university of california merced tour

Freshman requirements

• Subject requirement (A-G)
• GPA requirement
• Admission by exception
• English language proficiency
• UC graduation requirements

Additional information for

• California residents
• Out-of-state students
• Home-schooled students

Transfer requirements

• Understanding UC transfer
• Preparing to transfer
• UC transfer programs
• Transfer planning tools

International applicants

• Applying for admission
• English language proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS)
• Passports & visas
• Living accommodations
• Health care & insurance

AP & Exam credits

Applying as a freshman

• Filling out the application
• Dates & deadlines
• Personal insight questions
• How applications are reviewed
• After you apply

Applying as a transfer

Types of aid

• Grants & scholarships
• Jobs & work-study
• California DREAM Loan Program
• Middle Class Scholarship Program
• Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan
• Native American Opportunity Plan  
• Who can get financial aid
• How aid works
• Estimate your aid

Apply for financial aid

• Cal Dream Act application tips
• Tuition & cost of attendance
• Glossary & resources
• Santa Barbara
• Campus program & support services
• Check majors
• Freshman admit data
• Transfer admit data
• Native American Opportunity Plan

UC Merced is nestled in the breathtaking backdrop of California’s San Joaquin Valley. As California’s newest base for advanced research, the facilities are second-to-none. That’s not to mention the greatest natural research facility of all—nearby Yosemite National Park.

We’re young, and growing fast, attracting people from all over the world. Our 8,000 students study across a range of disciplines: Engineering, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts.

There’s an impressive number of clubs and organizations too. Every corner of the campus has this positive, punchy atmosphere — you’ll feel right at home from the second you step on to campus.

Freshman admit stats

Applicants: 27,184

Admits:  24,016

Overall admit rate:  88.3 %

See more freshman stats

Transfer admit stats

Applicants:  4 ,037

Admits:  2,663

Overall admit rate:  66 %

See more transfer stats

Admissions contact information

University of California, Merced
 5200 N. Lake Road
 Merced, CA 95343
 (209) 228-4400 Office of Admissions (209) 228-7178

More campus contacts

Campus Tours (209) 228-6316 [email protected] Financial Aid (209) 228-7178 [email protected] Housing (209) 228-4663 [email protected] Registrar (209) 228- 7178 [email protected]

Student Accessibility Service (209) 228-6996 [email protected]     Students First Center (209) 228-7178 [email protected] Transfer Admissions (209) 228- 7178 [email protected]

Transfer, Returning and Veterans Programs   (209) 228-7178 [email protected]  

Additional resources

• Campus Store
• General Catalog


Merced up close

• Student housing
• Support services
• Financial aid

Plan a visit

• Visitor information
• In-person tour
• Virtual tour

UC Merced Featured on The College Tour

Explore the UC Merced experience through The College Tour student segments.

Explore UC Merced

• First Year and Transfer Students
• Parents and Families
• Counselors and Educators
• Student Resources on Campus

When you first arrive at UC Merced, you might wonder how you will meet people. You can start by leaving the comfort of your room, exploring campus and following your interests, whether in dance, gaming, photography, robotics or anything else. Once you find your niche, you’ll feel part of the close-knit UC Merced community and start making the friends with whom you will share your entire college experience.

A Place to Call Home

On-campus housing.

Residence halls offer computer labs with printers, study lounges, a laundry facility with an Internet notification system, a gaming center, a dance and music room, kitchens, outdoor barbecues and more.

On-campus housing is available for first-year students and transfer students.

Residency Guarantee For First Year and Transfer Students 

Housing is guaranteed for two years for first-year undergraduate students and one year for transfer students. Students must apply by the housing application deadline to secure their spot. Apply at housing.ucmerced.edu

Off-Campus Housing

The university does not currently offer university-sponsored off-campus housing. Housing offers a resource for those students seeking to live in the community. Visit och.ucmerced.edu for more information.

Virtual Tour

Take a 360-degree tour of UC Merced. Scroll up, down and side-to-side to explore our campus including classroom buildings, housing, library, recreation areas, student services buildings, and vernal pools. You can even tour Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada Research Institute Yosemite Field Station in Wawona. Enjoy the virtual tour but be sure to see our campus in person , too.

Dining Options

A meal plan is mandatory because residence halls do not have kitchen facilities that allow all students to cook meals on a regular basis.

What meal plans are provided?

Students can select an all-you-care-to-eat meal plan that meets their weekly dietary needs. To learn more about UC Merced dining plans and select the one that’s right for you, please read the residential meal plans guide on the dining website. UC Merced Dining Services provides several options for students who choose to eat a vegetarian, vegan or gluten-sensitive diet and strives to ensure that students with special dietary needs can safely dine in our facilities. If you have any challenges navigating our menu offerings or need additional support, please email executive chef Mitch Vanagten at  [email protected]  to schedule a dining consultation.

CAT Dollars also allow a resident to purchase food and convenience items at other on-campus locations such as The Summits Marketplace, Campus Store, the Lantern Café and visiting food trucks on Scholar's Lane.

