During the Washington program, all students pay UCSC registration fees to maintain their UCSC student status and earn 12-18 units for the quarter. Participants must be enrolled on a full-time basis (12 units) and must take two required courses (UCDC 194A/B).
Required Courses
- SEMINAR (UCDC 194A; 5 units; P/NP or Letter Grade; meets the Practice: Service Learning (PR-S) GE requirement)- All students are required to take one Seminar course, and there are typically 5-6 Seminars to choose from. Seminars are taught 1 day a week for 3 hours. This seminar features group meetings and tutorial sessions related to the student’s internship placement. Each student completes a research paper, which is an essential component of the Washington program. For many students, it is the most extensive paper they will write as a college student. Yet it is also the paper for which they will have the most support and feedback through the faculty sponsor, teaching assistants, and internship supervisor. Students also have access to excellent research resources. Thus, our expectations are high. Click here for a list of past and current courses.
- INTERNSHIP (UCDC 194B; 7 units; P/NP only)- Students must work with their internship organization for 24-32 hours a week (an exception can sometimes be made for 20 hours). A wide variety of internships are available in ANY field! Students are responsible for finding their own internship, typically after selection into the UCDC program. Staff in Washington, D.C. will assist students in this process, providing guidance and internship leads. Upon acceptance to UCDC, participants will gain access to the UCDC Internship Database, containing active internship listings by internship sites that routinely hire UCDC interns. For more information check out the UC Washington Internship Site: https://www.ucdc.edu/internships
Optional Course
In addition, each student may choose one upper-division elective course from a range of classes offered by faculty at UCDC. These elective classes are 4 units each, and are in several disciplines, including selections from the social and natural sciences, arts and humanities. If you do take an elective, you are eligible for 2 additional independent studies units. Click here for elective course descriptions.
UCDC Prep Series
The UCDC Prep 100 course is offered during the term before a student’s program begins. Its purpose is to prepare and orient students to participate in UCDC the next quarter. It will guide students through all the required steps they will need to search out internships of interest, prepare their application materials, hone their interview skills, choose and be prepared for UCDC courses, and get the most out of their internship experience. It will also inform them about the support services and other programming UCDC offers to ensure that they have a successful UCDC experience. All UCSC students should register for the course.
UCSC students can take the UCDC Prep 100 course for one credit the term before their program begins (except fall quarter as the course is offered in summer and thus fall students cannot take it for one credit). If a student chooses to take the course for credit, there will be specific assignments they will need to complete. All UCSC students should register for the canvas course even if they are not taking it for credit. If they are taking it for credit, the UCSC Registrar’s office will enroll them in a one-unit course that will appear in their MyUCSC account with their regular list of classes. More information will be provided about this opportunity upon acceptance to the program.
You can learn more about the course here.
Requesting Academic Accommodations
If you require academic ADA accommodations and are affiliated with UCSC’s Disability Resource Center, please contact them to request that they send your accommodation letter to Professor Diascro, UCDC Associate Director and DSP Liaison, at jennifer.diascro@ucdc.edu.
When the term begins, Professor Diascro will share your letter with your instructor(s) and support them and you in providing the necessary accommodations.
Enrolling in UCSC Courses Online While on the UCDC Program
While it is possible for students who meet the below criteria to take additional online courses at UCSC while on the UCDC Washington program, Global Learning does not recommend it. While in DC, students will be adjusting to a new academic and cultural environment, balancing a full-time course load, an internship, professional development activities, and a rigorous schedule. Adding courses online at UCSC that will be in a different time zone will be challenging.
A student can enroll in both UCSC courses and UCDC courses if they meet the following criteria:
- Be in good academic standing
- Have a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher
Special approval from the UCDC Faculty Director is required, please email globallearning@ucsc.edu for more information