


University of California, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California, USA
Since its founding in 1965, the University of California, Santa Cruz, has earned international distinction as a university with high-impact research and an uncommon commitment to teaching and public service.
The campus was welcomed into the Association of American Universities in 2019 while also being ranked No. 2 for social mobility, honors that together underscore the impact and quality of the campus’s research and graduate and undergraduate education.
A campus with world-class facilities and one of the most visually spectacular settings in higher education, UC Santa Cruz offers rigorous academic programs and cutting-edge research opportunities that teach students how to think, not what to think.
A commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement are central to UCSC’s core values.
From 652 students in 1965, the campus has grown to its current enrollment of more than 18,000 students. Undergraduates pursue bachelor’s degrees in 59 different majors supervised by divisional deans of arts, engineering, humanities, physical & biological sciences, and social sciences. Graduate students work toward graduate certificates, master’s degrees, or doctoral degrees in more than 40 academic programs under the supervision of the divisional and graduate deans.
Website: https://global.ucsc.edu
VSE Season 2, 2021-22: Courses offered by University of California, Santa Cruz (Winter 2022)
Important - Read Before Applying
In VSE Season 2, 2021-22, UC Santa Cruz offer courses from both its Winter 2022 and Spring 2022 quarters. However, VSE students can only apply for ONE course from either (NOT both) the Winter 2022 quarter OR the Spring 2022 quarter. If you have made more than one application to courses offered by UC Santa Cruz, only the FIRST course application will be processed. Subsequent applications will be automatically withdrawn.
Application Deadline
APPLICATION CLOSED
Students must submit an application to the VSE Central Office before:
Dec 1, 2021, 12:00 noon Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)
Academic Requirements
Before applying, please make sure you have fulfilled the course offering university's academic requirements listed below:
- Minimum GPA of 2.5 (on 4-point scale), or equivalent.
- In good academic standing, with endorsement from the home university to participate in APRU VSE.
For more details, please contact the VSE coordinator at UCSC.
English Language Proficiency Requirements
Before applying, please make sure you have fulfilled the course offering university's English language proficiency requirements listed below:
All applicants who attend a school in a country where English is not the native language or whose language of instruction at their home institution is not English must adequately demonstrate English competency as a part of the application process.
Applicants may demonstrate competency by submitting scores from one of the following tests:
-IELTS (International English Language Testing System): Overall band score of 6.5 or higher*, includes IELTS Indicator Exam (through Fall 2022)
-TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): Minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the Internet-based test, includes TOEFL iBT Home Edition
-SAT (March 2016 or later) Writing & Language Test: 31 or higher
-SAT (prior to March 2016) Writing Exam: 560 or higher
-ACT combined English-Writing or English Language Arts portion: 24 or higher
-AP English Language and Composition, or English Literature and Composition: 3, 4, or 5
-IB Standard Level examination in English: Literature, or Language and Literature: 6 or 7
-IB Higher Level examination in English: Literature, or Language and Literature: 5, 6, or 7
-Duolingo English Test (DET): Minimum score of 115 (through Fall 2022)
For more details, please contact the VSE coordinator at UCSC.
