Programs

AEP offers UC San Diego undergraduates the opportunity to obtain valuable research-oriented academic and professional preparation in virtually any academic major. AEP initiatives are designed to encourage students—particularly underrepresented, first-generation and low-income—to pursue post baccalaureate degrees by offering opportunities to conduct faculty-mentored research and present research at research at conferences.

In addition to facilitating faculty/student contact by means of the research mentor/mentee relationship, AEP provides other avenues for faculty and student interaction, such as having faculty members moderate roundtables at research conferences, or appear at informal gatherings such as Coffee and Conversation with Faculty. 

AEP provides both academic year and summer research, training, and scholarship opportunities, maximizing student opportunities to participate in research-related and personal and professional development activities.  Many of the programs provide scholarship or stipend support. Summer Programs also provide on-campus housing or a housing subsidy that partially offsets the costs of housing.

The Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration (APIAHC) Committee hosts the Undergraduate Student Essay Contest Award celebrating Asian and Pacific Islander American activism and community leadership. The Award recognizes undergraduate students who have demonstrated commitment to the advancement of Asian and Pacific Islander American heritage education and community building. Winners of the essay contest will receive monetary prizes (with a top prize of $700), recognition in UC San Diego media publications, and a special invitation to attend the Annual APIAHC Kick-Off Luncheon and Awards Program.

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The Black Studies Project (BSP) is a multi-year,  non-departmental, interdisciplinary research collaborative that includes faculty, graduate and undergraduate students from across the UCSD campus. BSP provides a venue for rigorous and  groundbreaking research, intellectual exchange and a cross-campus community of scholars; the strengthening of undergraduate and graduate work in Black Studies; and the building of sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships with broader San Diego and UC communities. BSP currently focuses on three areas of inquiry: intersectional analysis of race, class, gender, and sexuality; transnational and diasporic studies; and social justice movements. These areas are not only vital to contemporary African American and African Diaspora Studies, but are central to the study of black life, history, cultural production, and politics in the US and globally.

The Blum Summer Field Internship was established in 2014, with generous funding from Regent Richard C. Blum and the UC Office of the President, to enable UC San Diego undergraduates from across disciplines to participate in immersive, supervised, team-based field research in the UC San Diego Community Stations, located across the San Diego / Tijuana border region. In 2016, the internship was expanded to include students from other UC campuses.

The Blum Summer Field Internship is supported by the UC San Diego Frontiers in Innovation Scholars Program, Strategic Energy Innovations, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Successful applicants receive a $3,000 stipend and the internship runs nine weeks, from June to August. Students work in supervised interdisciplinary teams, investigating a variety of challenges, and participate in ongoing collaborative projects in the UC San Diego Community Stations.

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Bridges is a joint effort of UCSD and Border Angels to support the educational development of children whose parents have been deported or voluntarily returned to Mexico, focusing on high-school students applying to UCSD and higher education institutions.

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Through the Chancellor’s Associates Scholars Program (CASP), the university provides eligible UC San Diego students $10,000 per year for four years. When combined with the University of California’s Blue + Gold Opportunity Plan—which covers fees for California residents whose families earn less than $80,000 per year and qualify for financial aid—the scholarships effectively provide a full-ride to UC San Diego.

UC San Diego is committed to our local community and the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. These scholarships strengthen our efforts to enroll highly qualified local students who will become our future leaders and innovators.

To find out more about eligibility for the CASP program, or to apply, visit the program’s website.

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Comienza con un Sueño, “It Begins with a Dream,” is a college outreach event held every year by UC San Diego in an effort to encourage first-generation and low-income students from Spanish-speaking families to pursue a higher education.

The event is organized by UC San Diego’s Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) and TRiO Outreach Programs, which provide local K-12 students with college preparatory programs. The goal is to excite students about their future by increasing awareness of college eligibility requirements and offering a glimpse of the possibilities for educational and career success.

The goal is to convey to Latinx/Chixanx students that you don’t have to give up your language, identity and culture to succeed at an institution of higher education like UC San Diego.

