UCLA Extension: History, Mission, Products/Services, and Role in the Community
Serving students in Southern California since 1917, UCLA Extension is one of America’s largest and most comprehensive continuing higher education providers and is the community outreach arm of University of California at Los Angeles. Each year, UCLA Extension provides 4,500 primarily post-baccalaureate courses, conferences, and programs to 60,000 adult learners who seek career development and personal growth. The institution possesses an unusual profile among university-based continuing education programs: it is completely self-sustaining and receives no state funds; 95% of its offerings carry only continuing education credit and are therefore not UCLA-transferrable; and it does not grant degrees.
Driven by the mission to “provide knowledge and connections to help people achieve their personal and professional goals,” UCLA Extension’s business model is “entrepreneurial education,” offering UCLA Academic Senate-approved courses designed to meet the needs of “education consumers” who want to improve job prospects, change careers, acquire new knowledge and skills, and explore their creative sides. A recent analysis by a group of MBA students from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management sought to measure UCLA Extension’s impact on the Los Angeles economy, and using a conservative formula, calculated that the institution contributes $250 million annually, primarily through increased earning power of its students. Accordingly, the viability of many of the courses and programs reflect current economic, business, and social realities. When the real estate market boomed, so did interior design, landscape architecture, and real estate certificate programs; when the technology bubble burst, enrollments in technology-related engineering and business courses fell. After the attacks of 9/11, students sought out arts courses to find meaningful modes of self-expression. During tight economic times, UCLA Extension traditionally sees an uptick in enrollments in UCLA degree-transferrable courses and hot-button areas which offer new career opportunities. Most courses are held in the evenings and weekends at UCLA, satellite locations in Westwood and downtown Los Angeles, and online to accommodate adult learners’ schedules. A pioneer in distance learning, UCLA Extension carried 1,040 online courses with 18,148 enrollments in 2008, which comprised 22.35% of the institution’s total enrollments. UCLA Extension online students come from all 50 states, and in 2008, from 43 countries internationally. Currently, 23 certificate programs are available online.