Find more information:  dining.ucmerced.edu

Campus Safety

Ensuring your safety and security and that of our community is the UC Merced Police Department’s top priority; that is why each officer, public safety dispatcher and Community Service Officer (CSO) is highly trained and focused on customer service to meet your needs. They also are some of the friendliest people you will meet on campus and are here to serve you 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  

Some ways we keep you safe:

• Emergency Blue Lights are direct lines to dispatch located around campus. In an emergency, anyone can use the blue lights to talk directly to dispatch in order to get assistance quickly or request a safety escort.
• Online bike and electronics registration increase the chance that they will be recovered if stolen.
• Emergency messages are sent to your cell phone and/or email address using UCM Alert, UC Merced’s emergency notification system.

Life Outside the Classroom

Student life.

Activities: There’s something for everyone, and  something is always happening : Movie nights, beach parties, spirit days, cultural events, dance crew battles, guest speakers and more. You’ll see excited faces from all over campus at our most popular annual events – the harvest carnival and concert Treats ‘N Beats, CABsterical Comedy Jam, Winterball, Soul’d Out Poetry Jam, Bobcats Got Talent, and the biggest draw of the year, the Cowchella music festival.

Clubs and Organizations: The Anime Club, Black Student Union, Bobcat Theater, Pilipino American Alliance, Pre-Pharmacy Club and The Prodigy News are only a few of the more than 200  clubs and organizations  UC Merced students have formed.

Greek Life: UC Merced’s  fraternity and sorority community  has many recognized chapters on campus. Collectively, Greek Life provides a wide range of academic, social and community service activities.

Whether you’re an athlete or fan of college athletics, you can get involved by showing up and teaming with Rufus to cheer on the blue and gold!

• Mascot: Rufus
• School colors: Blue and gold
• Affiliation: National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
• Conference: California Pacific (CalPac)
• Men’s and women’s varsity teams: Basketball, cross country, soccer, track, volleyball, water polo
• Athletics facilities: Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center; Student Activities and Athletics Center; Bobcat Field, Outdoor Basketball Courts, Recreation Fields, Tennis Courts and Aquatics Center

More info at ucmercedbobcats.com .

Recreation and Wellness

Recreation & Wellness : If your idea of wellness is fresh air and fun outside, an energetic place to do lifts and reps, or a chance to push, pull, run and pedal in matchups with other students, you’re in luck!

Sports clubs : Archery, Bobcat Dance Team, Bobcats Martial Arts Team, Cheer, Softball, Tennis and Water Polo

Intramural sports teams : Basketball, tennis singles, flag football, futsal, indoor volleyball, e-sports

The OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE PROGRAM (OEP):  The OEP is UC Merced’s hub of all things outdoors. There are activities like Week of Wilderness and you can even rent outdoor equipment and kayaks. Outdoor Adventure trips include skiing and snowboarding in the Sierra, rafting the American River, kayaking in the San Francisco Bay and surfing in Santa Cruz.

Fitness:  You’ll find state-of-the-art cardio, fitness and group exercise equipment in our recreation center. Group fitness classes range from cycling to yoga, and personal trainers are always an option.

More info at recreation.ucmerced.edu .

Where is UC Merced?

Be prepared: Your friends and family are going to ask where Merced is. Just tell them this: Merced is in the middle of everything .

University of California, Merced is located at 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343 37.3648º N, 120.4244º W , to be exact

In the Middle of Everything

UC Merced is located in the center of California’s northern Central Valley. Merced is your quintessential small town, with a tree-lined downtown filled with mom-and-pop shops, restaurants and a theater, but with amenities that a larger town might have, such as a mall and larger eateries.

Merced is also centrally located, which means that if you schedule a route north, south, east or west in your map app, you’ll run into a city or attraction that’s easy to get to.

Gather your roommate and some friends, check out marine life at Monterey Bay Aquarium, explore the diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco, go skiing at Dodge Ridge, or sit on the beach during the day and hit the boardwalk at night in Santa Cruz.

7 Destinations within 2 Hours of UC Merced

Yosemite National Park . There’s a reason why Yosemite is considered one of the wonders of the world. UC Merced students regularly take advantage of the fact that being one with nature is only a short drive away.

San Francisco. Golden Gate Bridge. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (but take a picture of it first). Diverse neighborhoods. Giants games. Alcatraz (spoiler alert: no actual inmates).

Santa Cruz. Dozens of beaches by day, boardwalk arcades and rides by night. A movie on the beach or monarch butterfly sightings if you time your trip right.

Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row. Stunning marine life up close, rocks on the shore to climb afterward, and a famous waterfront street to wander once your shoes and socks are soaked.

Dodge Ridge and China Peak. Skiing and snowboarding. (Hot cocoa in the lodge is okay, too.) Selfies in the snow!

Sacramento. State capitol tours. Gold Rush-era buildings, restaurants and museums in historic Old Sacramento. (The state fair takes place here, too. Ferris wheel selfies!)