CREATE was established in 1997 as UC San Diego’s entity to support local K-12 outreach and college preparation efforts, specifically for students too often underrepresented in college.

The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at UCSD is one of nine programs administered system-wide by the UC Office of the President to increase the number of low-income and first-generation college going students on UC campuses. EAOP programs represent the largest student-centered initiative in the state.

Begun in 1976, UCSD’s program currently serves more than 3,000 students at 16 schools in San Diego and Imperial Counties. Of the approximately 500 high school seniors served each year by UCSD's EAOP, more than half become eligible to attend UCSD and other UC institutions, and more than 80% of these 500 seniors will go on to attend college at a UC campus or elsewhere.

Postdoctoral training is a fundamental component of career success across many academic disciplines and is vital to many scholars as a basic requirement for progression into academic or non-academic careers. The Explore, Prepare, Innovate and Connect (EPIC) Postdoctoral Training Program is a holistic approach to postdoctoral training that will ensure a vibrant, dedicated, and talented workforce in academic and non-academic careers.

UC San Diego is uniquely suited to provide broad-spectrum training to postdoctoral scholars due to its role as a hub for the biotech, pharmaceutical, and engineering industries, its own highly successful research enterprise, and its proximity to both four-year academic institutions and community colleges that serve a diverse student population. As it sits at the nexus of these interest areas, postdoctoral scholars at UC San Diego are afforded the opportunity to explore a variety of career paths. 

The EPIC curriculum provides postdoctoral scholars with training for multiple career paths, consisting of Essential Training, continued Foundational Training, and Specialized Training Paths over the average three-year postdoctoral training period.

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The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Peer Educator Program was established in 2015 to address the growing need for social justice education in the Greek Life community.

The program began with nine students—three from each of the Greek councils—who shared a common purpose to create a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive Greek community at UC San Diego. The nine Peer Educators developed a platform to discuss EDI issues that were impacting our students on a daily basis. In 2016, they expanded their role and began facilitating dialogues within each of the Greek chapters. Since then, the EDI Peer Educator Program continues to expand and address the issues facing our Greek community.

Read more about the program and its history at its website.

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Inclusion | Diversity | Excellence | Achievement

IDEA's mission is to foster an inclusive and welcoming community, increase retention and graduation rates, and promote a sustainable culture of academic excellence among all engineering students at UC San Diego. The IDEA vision is to provide engineering students with academic support and social engagement that enhances values of diversity for a global community.

Goals

• Increase retention and graduation rates among our diverse engineering student population
• Provide student-centered services that promote academic success
• Foster a supportive and inclusive environment for all engineering students
• Develop engineering leaders who are civic-minded

Values
Community | Excellence | Diversity | Inclusion | Leadership | Collaboration | Creativity | Innovation

The Institute of Arts and Humanities encourages interdisciplinary research, teaching and public dialogue in the Arts and Humanities. Encompassing a broad range of methods, approaches and themes—underscoring the centrality of core arts and humanities disciplines—we generate and support projects that help equip students, faculty and the wider public with the creativity, empathy and analysis for imagining and practicing a collaborative and more equitable human experience. 

At the Institute of Arts and Humanities, we engage in conversations about the arts and humanities across borders of time, place, culture and discipline. We are especially committed to issues concerning social equity, diversity and inclusion; global arts and humanities; public arts and humanities; and digital arts and humanities.  

We offer exciting programs for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and the broader university and San Diego communities. From our 14 undergraduate, graduate and research programs and centers in area, ethnic and language studies, to our many faculty-driven research clusters and workshops, to our on-going projects in the public and digital humanities, we offer multiple ways to participate in our dialogue. We warmly invite you to be a part of our Institute of Arts and Humanities community. 

