if they will be investigated individually.
If you have questions regarding the reporting of academic misconduct, please contact the Office of the Registrar at extensionregistrar@ucsc.edu.
A Grievable Action is an action that: (a) is in violation of written UCSC Silicon Valley Extension policies or procedures; or (b) constitutes arbitrary, capricious or unequal application of written UCSC Extension policies or procedures. If the request does not match this definition, it will be denied.
In cases where a student is not satisfied with the Academic Review Committee decision, the final level of appeal at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension is the Office of the Dean.
When the deadline for a refund or another policy has passed, a petition for exception may be submitted. It must be supported by special circumstances such as a personal or family illness, injury, or hospitalization. Proper documentation of the special circumstance is required. UCSC Extension reserves the right to approve or deny any such request.
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension is an institution committed to academic integrity. Ethical practices require transparency and honesty in the application process. We urge all prospective students to understand the negative consequences associated with fraudulent actions.
Consequences of Fraud
Our admissions team meticulously evaluates each application. Any misrepresentation or suspected fraudulent activity detected at any stage will result in the immediate rejection of an application and may subject applicants to further investigation and potential legal action.
Our Commitment
We are committed to upholding the principles of fairness, honesty, and equal opportunity in our admissions process. By adhering to these principles, we ensure that students admitted to UCSC Silicon Valley Extension possess the necessary qualifications, personal attributes, and ethical standards to thrive in our academic community.
Regulations do not permit tape recording, filming, videotaping or any other recording of any Extension program without the express written permission of UCSC Extension.
UCSC Extension does not allow auditing of courses. You must be enrolled in a class before attending.
If desired, courses can be taken for Credit/No credit. To take a course for no credit, download, complete, and submit the Alternative Grade Request form which is available on our Student Services Forms page. On your transcript and student record, NC will appear next to all classes taken for no credit. All course fees are still required.
Students are given access to their online course and materials approximately 24 hours before the start of a course via Canvas, our learning management system.
Students will continue to have access to their course in Canvas for 31 days after the course end date. After 31 days, the course will disappear from their Dashboard and Courses tab in Canvas. At this time, students will no longer be able to access any course material or submitted material. You are encouraged to download materials before this time. Note that certain materials may not be available for download at the instructor's discretion. Lecture videos are not available for download.
You can learn more about Canvas here. If you have trouble accessing your course on Canvas, please contact extension@ucsc.edu.
Note: Enroll at least seven days before your course start date to save your seat. This allows time to prepare for the first class and helps ensure that your course is not canceled due to low enrollment.
It is the policy of the University of California to provide computer resources to students, faculty, and staff to be used in ways that are consistent with the University's mission - instruction, research, public service, as well as administration. The University expects that its user community will respect the public trust through which these resources have been provided. These resources include computers, terminals, networks, modems, and printers. It is the policy of the University to provide its users with access to local, national, and international sources of information. The user community should not be subject to unauthorized disclosure, tampering, destruction, theft, harassment, or any denial of access to resources.
All users must guard against abuses of the University's information resources and systems. The university has determined that the following list, while not exhaustive, characterizes unacceptable behavior, which may be subject to disciplinary action:
In addition, the user should be aware of the following policies and expectations: The University grants permission to members of its community to use computation resources by issuing individual computer accounts. As a condition of receiving such an account, the user must exercise diligence to keep his or her password as a secret and not disclose it to any other person. Users of shared computers or networks which connect to the campus network should not share or transfer their account privileges to any other person. The University expects that all those who choose to use our off-campus network connections will understand and honor the policies of those regional and national network organizations to which the University is a party. The use policies for these networks are available separately from the policy statement. Campus units that administer computers may also establish guidelines for the appropriate use of their equipment in addition to these campus-wide policies.
When a non-University-owned computer is used on campus, the user must follow all of these campus-wide policies. In addition, if the computer is attached to the campus network it must be registered with the owner's name and contact information, machine manufacturer and model number, location of machine, and the network address of the machine. This registration can be done through divisional computer/network managers or through CATS. This includes computers with one or more unique network addresses as well as computers that obtain network addresses on a dynamic basis.
