About Us

Mission

UC Merced Extension's mission is to build and support a culture of lifelong learning by offering real-world, high quality, flexible, and innovative educational offerings that empower our diverse community of learners in their pursuit of academic and professional excellence.

Vision

Our vision is to be a broadly accessible bridge between the University of California's academic and research excellence and our diverse community of lifelong learners in California's Central Valley and beyond by offering transformative educational experiences.

Core Values

The UC Merced Extension team values collaboration with community partners to enable social mobility through an agile, responsive, and flexible service mindset for workforce development. We adhere to progressive and cross-functional teamwork that values innovation, transparency, diversity, and inclusion.

• Increase Social Mobility
• Partnership
• Academic Quality & Excellence
• Agility
• Equity, Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Forward Thinking & Innovative
• Flexible Academic Model
• Growth Mindset
• Real-world Instructors/Practitioners of Excellence
• Research to Practice

What is Extension?

UC Merced Extension offers access to the university's academic courses through Open University and provides professional courses in a variety of industry fields (education, business, technology, renewable energy, healthcare, etc.). UC Merced Extension partners with regional community initiatives and organizations to boost economic and social development with a focus on delivering courses in convenient and flexible formats, including fully online, hybrid, in-person, and custom modalities.

UC Merced Extension offers workforce-responsive, non-degree credentials and credential pathways that provide opportunities to upskill and re-skill. We can develop and deliver skills-based, alternative credential programs that align with employer needs and high demand jobs. Alternative credentials are non-degree, professional credit, certificate, stackable, micro-credentials, bootcamps, etc.

Programs of Excellence

Professional Education offers courses leading to certificates and credentials in a variety of industry and specialized workforce areas.

Custom and Corporate Education offers customized programs (seminars, trainings, workshops, bootcamps, courses and/or certificates) tailored to your organization’s staff development or executive leadership training needs.

Open University enables students and other individuals to enroll in courses offered on the UC Merced campus without being formally admitted to a degree program.

Teacher Preparation delivers the knowledge and skills to become an effective and certified TK-12 teacher, including teacher professional development offerings for educators to advance their practice and increase their salary.

Degree Completion provides an individualized academic pathway toward a UC Merced degree to returning students from UC Merced or other schools who have not yet completed all degree requirements.

Dual Enrollment courses offer pre-college credit to introduce advanced High School students into the academic fields provided at UC Merced.

Extension Team

Accreditation

UC Merced is accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

Nondiscrimination Statement 

The University of California, in accordance with applicable federal and state laws and University policy, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, medical condition (cancer-related), ancestry, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation or status as a Vietnam-era veteran or special disabled veteran. The University also prohibits sexual harassment. This nondiscrimination policy covers admission, access and treatment in University programs and activities.

Inquiries regarding the University’s student-related nondiscrimination policies may be directed to Student Conduct staff in the Office of Student Life. 

Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action

UC Merced is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action and compliance with all laws and regulations pertaining to both.

Our policy is to provide employment, training, compensation and other conditions or opportunities associated with employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), pregnancy, age (over 40), genetic information (including family medical history), disability status, veteran status or any other basis protected by law.

UC Merced hires, assigns work, promotes, compensates and retains employees only on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and our business needs.