Course Information
Click on the course titles to reveal full course details:
Number of Credits | 5 | |
Offering Department | Department of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies | |
Course Teacher | >Prof. Luis Trujillo | |
Language of Instruction | English | |
First Day of Class | Jan 3, 2022 | |
Last Day of Class | Mar 18, 2022 | |
Course Component | Lecture/Discussion | |
Mode of Teaching | Synchronous | |
Meeting Time | Lecture: Mon, Wed, Fri 1040-1145 Discussion: Wed 1720-1825 Or Fri 0800-0905 | |
Time Zone | UTC-08 | |
Restrictions | Introductory course in ethnic studies and a university level writing course, or by permission of instructor. | |
Course Description | Examines race and ethnicity as categories of lived identity intersecting with gender, sexuality, class, and culture; historical discourses of difference underwriting social inequalities and movements to redress those inequalities; and concepts critical to the understanding and reshaping of power and privilege. | |
Points to Note for Students | Enroll in lecture and one of the associated discussion sections. Both the lecture and discussion are taught synchronously with remote instruction. | |
Course Outline | Draft syllabus | |
Fees to be Borne by Students | Course materials; see here for any required textbooks. |
Number of Credits | 5 | |
Offering Department | Department of Earth and Plantary Sciences | |
Course Teacher | Prof. Susan Schwartz | |
Language of Instruction | English | |
First Day of Class | Jan 3, 2022 | |
Last Day of Class | Mar 18, 2022 | |
Course Component | Lecture | |
Mode of Teaching | Asynchronous | |
Meeting Time | TBA | |
Time Zone | UTC-08 | |
Restrictions | N/A | |
Course Description | Geologic concepts and processes responsible for shaping our national parks including mountain building, volcanic and earthquake activity, sedimentation, weathering, erosion, and glaciation. An understanding of how geology impacts our lives is emphasized. Appropriate for both science and non-science majors who wish to enhance their knowledge, enjoyment, and appreciation of our national parks. | |
Course Outline | Syllabus from recent offering Course introduction video | |
Fees to be Borne by Students | Course materials; see here for any required textbooks. |
Number of Credits | 5 | |
Offering Department | Department of History | |
Course Teacher | Prof. Minghui Hu | |
Language of Instruction | English | |
First Day of Class | Jan 3, 2022 | |
Last Day of Class | Mar 18, 2022 | |
Course Component | Lecture | |
Mode of Teaching | Asynchronous | |
Meeting Time | N/A | |
Time Zone | UTC-08 | |
Restrictions | Enrollment is restricted to second, third, and fourth year students. | |
Course Description | Human curiosity and inquiry changed and varied widely across Eurasia. This course surveys how the curiosity and inquiry were framed in three major civilizations (China, Islam and Judeo-Christian) from the Mongol conquest of Eurasia in the 13th century to the beginning of industrial capitalism in the 19th century. | |
Course Outline | Link | |
Fees to be Borne by Students | Course materials; see here for any required textbooks. |
Number of Credits | 5 | |
Offering Department | Department of Linguistics | |
Course Teacher | Prof. J.W. Vincent | |
Language of Instruction | English | |
First Day of Class | Jan 3, 2022 | |
Last Day of Class | Mar 18, 2022 | |
Course Component | Lecture/Discussion | |
Mode of Teaching | Lecture: AsynchronousDiscussion: Synchronous | |
Meeting Time | Tue 1720-1825 Or Wed 1440-1545 | |
Time Zone | UTC-08 | |
Restrictions | Enroll in lecture and associated discussion section. The lecture is taught with asynchronous instruction. VSE students should select one of two synchronous discussion sections offered remotely (as opposed to in-person). | |
Course Description | Introduction to the logical foundations of natural language semantics. Logical and semantic relations, simple set theory, logical representations (propositional and predicate calculi, modal and tense logics) and their interpretations. A basic literacy course in the language of logical representation. | |
Course Outline | Syllabus from recent offering | |
Fees to be Borne by Students | Course materials; see here for any required textbooks. |
Number of Credits | 2 | |
Offering Department | Baskin School of Engineering, Technology and Information Management Program | |
Course Teacher | Prof. Subhas Desa | |
Language of Instruction | English | |
First Day of Class | Jan 3, 2022 | |
Last Day of Class | Mar 18, 2022 | |
Course Component | Seminar | |
Mode of Teaching | Synchronous | |
Meeting Time | Thu 1520-1655 | |
Time Zone | UTC-08 | |
Restrictions | N/A | |
Course Description | Uses weekly talks by leading industry practitioners and university researchers to provide in-depth exposure to the management of technology. Topics covered include product development, operations, strategy, finance, and marketing for technologies such as software and information systems. | |
Course Outline | Syllabus from recent offering | |
Fees to be Borne by Students | Course materials; see here for any required textbooks. |
The number of credits is shown as provided by the course offering university. The credit structure at the course offering university may be different from the one at your home university. Please contact the VSE Coordinator of your home university for credit transfer information.
Course enrollment is subject to final approval from your home university and the course offering university.