Account usage is also governed by the University of California Electronic Communications Policy. Full text of the policy is available at this URL: https://www.ucop.edu/information-technology-services/initiatives/universitywide-copyright-policies-and-guidance-.html
We're happy to help. Please note that international and workforce development students, as well as students in our partner programs, may have different deadlines and fees.
Note: Instructors do not have the authority to drop a student.
It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the requirements for completion of a certificate or specialization are met. Both the course selection and successful completion of the requirements rest with the student.
You may drop a course and receive a full refund minus a $40 drop processing fee—if you do this before the drop deadline for your course. Here is the timeframe for dropping:
Classroom • Live-Online • Flexible • Hybrid—Courses with 5 or more sessions If your course meets five times or more, you must drop the course prior to the start of the second session for a full refund minus the drop processing fee. If you register for a course on or after the second session, no refunds will be available.
Classroom • Live-Online • Flexible • Hybrid—Courses with 4 or fewer sessions
If your course meets four or fewer times, you must drop the course three business days before the start of the course for a full refund minus the drop processing fee.
Self-paced online courses
In self-paced online courses, you have six business days after the course start date to work with the first module in the series and still receive a full refund minus the drop processing fee. After six days or the start of module two, you are no longer eligible for a refund.
Custom online curriculum partner programs
You may be eligible for a refund, minus a $40 processing fee if your drop request is received three business days before the course start date of programs taught by our outside vendors. (Business days are Monday through Friday, not including holidays.) However, some programs have different policies. See below for more information on our custom courses.
Students may switch to a different section or change to a different course, with the $40 drop processing fee waived if the swap occurs within the same quarter or if you're re-enrolling in the same course when it is next offered. However, a $40 fee applies if switching to a different course in a future quarter.
Students may apply the units of one pre-approved course that is outside the designated curriculum to their certificate qualification. Please apply for pre-approval from Academic Services Department by filling out the Course Substitution Form.
Note: Students will need to submit a Course Substitution Request for the following articulation needs:
Registration fees, certificate and award application fees, and special requests are non-refundable. All refunds are put on the student account toward future enrollment, unless otherwise requested.
If the refund deadline for a course has passed, a petition for exception may be submitted. It must be supported by special circumstances such as a personal or family illness, injury, or hospitalization. Proper documentation of the special circumstance is required. UCSC Extension reserves the right to approve or deny any such request.
If you enroll in a section, you have the option to withdraw prior to the final class meeting to avoid a negative impact on your official academic record. If you need to drop a course past the drop deadlines stated above, you will be given a withdrawal (W) grade on your transcript with no refund. To receive a withdrawal grade on your transcript with no refund, you’ll need to submit a drop request.
Note: International and Workforce students need to seek prior approval before a W grade will be issued.
UCSC Extension may have to cancel, postpone or combine courses, programs, and/or change instructors without notice. Refunds prompted by cancellation or discontinuation will be made in full to your student account. Refunds to the original form of payment will be processed on request.
If you have enrolled in courses through other programs, such as a workforce development agency, an international agent, or the Open Campus process, you may have paid a deposit. It is your responsibility to comply with all financial obligations, deadlines, and refund policies established by these programs. If you are an international student, you can learn more about fees on our website.
In addition to our regular offerings, we work with outside vendors on several custom courses to provide specialized online training. Refund availability varies by curriculum partner.
For these offerings, you may be eligible for a refund, minus a $40 processing fee, if your drop request is received three business days before the course start date. Business days are Monday through Friday, not including holidays. Courses dropped after the first day of class will be given a withdrawal (W) grade, which will have no academic penalty.
See refund policy for students in the Legal and Paralegal Studies courses.
UCSC Extension currently does not allow auditing or sitting-in of any courses.