Gold Country. Quaint and thriving downtowns in Columbia, Jamestown, Murphys, Sutter Creek and more. Gold panning and live re-enactments for your history fix.

Yosemite: Our Majestic Neighbor

You know those photos on Instagram and Twitter of people hiking trails, climbing rocks and river rafting? There’s a good chance they’re snapping those selfies in Yosemite National Park, at Half Dome, El Capitan, or Bridalveil and Yosemite Falls.

Merced is called the Gateway to Yosemite for a reason. We’re only 2 hours from Yosemite Valley. You also can take advantage of the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) , buses that will pick you up on campus and take you to the park; no driving required.

Visit Us on Social Media!

• Instagram : @LifeAtUCMerced
• Facebook : @UCMercedAdmissions
• X (formerly Twitter) : @Go2UCMerced
• TikTok  @lifeatucmerced
• YouTube  @lifeatucmerced

Additional Links

• Executive Leadership
• University Library
• School of Engineering
• School of Natural Sciences
• School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts
• Ernest & Julio Gallo Management Program
• Division of Graduate Education
• Division of Undergraduate Education

Administration

• Office of the Chancellor
• Office of Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
• Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence
• External Relations
• Finance & Administration
• Physical Operations, Planning and Development
• Student Affairs
• Research and Economic Development
• Office of Information Technology

University of California, Merced 5200 North Lake Rd. Merced, CA 95343 Telephone: (209) 228-4400

• © 2024
• About UC Merced
• Privacy/Legal
• Site Feedback
• Accessibility

Experience University of California, Merced

Virtually explore University of California, Merced in a fully immersive 360-degree experience.

Aria doesn't work without JavaScript.

Need to know how to enable it? Go here.

University of California, Merced

Watch the full episode

UC Merced opened to undergraduates in 2005 as the newest campus in the University of California system, and is the youngest university to earn a Carnegie research classification. A Top-60 US university and among the top 10 for creating social and economic mobility for its students, UC Merced is on the cutting edge of sustainability in campus construction and design, and supports high-achieving and dedicated students from throughout California and the nation.

Student Stories from University of California, Merced

The Inside Scoop

Learn more about this institution through its faculty, staff, and leadership.

Ask Admissions

Navigating Financial Aid

Coffee with the President

• Full Name *
• Enter email... *
• Name * First Last
• Title * I am a... Student Parent College Professional Other
• Hidden utm_source
• Hidden utm_campaign
• Hidden utm_content
• Hidden utm_medium

Welcome to Drive Thru Tour

We're so glad you have decided to explore the newest University of California campus. The Drive-Thru Tour lets you learn about the nation’s fastest-growing public research university from the comfort of your vehicle. Follow the map and open each Tour Stop page to enjoy a video from one of our student Tour Guides. You also can open the videos by scanning the QR code on each Tour Stop Sign.

On the day of your visit, please check-in with the Welcome Center via email at  [email protected]  or give us a call at (209) 228-6316. 

Drive-Thru Tours are offered Monday – Friday from 10am to 4pm (PST) and selected Saturday’s from 9am to 4pm (PST). Come any time during assigned time frames.

UC Merced Covid Safety Guidelines

If you must leave your vehicle while on campus, please:

• Wear a face covering to protect yourself and others
• Stay at least six feet from others
• Avoid crowds

To comply with current COVID-19 safety guidelines, on-campus dining facilities are limited to staff, faculty and current students. Instead, please consider nearby food options while you are in town. For any other COVID-19 related inquries, please visit https://doyourpart.ucmerced.edu .

Additional Links

• Executive Leadership
• University Library
• School of Engineering
• School of Natural Sciences
• School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts
• Ernest & Julio Gallo Management Program
• Division of Graduate Education
• Division of Undergraduate Education

Administration

• Office of the Chancellor
• Office of Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
• Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence
• External Relations
• Finance & Administration
• Physical Operations, Planning and Development
• Student Affairs
• Research and Economic Development
• Office of Information Technology

University of California, Merced 5200 North Lake Rd. Merced, CA 95343 Telephone: (209) 228-4400

• © 2024
• About UC Merced
• Privacy/Legal
• Site Feedback
• Accessibility

• Library Tour

Tour Information

Welcome to the library tour.

We're glad you're here!

First things first: make sure to pick up a  Rufus cardboard cut-out  at the Services Desk. You'll be taking photos of Rufus as you complete the Tour.

This is an online Tour, designed to be completed using your phone. If you need to use a paper version of the Tour, please let the library student staff at the Services Desk know. While taking the Tour, please keep a few things in mind:

• You will be using a cardboard cutout of Rufus that you can ask for at the Services Desk. Some of the Tour involves taking photos of Rufus and uploading them.
• You will need to log in using your UC Merced Single Sign-On to access the Tour. This means using your UCMnetID (the first part of your campus email) and password.
• If you take the tour during the first 4 weeks of class, you will be entered in a drawing! 

