Colleges and Departments
College of Letters and Science
The College of Letters and Science, which enrolls more than 19,000 undergraduates, is the largest undergraduate college on the UCSB campus. The college offers some 80 majors and nearly 40 minors, including a number of interdisciplinary programs, and awards four degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Music. In addition, college departments offer a wide range of minors to students interested in pursuing a second area of study.
The College of Engineering offers professional undergraduate education leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in five disciplines: chemical, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering, and computer science. The chemical, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. The college currently has a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of approximately 2,400 students.
The College of Creative Studies at UCSB is unique in the UC system. It enrolls undergraduate students with demonstrated passion for, and a desire to immerse and participate in, independent work in the arts, mathematics, or the sciences. Majors are offered in Art (with a possible focus in Painting/Drawing, Sculpture/Spatial Studies, or Book Arts), Biology, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Computing, Marine Science, Mathematics, Music Composition, Physics, and Writing & Literature. Work in the college leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in all majors (with the exception of Computing, which offers a B.S. only), and, optionally, to the Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry, Computing, Mathematics, and Physics. The mission of the college is to provide students with the intellectual environment that allows them to undergo the transition quickly from consumers of knowledge to colleagues in the act of human creativity in the arts and sciences, so that they may graduate with a body of original work that pertains to their major.
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
The Gevirtz Graduate School of Education (GGSE) prepares researchers, teachers, and administrators in education and professional psychology. Three-quarters of the graduate students are working on their Doctor of Philosophy or Master of Arts degrees. Another one-fourth are enrolled in the teaching credential and M.Ed. program to qualify for elementary and secondary school teaching. A number of students not only work on advanced degrees but also qualify for advanced specialist or service credentials in school psychology or special education.
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management
The Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, which enrolls approximately 250 graduate students, provides training in rigorous interdisciplinary approaches to environmental problem-solving. The school fosters a comprehensive view of environmental issues that focuses not only on identifying problems, but also on solving them by integrating scientific, legal, political, economic, data science, and business perspectives. The school offers three graduate degrees. Approximately 160 students are enrolled in the Master of Environmental Science and Management, a 2-year professional program designed to train future leaders to solve challenging environmental problems and work toward a sustainable future. These students develop expertise in an area of specialization and complete a group-based thesis project. Approximately 50 students are enrolled in the Master of Environmental Data Science, a 1-year professional degree intended for students looking to gain new skills in data science, management, analysis, and visualization with a focus on environmental data and problems. The master’s programs place emphasis on job readiness and provide students with career services to prepare them to enter the workforce directly after graduation. Approximately 50 students pursue the Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science & Management, a research-oriented degree that culminates in the presentation of a dissertation.