UCSC Extension is a self-supporting organization and we take your enrollment into account when deciding whether to run a course. We do not receive state funds to support our professional development programs. This policy is necessary for us to maintain the lowest possible fees for all students.
Student safety is our top priority.
All county, state, and campus laws relating to coronavirus safety must be followed while in the UCSC Silicon Valley Campus building at 3175 Bowers Ave., Santa Clara, CA.
We're here to help you have a great student experience. If you have additional questions, please reach out to us at Student Services.
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension receives federal financial assistance to discriminate against any individual in the United States on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, sex stereotyping, transgender status, and gender identity), national origin (including limited English proficiency), age, disability, or political affiliation or belief, or, against any beneficiary of, applicant to, or participant in programs financially assisted under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
It is against the law for UCSC Extension to discriminate for any of these reasons in addition to an individual’s citizenship status or participation in any WIOA Title I–financially assisted program or activity.
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension must not discriminate in any of the following areas:
Recipients of federal financial assistance must take reasonable steps to ensure that communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others. This means that, upon request and at no cost to the individual, recipients are required to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services to qualified individuals with disabilities.
If you think that you have been subjected to discrimination under a WIOA Title I–financially assisted program or activity, you may file a complaint within 180 days from the date of the alleged violation with one of the following entities:
If you file your complaint with the WDB, you must wait either until the WDB issues a written Notice of Final Action, or until 90 days have passed (whichever is sooner), before filing with the Civil Rights Center (see address above).
If you do not receive a written Notice of Final Action within 90 days of the day on which you filed your complaint, you may file a complaint with CRC before receiving that Notice. However, you must file your CRC complaint within 30 days of the 90-day deadline (in other words, within 120 days after the day on which you filed your complaint with the WDB).
If the WDB does give you a written Notice of Final Action on your complaint, but you are dissatisfied with the decision or resolution, you may file a complaint with CRC. You must file your CRC complaint within 30 days of the date on which you received the Notice of Final Action.
Here are the key identification markers on each course page:
| 1-99: | Lower division |
| 100-199: | Upper division |
| 200-299: | Graduate division |
| 300-399: | Professional courses in Education |
| 400-499: | Professional courses in other departments |
| 800 Series or non-numbered courses: | Noncredit or Continuing Education Units issued. (Academic credit and letter grade not applicable.) |
All UCSC Extension credit is offered in quarter-system units.
Continuing education units, established by a national task force of educational associations, are intended for students who need to document hours of study for employers, relicensing agencies, or associations. One CEU is awarded for each 10 hours of contact participation. Because CEUs reflect contact time, grading may not be offered in some courses with a CEU option.
Certificates with Honors are granted to individuals who complete their certificate programs with all A- grades and above.
Instructors assign grades based on a student’s performance on activities outlined in the course syllabi. Grades are available online through the student portal, no later than one month after a course ends.
| Grade | Value Range | Point Value | |
| A | 93 - 100 | 4.0 | |
| A- | 90 - 92 | 3.7 | |
| B+ | 88 - 89 | 3.3 | |
| B | 83 - 87 | 3.0 | |
| B- | 80 - 82 | 2.7 | |
| C+ | 78 - 79 | 2.3 | |
| C | 73 - 77 | 2.0 | |
| C- | 70 - 72 | 1.7 | |
| D+ | 68 - 69 | 1.3 | |
| D | 63 - 67 | 1.0 | |
| D- | 60 - 62 | 0.7 | |
| F | 0 - 59 | 0.0 |
When students enroll, letter grading is the default. The Credit/No Credit option is available only to students in good academic standing. Requests for Credit/No Credit must be submitted by filling out the Alternative Grade Request Form before the last day of the course.
Please note that only letter grades of C or higher may be applied to a certificate or specialization. Students in most employer- and government-sponsored payment programs, such as workforce development and international students on F-1 visas, need to maintain a B average to attain a certificate.