That's it! You're ready to start the Tour :).

Click on the image of Rufus (below) to get started.

• Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024 1:12 PM
• URL: https://libguides.ucmerced.edu/library-tour

Spotlight UC Merced

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Join us for an exciting day of discovery at UC Merced! Our upcoming event is designed with first-year and transfer admitted students in mind, offering a fantastic opportunity to explore our vibrant campus. Get ready to dive into a world of possibilities as you learn about everything UC Merced has to offer, from the ins and outs of student life and comfortable housing options to the array of financial aid resources available. Discover your academic journey and countless opportunities waiting for you here. Come and see why UC Merced is the perfect fit for your future!

When : Saturday, May 4, 2024 Where : UC Merced Conference Center   

Register Now

Schedule at a Glance

Parking, directions and check-in instructions.

• To get directions to the campus, input the address 5200 N. Lake Rd, Merced, CA 95343 . You can also view a campus map at ucmerced.edu/maps .  
• Parking for Spotlight UC Merced is free. Guests will be directed to park in the Bellevue lot. Please use the Bellevue Road entrance and follow the signs to the parking lots. The event will be in the Conference Center.    

For More Information

Please contact Lizbeth Lupi at [email protected]  or (209) 201-2868.

• Campus Tours
• Publications
• Admissions Advisors
• General Contact Information
• Request a Visit
• Submit an Inquiry

Additional Links

• Executive Leadership
• University Library
• School of Engineering
• School of Natural Sciences
• School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts
• Ernest & Julio Gallo Management Program
• Division of Graduate Education
• Division of Undergraduate Education

Administration

• Office of the Chancellor
• Office of Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
• Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence
• External Relations
• Finance & Administration
• Physical Operations, Planning and Development
• Student Affairs
• Research and Economic Development
• Office of Information Technology

University of California, Merced 5200 North Lake Rd. Merced, CA 95343 Telephone: (209) 228-4400

• © 2024
• About UC Merced
• Privacy/Legal
• Site Feedback
• Accessibility

Search form

Uc merced majors and minors.

Find Out More About the Major and Minor Degree Programs at the University of California Merced

UC Merced offers more than 60 undergraduate academic programs and 18  graduate  programs taught by more than 400 full-time  faculty members , visiting professors and lecturers, who come to Merced from some of the world's top-ranked universities.

Listed below are three academic pathways with related majors that could lead to various careers you may be considering.

Career Builder Assessment

We'll help you find out what your interests are and how they relate to the world of work.

Programs include:

American Studies American Studies (minor)

Anthropology Anthropology B.A. Anthropology minor

Applied Mathematical Sciences Applied Mathematical Sciences/Computational Biology B.S Applied Mathematical Sciences/Computational and Data Sciences B.S. Applied Mathematical Sciences/Computer Science B.S. Applied Mathematical Sciences/Custom B.S. Applied Mathematical Sciences/Economics B.S. Applied Mathematical Sciences/Engineering B.S. Applied Mathematical Sciences/Environmental B.S. Applied Mathematical Sciences/Physics B.S. Applied Mathematical Sciences Minor

Bioengineering Bioengineering/Biomedical Imaging and Bioinstrumentation B.S. Bioengineering/Biotechnology B.S.

Biological Sciences Biological Sciences, B.A. Biological Sciences/ Developmental Biology B.S. Biological Sciences/Ecology and Evolutionary Biology B.S. Biological Sciences/Human Biology B.S. Biological Sciences/Microbiology and Immunology B.S. Biological Sciences/Molecular and Cell Biology B.S.

Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering/Materials Science and Engineering B.S. Chemical Engineering/Nanotechnology B.S.

Chemistry Chemistry/Biological Chemistry B.S. Chemistry/Chemistry B.S. Chemistry/Materials Chemistry B.S. Chemistry minor

Chicanx Studies Chicanx Studies minor

Civil Engineering Civil Engineering B.S.

Cognitive Science Cognitive Science B.A. Cognitive Science B.S. Cognitive Science minor

Community Research and Service Community Research and Service minor

Computer Science and Engineering Computer Science and Engineering B.S.

Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Critical Race and Ethnic Studies B.A. Critical Race and Ethnic Studies minor

Data Science and Analytics Data Science and Analytics B.A.

Data Science and Computing Data Science and Computing/Applied Mathematics B.S. Data Science and Computing/Biology B.S. Data Science and Computing/Chemistry B.S. Data Science and Computing/Custom B.S. Data Science and Computing/Environmental Systems Science B.S. Data Science and Computing/Materials Science and Engineering B.S. Data Science and Computing/Physics B.S. Data Science and Computing minor

Economics Economics/Economic Analysis and Policy B.S. Economics/Quantitative Economics B.S. Economics minor

Electrical Engineering Electrical Engineering B.S.

Environmental Engineering Environmental Engineering B.S.

Environmental Humanities Environmental Humanities B.A. Environmental Humanities minor

Environmental Systems Science Environmental Systems Science/Earth and Climate Science B.S. Environmental Systems Science/Ecosystem Science B.S.