UC San Diego is committed to creating more spaces where our diverse population of undergraduate students can connect with each other, with the university, and with others in the community. Our Living-Learning Communities (LLCs) have been developed to strengthen learning by helping residents to connect academically and socially. The LLCs are each characterized by housing within the same residence location, shared co-curricular experiences and access to resources, and engagement in activities that reinforce common affinities such as culture. The five LLCs are:

• LGBTQIA+ Living-Learning Community (LGBTQIA+LLC – housed at Muir College) 
• Multi-Cultural Living-Learning Community (MCLLC – housed at Sixth College)
• African Black Diaspora Living-Learning Community (ABDLLC – housed at Sixth College)
• Raza Living-Learning Community (RLLC – housed at Eleanor Roosevelt College)
• International House (I-House – housed at Eleanor Roosevelt College)

To find out more or to apply, visit the Housing Communities website.

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The Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS) is one of the largest learning communities at UC San Diego, empowering students personally, academically, and professionally. Our students and staff are innovative, productive, and engaged global citizens committed to social responsibility and the promotion of a diverse community of people, ideas, and perspectives. We accomplish this through academic success initiatives, leadership development, and bridging partnerships that move our students to change the world. 

The mission of OASIS is to facilitate the intellectual and personal development of UC San Diego students, with a particular focus on students who have overcome significant obstacles (e.g. students who are first in their families to attend college, students from under-resourced communities, underrepresented students, English language learners, etc.). Through a challenging and supportive environment that emphasizes collaboration, validation, equity, and social justice, OASIS contributes positively to student retention, achievement, learning, and empowerment.

To read more about all of OASIS’s services and opportunities, visit its website.

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Parent & Family Programs at UC San Diego engages family members as partners in the educational journey of their student. Families are natural allies to the university as we seek to help students find success academically, socially and personally. Programs, events and ongoing communication will encourage families to be involved in the university community, assist their student, and develop a long lasting connection to the university community.

The PATHways to STEM (PATHS) through Enhanced Access and Mentorship Program proposes an innovative pilot program to mitigate historical barriers and establish an infrastructure of resources, communications, and professional development within UC San Diego and in the surrounding community. PATHS is designed as a 4+ year-round undergraduate program to provide enhanced access to targeted academic preparation, multi-tiered mentorship, personalized student support, improved STEM identity, early career identification, and internship and service placement. This program aims to empower students from underserved communities and backgrounds to emerge as leaders who not only survive but thrive during their undergraduate experience in STEM at UC San Diego.

To find out more about the program, visit its website.

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Professional meetings, conferences, workshops, and other scholarly activities are critical for career advancement. Expenses for dependent care during travel to these events can present a major challenge for postdoctoral scholars, both male and female, as most funding agencies and training funds do not cover such expenses. Postdoctoral scholars, in particular, are in need of these travel opportunities to develop a professional network and identify career opportunities prior to entering the job market (the postdoc position being the last “step” in their training). This grant program seeks to alleviate expenses of child- and adult-dependent care costs incurred by postdocs during these vital professional development travel opportunities.

This program is funded and administered by the Office of Postdoctoral and Visiting Scholar Affairs and is also funded by the Office of Research Affairs.

To find out more about the Postdoc Dependent Care Travel Grant or to apply, visit their website.

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The purpose of the UCSD Health Sciences Research Methodology Training Lab (RMTL) is to train students from disadvantaged backgrounds to conduct research in a biochemical science lab to prepare them to enter graduate programs in the health sciences addressing health disparities.

During the summer, students participate in a structured program (6 weeks for high school and 8 weeks for undergraduate and community college students) where they develop an original research project, write a report and prepare a presentation to take to conferences. In addition to their projects all students are exposed to lectures on health disparities research. Undergraduate and community college students receive lectures on preparation for graduate school, while high school students participate in an SAT prep course. Students may continue their research during the academic year.

The Cross-Cultural Center Social Justice Leadership Academy (SJLA) is a program to help undergraduate students build foundational skills of a social justice framework, leadership development and self-awareness, and interpersonal communication skills. Students engage with facilitators and their cohort peers to apply social justice concepts to their life experiences and events that address social in/equities, diverse representations, and inclusive practices. The academy culminates in the cohort members facilitating a presentation on a chosen topic using a critical social justice lens.