It is the student's responsibility to meet the requirements for completion of a certificate or specialization. Both the course selection and successful completion of the requirements rest with the student.
The issue date listed on the certificate of completion is the last day of the last course to be applied to the certificate program or specialization program. Please check the certificate program requirements and list of approved electives.
An incomplete grade may be approved for students who are unable to complete a course within the prescribed time due to unforeseen extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control. Please see our Incomplete Grades Policy for more information.
Changes to a final, recorded course grade can only be made when there is evidence of a clerical or procedural error and never based on a re-examination or the completion of additional work.
Submit a review request to the Academic Review Committee (ARC)
If a satisfactory resolution is not reached with the instructor, submit your grievance to ARC by filling out an Exception to Policy Request Form. ARC will review your written grievance and discuss it with the instructor and the program directors.
Please include the following documentation relating to your request:
After all required information is received, you will receive a copy of the formal resolution via email within 5-10 business days.
For more information, including the formal grade appeals policy and process, email extensiongrades@ucsc.edu.
An incomplete grade, “I,” may be issued to accommodate the completion of coursework of passing quality after the course end date due to circumstances beyond a student’s control. All requests should be made at least seven days before the last day of class and cannot be made after the course has ended.
Incomplete grades are contingent upon instructor approval, and instructors are under no obligation to grant them. Incomplete grades are not generally permitted for WIB, VA, or international students. Exceptions must be approved by the relevant academic department.
Request review by the department by emailing extensiongrades@ucsc.edu. Your email should include:
If you qualify for an incomplete grade, you will receive a signed Petition for Incomplete Grade form authorizing you to pursue an agreement with the instructor.
Forms without a signature, grade, or date will be returned to the department and will delay updating the student’s record.
The issue date listed on the certificate of completion is the last day of the last course that is relevant to the certificate program or specialization program. The last course must be a course that can be applied towards the certificate as a requirement or as an elective. Please check the certificate program requirements and list of approved electives.
Many of the professional education programs at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension help you get practical skills you can use in your job today while also advancing your career by providing you professional credits toward an industry recognized license or certification.
Many of our courses are approved for professional certification or recertification credit through state and national professional agencies and associations. To see a list of organizations that have recognized our courses for professional credit, please visit our FAQ page on professional credit.
While courses in many of our programs are approved and recognized by different agencies organizations and professional associations, your successful completion does not guarantee that you will obtain a particular license or certification.
Licensure and certification requirements are set by agencies that are not controlled by or affiliated with the University of California and these requirements can change at any time.
The University of California has not yet determined whether all of its programs meet other states’ educational or professional requirements for licensure and certification. If you are planning to pursue licensure or certification in another state, you are responsible for determining whether, your efforts at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension meet requirements for licensure or certification in another state.
This disclosure is made pursuant to 34 CFR §668.43(a)(5)(v)(C).
Please see the University of California Licensure and Certification Disclosure Statement.
University of California Licensure and Certification Disclosure Statement.
Open Campus concurrent students are evaluated and graded by the same grading policies applied to UCSC main campus students.
Extension mails a separate grade list to the instructor a week before the last day of class. The instructor returns the completed grade list to Extension.
Extension mails the grade report to the student, four to six weeks after the last day of the quarter.
If you requested an evaluation, the instructor will send it to Extension within three weeks after the grade deadline. We don't mail a copy to the student unless we have a written request from the student. The original is stored in the student´s UCSC Extension file.
Audit/NC Grade
An Open Campus concurrent student may not audit a class.
Open Campus concurrent students will not appear on the instructor´s regular student roster. The grading and retention process is through UCSC Extension Student Services.
If a student is enrolling in courses using an insurance or worker’s compensation voucher, they need to send a copy of the complete voucher and Enrollment Form to extension@ucsc.edu.
All funds received from sponsors will be processed as payments. They will be deposited into the receiving student’s account for unrestricted use.
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension is not responsible for ensuring the student recipient uses funds in a manner intended by the sponsor. This responsibility rests solely with the student.