Geospatial Technology Geospatial Technology minor

Global Arts Studies Global Arts/Performance Studies B.A. Global Arts/Visual Studies B.A. Global Arts Studies minor

History History B.A. History minor

Literatures in English Literatures in English B.A. Literatures in English/Literature and Social Justice B.A. Literatures in English/Literature and the Environment B.A. Literatures in English minor

Management Analytics and Decision-Making Management Analytics and Decision-Making minor

Management and Business Economics Management and Business Economics B.S. Management and Business Economics minor

Materials Science and Engineering Materials Science and Engineering B.S. Materials Science and Engineering/Nanotechnology B.S. Materials Sciences and Engineering minor

Mechanical Engineering Mechanical Engineering B.S. Mechanical Engineering/Aerospace Engineering B.S.

Natural Sciences Education Natural Sciences Education minor Natural Sciences Education minor with teaching credential

Philosophy Philosophy B.A. Philosophy minor

Physics Physics B.S. Physics/Astrophysics B.S. Physics/Biophysics and Soft Matter B.S. Physics/Computation and Data Science B.S. Physics/Custom B.S. Physics/Engineering and Applied Physics B.S. Physics/Mathematical and Computational Physics B.S. Physics/Quantum Science and Technology B.S. Physics minor

Political Science Political Science/American Politics B.A. Political Science/Comparative Politics B.A. Political Science/International Relations B.A. Political Science/Law and Policy B.A. Political Science minor

Psychology Psychology B.A. Psychology minor

Public Health Public Health B.A. Public Health B.S. Public Health/Pre-Medical B.S. Interdisciplinary Public Health minor

Sociology Sociology B.A. Sociology/Community Studies B.A. Sociology/Health, Medicine, and Society B.A. Sociology/Justice, Law, and Society B.A. Sociology/Race and Racial Justice B.A. Sociology minor

Spanish Spanish B.A. Spanish minor

Writing Studies Writing Studies B.A.

Additional Links

• Executive Leadership
• University Library
• Emergency Preparedness
• School of Engineering
• School of Natural Sciences
• School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts
• Ernest and Julio Gallo Management Program
• Division of Graduate Education
• Division of Undergraduate Education

Administration

• Office of the Chancellor
• Office of Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
• Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence
• External Relations
• Finance & Administration
• Physical Operations, Planning and Development
• Student Affairs
• Research and Economic Development
• Office of Information Technology

University of California, Merced

5200 North Lake Rd. Merced, CA 95343 Telephone: (209) 228-4400

• About UC Merced
• Privacy/Legal
• Site Feedback
• Accessibility

• Majors, Minors & Pathways
• Law and Policy Pathway
• Biological and Health Sciences Pathway

How UC will you be?

pause video

It’s that time of year. Millions of college-bound students in the U.S. are weighing admissions offers and deciding where to go to college. (If you’re among them, a huge congrats!)

If you’re thinking of coming to the University of California, you might wonder: What will it really be like?

The answer: Our campuses are brimming with opportunities that you’ll find nowhere else.

When you go to a UC, you get an experience that goes way beyond a prestigious degree. Every undergraduate campus is bursting with clubs, classes and programs that let you dig into your passions, follow your curiosity, grow your social circle and just have fun.

From an immersion in the Yosemite wilderness to building race cars, read on for a sampling of the thousands of  “only-at-UC” experiences that await.

Take — or teach — a class on Taylor Swift at UC Berkeley

Engineer the perfect cup of coffee at UC Davis

Launch next-gen rockets at UC Irvine

Build a race car at UCLA

Become a Yosemite ranger at UC Merced

Learn an Indigenous California language at UC Riverside

Dive deep into DIY at UC San Diego

Immerse yourself in the world of surfing at UC Santa Barbara

Track the trees at UC Santa Cruz

While you don’t have to be a Swiftie to enroll in “Artistry and Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version” at UC Berkeley, as the class founder warns, “you might become one.” The course is offered through the DeCal program (shorthand for Democratic Education), where undergraduate students propose and lead their own classes.

From expounding on the literary devices of Percy Jackson to practicing British parliamentary debate or even learning to play the carillon bells in Sather Tower, some 150 DeCals each semester delve into an eclectic range of topics. The pass/fail classes let students earn course credits while geeking out over shared interests or learning from their classmates’ unique experiences. And with 6,000 to 8,000 students partaking each year, DeCals are very Cal.  

The Taylor Swift class was the brainchild of Crystal Haryanto, who graduated with a degree in economics in 2023. A diehard Swift fan — her favorite album is Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) — Haryanto wanted to explore her idol’s pop empire through a business lens. She recruited a pair of current students, Sofia Lendahl and Miaad Bushala, to co-teach the class.

The class looks at all things Taylor, from her renowned lyricism to “Swiftonomics,” asking, among other questions: What makes a Swiftie? What are concertgoers really paying for? How can art and authenticity create a viable enterprise? And, just how big is the Swift empire?