SJLA cohorts average 8-10 members who meet for several sessions and whose academic backgrounds span engineering, science, technology, arts, humanities, and social studies. SJLA members have also been Cross-Cultural Center volunteers, student interns, and organization leaders, and continue to be actively involved in their respective communities.

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New appraisal processes for all policy-covered (non-represented) staff went into effect May 1, 2018. The purpose of the appraisal process redesign is to simplify and standardize the process for supervisors and to make performance appraisals more meaningful for staff. This project meets the campus’ desire to redesign, update, and standardize the process based on IdeaWave campaign feedback received in late 2015.

Upon completion of Phase I, the new process will have examined, revised, and implemented a new performance appraisal process that is simplified, standardized and will align more appropriately with the annual merit based pay increase system. The project deliverables shall include the following:

• Standardization and adoption of revised performance standards and process for all staff covered by UC Personnel Policies for Staff Members (PPSM), to be implemented across all VC areas starting with the upcoming appraisal cycle
• More meaningful performance measurements and rating scale, to be delivered using a more conversational approach
• Standardization and adoption of the new process across all VC areas
• Training for supervisors on how to perform a conversational staff performance appraisal using the new rating scale
• VC area choice for appraisal cycle (fiscal, anniversary, or other)
• Examination and determination of electronic tool for the 17/18 appraisal cycle
• Communication campus wide about the upcoming change to the performance appraisal process and standards

Components of this project that will not be included in Phase I and may be included in later phases include:

• Two-way feedback from employee to supervisor
• 360 Evaluations
• Represented employee performance appraisal process

Read more on the process in the updated project plan or on the HR website.

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The SIAPS Overnight Program offers participants a variety of activities encompassing student life at UC San Diego and opportunities to connect with undergraduate students, alumni, and staff. Participants will be able to attend various workshops, campus tours, informational sessions, social events, and activities organized by the staff of SPACES, LGBT Resource Center and Raza Resource Centro.

The SIAPS Overnight Program partners with the Black Resource Center, Black Student Union, Jacobs School of Engineering, LGBT Resource Center, and Raza Resource Centro to offer activities and workshops that are culturally relevant and academically based.

The Student Success Coaching Program was developed through a partnership with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and the six undergraduate colleges at UC San Diego.

First-generation students are connected to a Success Coach from their undergraduate college who is familiar with the resources and opportunities that can help ensure their success. Together, student and coach focus on their strengths and passions to find high-impact practices that directly support their goals as a first-generation college student—such as research, mentorship, student involvement, faculty interaction, and more.

First-year students in the program are assigned to a Success Team composed of a Success Coach and a Peer Coach. Success coaching is a partnership for success, and the teams work together to develop unique Student Success Plans, which support goal setting, reflection, action planning, support networks, and more.

Second-year students continue to connect with the Success Coach from their undergraduate college and participate in a series of group coaching workshops designed to continue to propel them toward their goals.

Participating students will meet with their coaches (peer and professional) several times during the academic year, attend a variety of academic and community-based programming, and participate in major- and career-focused activities—all individualized to the student's goals and passions.

Find out more by visiting the Student Success Coaching Program website.

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The Summer Bridge Program, organized by UC San Diego’s Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS), is a year-long academic transition and scholarship program.

It begins with an intensive 4- or 5-week residential program for incoming freshmen from underserved high schools—many of whom will be the first in their families to graduate from college. The program is designed to ease the transition into college by helping students to acclimate to the academic, social and cultural life of UC San Diego.

Through academic courses, workshops, mentoring and other activities, students gain a clear understanding of the demands of a major research university and the resources available to help them meet those demands. The program also helps students develop an understanding of the complex social issues in our diverse society.

The Teaching + Learning Commons (the Commons) provides leadership and support for the university’s teaching and learning initiatives, and its commitment to academic success for all students.

The Commons consists of six hubs: Engaged Teaching, Digital Learning, Academic Achievement, Writing + Critical Expression, Experiential Learning, and Education Research and Assessment.

The Commons assists all members of the UC San Diego community in developing learning environments and experiences for their students that encourage engagement and foster student success.