The student recipient is also responsible for reporting satisfactory academic progress to a sponsor organization if required. To do so, the student can order an official transcript.
Any other grant vouchers must be sent directly to UCSC Silicon Valley Extension and include:
The agency or sponsoring payer will be invoiced for payment of funds upon enrollment and will be due upon receipt.
To be enrolled in requested courses, students must fill out an Enrollment Form each quarter.
UCSC Extension students can apply for a private student loan that includes course fees and textbook costs.
UCSC Extension does not endorse any financial institution, but you will find important information and a helpful chart comparing terms offered by prominent lenders by visiting our Student Loan Lender List. U.S. News & World Reports has a great article about student loans.
Learn more about requesting a private student loan in our FAQ.
UCSC Extension certificate programs are not currently eligible for federal financial aid.
To use a California Department of Rehabilitation (DoR) voucher to enroll in courses, you must send a copy of your complete voucher and enrollment form to extension@ucsc.edu.
The authorization must be issued to UCSC Silicon Valley Extension and include:
Incorrect or incomplete authorization forms will be sent back for correction. Submit completed authorization forms to extension@ucsc.edu
In the event a student decides to transfer to a different course section, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension will require an amended authorization from the DoR which reflects the new course information.
To request ADA Accommodations, please visit our Students with Disabilities page.
The student will receive an email with instructions for creating their student account to view the course enrollment details.
Note: When purchasing a course for a student under 18 years of age, UCSC Silicon Valley will request that the student and parent fill out the FERPA Authorization Form and the Minor Release Form.
Many of our students receive funding through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which was signed into law in 2014.
UC Santa Cruz Extension works closely with several great agencies throughout California. Note: UCSC Extension does not have the ability to approve a student for funding.
For more information, reach out to individual agencies for guidance.
Eligibility requirements
For more information about how to line up your dreams and your skills in a new job, please reach out to us at workforce@ucsc.edu and visit Workforce Development.
Out-of-pocket expenses
In most cases, funding will only cover the minimum number of required units to complete the program for which you are approved. Any out-of-pocket expenses are determined on a case-by-case basis by Extension. Students will be notified and responsible for additional costs.
In general, you can visit us online without revealing information about yourself. When you fill out one of our online request forms, we ask you for basic information such as your name, address, phone number, and email address so we can follow up on your comments or send you materials that you request.
Data you enter during a visit to our site is stored on systems using appropriate physical, electronic, and management procedures to safeguard and secure all information we collect online. Any sensitive or personal data, such as credit card or purchase information that you enter for online enrollment purposes is transmitted in an encrypted form and requires the use of a secure browser.
Your privacy is very important to us. UCSC Silicon Valley Extension is committed to protecting your online privacy while providing you with the most useful and enjoyable web experience possible. In general, you can visit UCSC Extension online without revealing any personal information. If you fill out one of our request or survey forms, we may ask you for personal information, such as your name, address, phone number, and email address so we may send you materials based on interests you indicate.
Should you choose to provide us with any personal information, such as age or level of education, you can be assured that UCSC Extension will only use it in the aggregate.
We do not and will never sell, rent, or share your name, mailing address, email address or any other data that can personally identify you any way to any outside group.
The University cherishes the free and open exchange of ideas and enhancement of knowledge. Maintaining this freedom and openness requires objectivity, mutual trust and confidence. It requires the absence of coercion, intimidation or exploitation. The principal responsibility for maintaining these conditions must rest upon those members of the University community who exercise authority and leadership: faculty, managers and supervisors.
The University has instituted a number of measures designed to protect its community from sexual and other forms of harassment. Information, advice, referrals and/or copies of UCSC’s Sex offense Policy and Procedures for Report of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment are available to all students, faculty and staff by contacting Rita E Walker, Title IX Coordinator/Sexual Harassment Officer, 105 Kerr Hall, at (831) 459-2462. The Title IX Coordinator is also available to investigate other violation of title IX. Questions regarding discrimination may be directed to the Affirmative Action Office at (831) 459-1590.