“We wanted students to view Taylor as an entrepreneur who differentiates herself within a market, manages customer acquisition and sustains customer loyalty, and impacts multiple economies,” noted Bushala . “We wanted them to think about how, as future entrepreneurs and business leaders, to make their customers their biggest fans, like Taylor has done.”

Read more about the class.

There’s a good chance you might become an expert on coffee in college. And at UC Davis, that expertise is quite literal.

The Design of Coffee class, offered through the College of Engineering, started with 18 students back in 2013 as an experiment in finding engaging ways to introduce general education students to chemical engineering. It must have been a good brew, because today the class draws more than 2,000 students a year and has been voted the most popular elective on campus.

An intro-level course open to all majors , the class covers engineering fundamentals and asks students to apply problem-solving skills to real-world scenarios, namely roasting and brewing joe. Students learn about the laws of physics alongside the laws of flavor — for instance, engineering their coffee to take on fruity, floral or sweet notes without any additives. The class culminates in a contest where students compete to make the tastiest brew using the least amount of energy, a classic engineering optimization problem.

“Our main goal is to teach students that there is an engineering way to think about anything,” said course co-creator Dr. William Ristenpart, professor of chemical engineering. “The engineering skills and mindset we teach equally prepare students to design a multimillion-dollar biofuel refinery, a billion-dollar pharmaceutical production facility or, most challenging of all, a naturally sweet and delicious $3 cup of coffee.”

Students behind the UC Irvine Rocket Project have set their sights high — 13,205 feet high, to be precise. That’s the collegiate world record for a methalox rocket launch, and they’re determined to break it. 

The UCI Rocket Project’s Liquids Team is one of only a handful of undergraduate engineering teams working with methalox, a cutting-edge “fuel of the future” composed primarily of liquid natural gas and liquid oxygen. (A second UCI Rocket Project team works with solid fuel.)

Methalox differs from other propellants in that it can be produced even on Mars, opening the door for refueling “pit stops” on future space missions. It’s also cryogenic, which makes it particularly difficult to work with. But as Kyle Deck, the team’s operations lead explained, “We wanted to expose ourselves to the future of propulsion. Not to mention the blue flame looks a lot cooler.”

Last year , the team’s 20-foot methalox rocket blasted 9,300 feet into the sky, with over 13 seconds of burn time. Students designed everything from the rocket’s propulsion system to its fins. Most of the work was done in the UCI Rocket Project’s campus lab, but the team also made trips out to the Mojave Desert for “hot-fire” tests and, of course, the launch.

“When I started at UCI, I felt a little lost. But I knew I wanted to work in aerospace, so I made it my mission to get the hands-on experience to do that,” reflects the team’s project manager, Noelle Camanyag. “Coming out of the UCI Rocket Project as a senior, I’ve gotten that and so much more, including making really good friends, challenging myself as a leader and growing as a person in general. It's been the most important part of my college experience, and the most memorable, for sure.” Read more about the team.

Whether you’re automotive obsessed or just race-car curious, UCLA’s Bruin Racing has a spot for you. Entirely student-run, the club creates three racers each year: an ultra-fuel-efficient Supermileage car that gets upward of 300 miles a gallon; the rugged off-road, all-terrain Baja vehicle; and a superfast, track-focused Formula race car. Students start from scratch, designing the cars, building them from the ground up and, of course, racing them in college contests around the country.

Housed in the Samueli School of Engineering, Bruin Racing is a haven for engineering majors but draws its 300-plus members from all kinds of backgrounds. In addition to the club’s own workshop, students have access to state-of-the-art tools in the Samueli Makerspace and machine shop. Aside from building some pretty cool cars, the club’s goal is to teach hands-on engineering skills to as many students as possible.

“We take pride that there are no barriers for entry to Bruin Racing,” says club President Vinay Nagappala. “No one has to apply or pay to be in this club. As long as you show up, we’ll teach you everything that goes into making a car, from designing in CAD to machining the parts, doing the electronics and using all the tools.” 

Like many other UC clubs, the benefits of membership extend well beyond the shop and racetrack, spilling over into a lively social world. “You really bond with your teammates,” says Ella Winett, the club’s external vice president and a four-year veteran. “For the Baja team, when we take our car out to the desert to test it we all camp out, sleeping in tents and hanging out around a fire, then getting up early in the morning to race our car.” 

“I’ve met so many friends and mentors through the club,” reflects Nagappala. “It’s kind of shaped my entire experience at UCLA.”

Read more about the club.

With its ancient trees, granite monoliths and awe-inspiring vistas, Yosemite is one of the crown jewels of the National Park system. Living an easy bus ride away, UC Merced students take full advantage of their proximity to this gem — no matter the season, you can catch students heading to Yosemite to hike, camp, climb and play.

In fact, UC Merced has many ties with Yosemite, maintaining the only university-run scientific research station in the park, for instance, and putting on the eco-themed Shakespeare in Yosemite every April. First-year students are invited to participate in the Week of Wilderness  to camp and bond with classmates in the Yosemite backcountry.

