GENERAL INFORMATION
How to Use This Guide
As a UC Merced Extension instructor, you’ll find information and resources on academic policies and procedures related to your teaching assignment. For help with issues not addressed in this handbook, please contact extension@ucmerced.edu.
About UC Merced Extension
UC Merced Extension is the continuing education department of the University of California, Merced. Education is the first academic discipline being developed in University Extension. We are creating face-to-face and blended courses for pre-service and in-service teachers. We are collaborating with P-12 educators and UC Merced faculty to engage the Central Valley community in scholarship and creativity while fostering a culture of inquiry and discovery learning. The UC Merced campus is known for faculty who are at the forefront of academic research, and Extension instructors are leading practitioners in their respective disciplines.
Mission and Vision
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. UC Merced Extension Team
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.
UC Merced Extension Site Map