Student programs include one-on-one and small-group drop-in tutoring in STEM fields; learning strategies workshops and one-to-one consultations can help students learn better and get the most out of studying; peer-assisted group study sessions improve student success in traditionally difficult academic courses; writing support for all subjects; and more.

TRIO Outreach Programs at UC San Diego offers five federally funded, pre-college programs: two Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math Science programs for San Diego Unified School District central high schools and Grossmont Union High School District high schools, and theTalent Search program.

Our goal is to prepare students to successfully complete high school, transition to the college of their choice and succeed in graduating with a two-year, four-year or vocational/technical degree. TRIO Outreach Programs are targeted to low-income, first generation students who aspire to attend college immediately after high school graduation. Collectively, we serve more than 875 students in13 schools across San Diego County. 

Wear blue and gold on Fridays! Demonstrate your support of an inclusive environment—where our connections as Tritons unite us and build community!

In order to foster a better sense of belonging on campus and to create an environment of pride in being a member of the UC San Diego community—a community where we are ALL Tritons—UC San Diego Athletics have implemented Triton Fridays. Triton Fridays is a way for the university to enhance its sense of community spirit through our shared connection as Tritons. On Fridays, we ask everyone to wear blue and gold to create an inclusive environment, symbolizing our support for the Principles of Community and our bond as members of UC San Diego.

As a part of Triton Fridays, we are going out to offices with the mascot and cheer/dance teams, taking photos and giving out promotional items, and will be sharing it all on social media. Our goal is to see all of the offices and all of campus in blue and gold on every Friday in the future!

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With funding provided by the UC Office of the President UC-HBCU Initiative, the UC San Diego-Morehouse-Spelman Physics Bridge program supports up to five students per year from Morehouse and Spelman Colleges to participate in cutting-edge physics research at UC San Diego, receive training in research skills, and participate in workshops on graduate school admissions and preparation. In addition, all participants will receive two years of graduate funding upon acceptance into any UC graduate program.

During the eight-week summer program, students work with individual faculty mentors at UC San Diego on research in physics—including subfields of astrophysics, biophysics, condensed matter/materials physics, high energy physics, and plasma physics. Students will be paired with individual faculty mentors most closely aligned to their research interests.

Leading up to the summer, mentors provide scientific background materials and basic tool training for their research projects. On campus, students are integrated into the mentor’s research labs and groups, providing the opportunity to experience a broad range of physics research.

Students present their work at the annual UC San Diego Summer Undergraduate Research Conference and receive support to present at a national conference (e.g. AAS, APS, NSBP, SACNAS).

Students also participate in the Summer Training Academy for Research in the Sciences (STARS) program, which organizes a number of workshops and courses to prepare students for graduate admissions and research, including:

• General GRE bootcamp
• Workshops on graduate admissions, research and work/life balance
• Training and individual feedback for applications to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
• Feedback on graduate admissions personal statement
• Individual meetings with UC San Diego Graduate Admissions faculty and staff

In addition, each student is assigned a graduate mentor who provides insight into graduate life, facilitates workshop activities, mentors the student at UC San Diego, and serves as an advocate for the student on campus.

Students participating in the program are encouraged to extend their stay through the UC San Diego-Morehouse-Spelman Exchange program. Through a tuition-transfer agreement, students may take classes at UC San Diego in the fall semester or for a full year, and continue their research activities.

To read more about the program or to apply, visit its website.

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Read more on the program’s website.

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Undocumented Student Services Center serves undocumented students and their families through holistic services, and generates a sense of community for all students that are undocumented or come from mixed immigration-status families.

The Summer Program for Women in Philosophy is a ten-day program for undergraduate women in philosophy hosted by the UC San Diego Philosophy Department. It features philosophy seminar courses taught by visiting and UC San Diego faculty, along with a variety of workshops taught by faculty and graduate students, all geared towards providing an engaging philosophical learning experience and helpful preparation for applying to and succeeding at graduate school in philosophy and beyond.

Find out more on their website.

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