The Yosemite Leadership Program (YLP) offers an even deeper connection. Free and open to all majors, this two-year program gives hands-on training in leadership, professional development and stewardship that sets up students to lead social and environmental change. The offshoot YLP summer internship invites students to live and work in Yosemite as rangers, contributing to projects ranging from engineering and archaeology to ecological monitoring and arts education.

Students say it’s a life-changing experience. “It’s defined me as a person,” said former YLP participant and UC Merced grad Rachel Krausert. “It opens your eyes and sets you on a less-traveled path than a lot of other students.”

You’ve probably heard that if you want to really understand a place, you should learn the language. At UC Riverside, that’s Cahuilla, the language of the Southern California Cahuilla Indian Nations.

UC Riverside, which sits on land where Cahuilla, Tongva, Luiseño and Serrano people have lived for thousands of years, has the distinction of being the only UC to offer an Indigenous language series that fulfills undergraduate “foreign” language requirements. The Cahuilla classes are open to all students, with no prerequisites at the intro level.

Doctoral student William Madrigal Jr., a member of the Cahuilla Band of Indians, helped create the series. “The interesting thing here is that Cahuilla is not a foreign language because it’s very much local and Indigenous to Riverside County,” he said. “Students are learning more than just the mechanics of the language. They are learning about a rich and vibrant culture.”

The classes are packed with opportunities to explore the Cahuilla culture and worldview, from attending regional Indigenous cultural gatherings and participating in the UC Riverside Powwow to holding class amid the plants in UC Riverside’s new Native American Garden and trying Cahuilla games and foods.

Victor Andrade, a UC Riverside senior of Chemehuevi descent, took the class as a way to get closer to his own Native California culture, whose language has become increasingly scarce due to colonization. “Being able to take this class helped me connect to my roots. Even though it’s a language that’s not my own, it’s a relative of my tribe’s language,” he reflected. “Beyond the language, it’s helped me see how much culture matters and how it’s connected to the environment all around me.”

A globally renowned center for marine, earth and atmospheric science, UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography sits at the water’s edge in La Jolla. The mini-campus is a 15-minute shuttle ride from the center of UC San Diego and holds public treasures like the Birch Aquarium and the Coastal Meander Trail. But only UC San Diego students get access to the Scripps Makerspace, aka the Sandbox.

Like other maker spaces on campus, you’ll find all kinds of DIY equipment in the Sandbox — 3D printers, a laser cutter, soldering and electronics equipment, digital design software and all manner of tools. But since it’s at Scripps, the Sandbox also has a wave channel, equipment for underwater instrumentation, a saltwater experimental tank and other specialized gear for making and testing things that go in the ocean.

Students can also take hands-on courses that use the Makerspace — one class recently calibrated the city’s oceanographic sensors in the Sandbox, while another built state-of-the-art, open-source ocean temperature and depth sensors from scratch.

After completing her first sensors class, fourth-year student Marisa Viola wanted to keep going. So in her spare time, she honed her skills on a fun side project, 3D printing a miniature Coleman cooler complete with a working hinged lid and a six-pack inside. As she described the Sandbox, “It’s a place to grow your skill set, no matter where you’re starting from. It's a really good place not only just to go work on things, but also to talk to people and build community.”

The Scripps Makerspace is a free resource open to all UC San Diego students, regardless of their year or major. Whether you have a specific experiment or pet project to work on, want to learn a new skill, or are just curious, the door is open. Students can also apply for a volunteer or paid job helping run the space. And yes, you too can make your own mini cooler.

Catching a wave is a serious pursuit at UC Santa Barbara. Located on bluffs overlooking the Pacific, the campus is famous for its surf appeal. Several beaches are within a stone’s throw of classrooms and dorms, and students can access the pristine shore at Coal Oil Point , protected land adjacent to campus that’s part of the UC Natural Reserve system.

But if you want to go beyond a dip in the water, the popular Geography of Surfing class takes the pursuit to another level. Developed by Stuart Sweeney — an assistant professor of geography and devoted surfer — the class gives students an integrated view of regional, human and physical geography through the lens of surfing.

Students learn about topics like wave forecasting, the economic geography of the surfing industry, “behavior under crowding,” territorialism and the diffusion of regional surf cultures. They team up for field research at local beaches and complete an assignment to plan a surf trip to a foreign country. Surfboard makers, pro surfers and photojournalists make guest appearances, and of course there’s always the opportunity for students to test out their theoretical learning on the real waves just beyond the classroom.

Students at UC Santa Cruz get a daily dose of California’s famed redwoods — groves of the towering giants are scattered across the campus, and there’s a high chance your commute to class will be along a meandering, woodsy-scented path. But students who sign up to work with the Forest Ecology Research Plot , affectionately known as FERP, get to know the trees on a whole new level.