To carry on our work of teaching, research, and public service, the university has an obligation to maintain conditions under which the work of the university can proceed freely, in accordance with the highest standards of quality, institutional integrity, and freedom of expression with full recognition by all concerned of the rights and privileges, as well as the responsibilities, of those who comprise the university community.
The university’s standard of conduct for students consists of:
The chancellor has delegated authority to the college administrative officers, director of student judicial affairs, dean of graduate studies, college provosts (for academic dishonesty issues), and vice chancellor of student affairs to impose discipline for violation of these policies, regulations, and rules. See the Student Policies and Regulations Handbook, section 100.00, for a complete listing of violations.
Individual colleges have developed additional rules and standards of conduct applicable to members of the college communities and these are available at the college offices.
Procedural due process is basic to the proper enforcement of university policies, campus regulations, and college rules. The college administrative officer has initial responsibility for procedures for students of the college. In addition, the administrative officer of each college has original jurisdiction for students residing in the college, regardless of official collegiate affiliation.
The director of Student Judicial Affairs assumes initial responsibility for the following allegations:
Voluntary resolution of an alleged violation of student conduct policies, regulations, and rules is encouraged. When the student and the college administrative officer (or his or her designee) are unable to agree upon an informal resolution, the student is entitled to a directed appeal or, under certain circumstances, an opportunity for a hearing before the Campus Judicial Board.
The board is appointed by the vice chancellor and consists of staff and students. Disciplinary procedures are outlined in the Student Policies and Regulations Handbook. Information and advice regarding disciplinary procedures are also available from the director, Student Judicial Affairs, at 245 Hahn Student Services Building, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 • (831) 459-4446.
UCSC Extension's Registrar is responsible for maintaining Extension's student records. Any questions regarding records should be addressed to the Registrar’s Office in writing, at 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara CA 95054.
Policies governing the disclosure of information from student records, specifically the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and the University of California Policies Applying to the Disclosure of Information from Student Records, are available at our office in Santa Clara. The full text of the federal law is available at the Student Affairs Office, located at 245 Hahn Student Services on the UCSC Campus, (831) 459-4446.
Retention Policy
The Records Office maintains a permanent record of academic work completed by each student. Support documents for the academic record are kept for one year.
We strongly advise that you carefully review your academic record quarterly. Discrepancies in your academic record should be reported to the Records Office immediately. After one year, it is assumed that you accept the accuracy of your academic record, and supporting source documents may be destroyed.
The University is required by federal law to request your Social Security Number or Individual Tax Identification Number and report your SSN or ITIN and other pertinent information to the Internal Revenue Service pursuant to the reporting requirements imposed by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. The University may also use the SSN or ITIN you provide to verify your identity. This notification is provided to you as required by the Federal Privacy Act of of 1974.
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension courses may require the use of one or more third-party applications which have been requested by the course instructor. Third-party applications may be accessed in a variety of ways including visiting a website using a web browser, downloading software onto your device, or interacting with supplemental content embedded into Canvas, our Online Classroom. By using a third-party application, you acknowledge the following:
You are accountable for your own activity when using third-party applications.
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension does not govern the data security and other policies of any third-party applications. Please refer to the policies found on the specific application’s website to understand the terms you are agreeing to when you choose to use that application.
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension does not guarantee the level of functionality or support for third-party applications.
Wireless internet access is provided throughout our facility.
The appropriate wireless network card is required.
Any wireless connection is open to the internet.
Extension does not provide protection against viruses, worms, intrusion, or other data vulnerabilities. Protective software must be installed on the owner’s portable computer.
Note that although we refer to seasonal academic quarters for reference, UCSC Extension doesn't schedule courses on a strict quarter system. Courses may begin in any week during the quarter.
If you're an international student, visit this page for F-1 visa deadlines.
The UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus is closed for the following holidays.
