Education, Humanities & Social Sciences

Popular Programs

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UCLA

No tests. No grades. Just learning for the joy of learning. OLLI at UCLA provides a unique opportunity for adults over 50 to join an energetic community of lifelong learners and take low-cost, non-credit UCLA courses. OLLI members gain access to over 200 courses per year, special events, interest groups, leadership and volunteer opportunities. Topics include art, history, literature, film, music, language, science, philosophy, exercise, games and more. Courses are offered in-person and on Zoom. Membership begins at $50/year. Scholarships available. For more information: uclaextension.edu/olli or call (310) 206-2693.

Journalism Certificate

In just one year, get the training needed to succeed in today’s multimedia market. Learn from expert instructors with experience in a modern media environment and launch an exciting career in this fast-paced industry. Cohorts are admitted every fall (in-person) and spring (online). For more information, visit uclaextension.edu/writingjournalism/journalism/certificate/journalism or email journalism@uclaextension.edu

Legal Interpretation and Translation

Position yourself for success in one of today’s fastest growing fields and a rewarding career in the criminal justice system, civil service or in business. This comprehensive, rigorous certificate program teaches students how to become a skilled interpreter and translator while preparing you for the California Court Interpreter State Certification Exam. Courses are offered on the weekends to accommodate working professionals.

Pathway

Pathway offers virtual tours three times per month, and a walking tour once a month. Pathway at UCLA Extension is a 2 to 3 year college program for neurodiverse students, offering a blend of educational, social, residential and vocational experiences. Pathway uses a “learn by doing“ approach, and the program features a curriculum of core courses, audit courses on UCLA‘s main campus, UCLA extension courses and internships for our students to choose from. Students have the opportunity to live residentially, attend UCLA sporting events and enjoy the college experience. For more information please visit uclaextension.edu/pathway or email pathway@uclaextension.edu

Explore all of our courses and certificates, in person, hybrid, or online: uclaextension.edu

Instructor Spotlight

Instructor Spotlight

Vicki Pontius, Ed.D.

Dr. Pontius currently serves as an instructor and team lead for the UCLA Extension Career Technical Education credential program. Over the course of the 2022-2023 academic year, Vicki has worked tirelessly creating content, instructing and counseling CTE students, leading to the first class of completers earning their certificate and their California Clear Teaching Credential.

Dr. Pontius is an experienced educator with K-12, community college, adult and Career Technical Education expertise in F2F and online instruction and administration. She holds both CTE and Adult Education teaching credentials and has over 20 years of experience working with Designated Subjects CTE and adult education credential candidates. Her continuing research interests include the impact of high stakes exams (both academic and vocational) on college and career preparedness and closing the gap between what employers need and what schools can offer. Dr. Pontius is further involved with numerous advisory groups, planning boards, and committees and is an active community volunteer working towards resolving homeless issues.

Duncan Palamourdas

Mr. Palamourdas specializes in the mathematics of poker and poker education. His poker classes always fill up early and have long waiting lists. Recently, he gave a talk about his new book, Why Alex Beats Bobbie at Poker: Developing a Fundamentally Sound Approach to Poker, which attempts to explain why a professional poker player consistently performs better than a recreational player. Duncan addresses his question via a journey through human psychology, game theory, easyto-understand mathematics and even philosophy.

Events

Project Management Certificate Information Session No-cost Online

September 7

For more information: uclaextension.edu/FreePMInfo

Understanding Blockchain— Seminar Series No-cost Online

November 1

For more information: uclaextension.edu/FreeBlockchainSeminars

Career Spotlight

What career choices are available in the blockchain space?

Blockchain is a revolutionary technology that is being adopted by numerous organizations across an array of industries. Individuals with all kinds of expertise are needed to devise and support blockchain solutions, including but not limited to:

• Blockchain Project Manager

• Blockchain Regulatory Consultant

• Blockchain Quality Engineer

• Blockchain Standardization Representative

• Blockchain Journalist

• Blockchain Business Consultant

• Blockchain Designer

Instructor Spotlight

David Taggart, Ph.D.

Dr. Taggart’s professional experience consists of over 40 years of industrial and technical background specializing in the analysis and simulation of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Communications Systems. He is currently working at the Aerospace Corporation as a lead engineer reviewing projects for the government analyzing and generating computerized simulations on DSP, Communication Systems and their hardware. Previously, he held engineering and leadership positions at companies including the Department of Water and Power of Los Angeles, Bell Telephone Labs, Hughes Aircraft (now Boeing) and TRW (now Northrop Grumman).

Dr. Taggart consistently stays abreast of current technologies and brings the wealth of his background and core knowledge to his classes. He has taught over three hundred courses in engineering, technology and computer science at UCLA Extension in a period of about forty years of teaching. He has also co-authored nearly 40 technical papers related to the specialty fields of Communications and Digital Signal Processing which can be accessed on the IEEE Xplore site.

Fields of Study Engineering

Digital Technology

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)