A short hike from dorms and classrooms takes you away from the hubbub and into the peaceful wilds of the 789-acre Campus Natural Reserve, where the 40-acre FERP exists as the campus’ largest long-term research facility. Directed by Dr. Gregory Gilbert of the Environmental Studies Department, the project is almost entirely student-run. In a program that’s open to all majors, students can volunteer with FERP or sign up for an internship to earn class credit. Some even get paid to work as FERP crew leaders.

FERPers come to the plot for one six-hour shift every week. They’re trained in scientific methods for recording detailed data on natural ecosystems, then tasked with measuring and tracking plant growth. Their data feeds into ForestGEO , an international network that tracks how forests change over time. FERP student data even contributed to a breakthrough in understanding how climate change affects forests.

For some, a FERP internship is a hands-on dive into their chosen field, while for others it’s a weekly opportunity to do something entirely different while making friends and immersing themselves in the natural beauty of this unique campus resource.

Gustavo Nome, a third-year ecology and evolutionary biology student, has worked at the FERP for all nine quarters so far and leads a field crew there once a week. “I just immediately fell in love with it,” he says. “I couldn’t believe I was getting to do real fieldwork in my first quarter of college, and meeting so many amazing people.”

“We get to know each other pretty well, and we have a great time,” explains Nome. “And it’s absolutely gorgeous. There are huge redwoods, gnarled old oaks, a creek running through a ravine, wildflowers — all right on campus. There’s really no other experience like it.”

Watch a video about FERP.

Keep reading

Celebrating UC changemakers: Meet 10 Latino leaders…

Across disciplines as diverse as education, science, medicine, engineering, law, business and politics, Latino leaders from the University of California are helping to create a more equitable future…

UC enrolls a record-setting number of California students…

In a banner year, UC boosted the diversity of its student body, while out-of-state enrollment declined.

Prairie Fire Theatre's new children's opera is coming to a school near you

Final preparations have been made and Prairie Fire Theatre's minivan is packed with a pop-up castle and music munching machine. Count Sticky Fingers and Princess Poco are hitting the road on their way to a school near you.

This year’s children’s opera produced by Prairie Fire Theatre is Treble Trouble , a musical hero's tale featuring protagonist Princess Poco [a role shared by Gillian O’Donnell and Zinnia Manning]. Poco seeks to save the Land of Melodia from a silence curse that's turning Melodians to stone.

“And in the meantime, Count Sticky Fingers, played by Bob Mangialardi, is going around stealing music and feeding it into the music munching machine,” said Twin City playwright Nancy Steele Brokaw.

Treble Trouble is Brokaw’s 14 th original script for Prairie Fire’s children’s opera that tours to more than 40 schools, presenting assemblies each May. Apart from Mangialardi, the cast comes from Illinois Wesleyan University’s music and theater schools. They are hired as paid professionals, but routinely cite the children’s opera as one of the best parts of their education.

“It really prepares them,” said Brokaw. “If you want to be in the arts, it’s hard. I can’t think of anything harder than loading in a set, performing in front of 500 kids, loading the set out, moving on to the next place — and doing that four times a day.”

Treble Trouble ’s primary objective is to cultivate classical music fans in a fun and accessible way. Brokaw said it’s a “revelation” to kids who might not consider that opera is for them.

“They know sports is out there, but they don’t know the arts is out there,” she said.

Treble Trouble teaches students about the notes on a music staff, counting and constellations, with original lyrics set to classical pieces, wrapped in a whimsical bow enhanced by sets from John Stark and costumes by Marcia Basolo and Cathy Holbrook. Charlie Berggren plays piano accompaniment for each show.

“It’s 40 minutes of absolutely delightful children’s theater,” said director Rhys Lovell , who began working with the children’s opera about two decades ago.

“Kids are great, because there’s no filter,” he said. “If they love something, they really love it! If they feel like they’re being patronized, they’ll tune out.”

Lovell said the key to a tough crowd of kids is taking them seriously.

“If you can draw them into the world of the story without being condescending about it, they’ll go on that ride with you,” he said.

As for crowd management, the cast and crew have figured out ways to glean audience etiquette to hundreds of kids at a time. Master of ceremonies Lord Chamberlain [Evan Carlson] has a signal for getting an audience’s attention if the crowd gets unruly.

“Most scripts culminate in a chase scene where all of the actors chase Bob through the school’s gymnasium over and around the kids,” Lovell said. “The kids eat it up, but sometimes getting them focused is like, 'OK, we’ve got a little more of the play to do!'”

Brokaw estimates up to 10,000 children will see Treble Trouble this month. The show then gets shipped to the University of California-Merced, where thousands more will meet Princess Poco and her crew.

While the show is geared toward children, Brokaw said Treble Trouble’s message is universal:

“Music is for everyone, anyone can step up and do the right thing and you’re braver than you think,” she said. “Those are great lessons for all of us to remember.”

Four public performances of Treble Trouble take place May 8-17 at various locations. All shows are free. For details, visit prairiefiretheatre.org .