Academic

The University of California Washington Center offers a wide range of academic opportunities. Students receive a full term’s credit though a combination of an internship, a seminar and an elective. Credit distribution and requirements vary from campus to campus (see chart below.) Most students earn credit in the following ways.

I. Internships. This is the core of the UC Washington program. Students intern three or four days a week in offices from Capitol Hill to the White House including opportunities in cabinet agencies, non-profit institutions, museums, scientific laboratories, advocacy groups, cultural institutions and news organizations.

II. Core Seminars. The centerpiece of the academic curriculum is the weekly research seminar designed to put the internship in a scholastic framework. Courses are taught by visiting UC professors, UCDC instructors and local Washington experts. Most seminars meet once a week for three hours. Students typically take the day off from their internships on the day their seminar meets. Students are free to choose any seminar which best suits their interests or internship. Some combine research with a focus on Congress, the Media, the Presidency, Elections, Bureaucracy, Sustainability or International Relations. Others focus on pure research and allow students to write an in-depth research paper on a topic of their choice. Depending on the seminar, students may share internship experiences, hold discussions on Washington policy, learn research techniques, take field trips to Washington landmarks, or participate in skill-building workshops.

III. Electives. The UC Washington Center offers a wide range of electives taught by faculty and local experts. Most electives meet one evening a week at the UCDC building. Courses offerings vary from term to term. Recent offerings include courses on Middle East policy, presidential speechwriting, the history of Washington through art and architecture, political journalism, advocacy, and theater. For information on the current term’s offerings see current classes.

The following chart provides campus-by-campus academic information for each school. Further information may be found on your own campus’ UCDC web site.