Academic Advising

UCSB offers various forms of academic advising. In addition to Orientation, students have access to professional advisors in each college (Creative Studies, Engineering, and Letters and Science) who help them interpret requirements and regulations and understand the numerous options available. In addition, students can consult staff and faculty in their major and minor academic departments. In many departments, peer advisors (well-trained students) supplement the services of the professional staff. In a few departments students are assigned personal faculty advisors. However advising is structured, students must take the initiative to obtain assistance. It is the student’s responsibility to comply with the regulations and requirements printed in the General Catalog and college publications. Each of the three colleges has slightly different policies on academic advising consistent with the needs of its students. In the College of Letters and Science and the College of Engineering, students are responsible for seeking assistance if they are unsure of how to satisfy requirements. In the College of Engineering, the student has the responsibility to seek help in determining how to fulfill requirements and the College office and/or faculty advisor will contact them if they are not following the appropriate curriculum. College of Creative Studies students are required to meet with their faculty advisor at least once per quarter regarding their course of study. Help is available to students who seek it and each college maintains a website to help students understand the requirements and options. These sites are:
Letters and Science - www.advising.ltsc.ucsb.edu
Engineering - www.engineering.ucsb.edu/current_undergraduates/
Creative Studies - www.ccs.ucsb.edu/

Academic Assistance/Tutoring

Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) helps students increase their mastery of course material and adjust to the academic rigor of the university and the quarter system. CLAS offers group instruction, one-to-one tutoring in the drop-in centers, appointments for select services and academic skills services. Instructional groups are offered primarily for lower division core math, engineering, science, and economics courses. Drop-in services are offered for economics, engineering, foreign language, math, science and writing. Study skills workshops are available in a variety of relevant study areas. One-to-one appointments are offered for ESL, study skills and writing. To enroll in groups or workshops, visit https://my.sa.ucsb.edu/clas. To schedule an appointment, call (805) 893-3269 or visit CLAS at 3210 Student Resource Building. For more information about CLAS, visit the department website www.clas.ucsb.edu.

Academic Internships

Academic internships provide educational work experience that is supervised by a professional who has expertise in an area related to the student’s academic or career interests. More than twenty-five academic departments offer field study courses that integrate these experiences with the student’s educational program. Aside from the UCSB Washington DC and Sacramento Center Academic Internship Programs, approximately 450-500 students are placed each year through the Internship Program at Career Services from a variety of majors. Some departments, such as Environmental Studies and Film and Media Studies, operate their own programs. For further information, students should consult the internship section located on the Career Services web page at http://career.ucsb.edu.

Academic Misconduct

The core of a university’s integrity is its scholastic honesty. Academic dishonesty weakens the University’s educational role and defrauds all who comprise its community. It is expected that students understand and subscribe to the ideal of academic integrity and be willing to bear individual responsibility for their work. Materials (written or otherwise) submitted to fulfill academic requirements must represent a student’s own efforts. Any act of academic dishonesty, such as cheating or plagiarism, is unacceptable and will be met with swift disciplinary action. For more information on UCSB’s academic conduct policies, refer to the General Catalog or http://judicialaffairs.sa.ucsb.edu/.

Honors Programs

Through the College Honors Programs in the College of Letters and Science and the College of Engineering, students can intensify their educational experience, pursue individual excellence, and participate in a small community atmosphere within the larger university setting throughout their years of undergraduate study. College Honors Program participants benefit from increased contact with both faculty and peers in small discussion sections and research programs. Advantages include graduate library privileges and priority enrollment. Students in the College of Letters and Science Honors Program also have access to special advising services; an active e-mail list with information about academic opportunities, scholarships, internships, service activities, and campus events; a mentoring program; and an honors study center. In addition to the College Honors Programs, there are also honorary societies such as Alpha Lambda Delta (freshman honor society), The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (national honors society for first- and second-year students), Golden Key (junior and senior honor society), Mortar Board (senior honor society), and Phi Beta Kappa (the nation’s oldest and most eminent honorary society). Many academic departments have separate honors programs which provide opportunities for research and independent study in the major field. Some departments may also sponsor academic unions and societies which provide majors with opportunities for academic and social enrichment. For more information, contact the College of Letters and Science at (805) 893-3109 or the College of Engineering at (805) 893-2809.

Summer Sessions

The Summer Sessions program is held each year and offers more than 650 academic courses in all disciplines ranging from anthropology to statistics. Courses are offered in varying schedules between late June and mid-September. The Summer Sessions on-line catalog, which contains further information on special programs, is available on the Summer Sessions website beginning in early April. The Summer Sessions Office is located at 2214 SAAS Building; (805) 893-2047; www.summer.ucsb.edu.

The Discussion Section

In most large lower division courses and some upper division courses, students are required to attend a discussion section in addition to weekly lectures. Discussion sections usually meet for 50 minutes once a week, at the same time and location. These sections are led by teaching assistants (TAs), who are well-qualified graduate students from the department in which the course is offered. Each discussion section has between 15 and 25 students, and is a place for students to discuss course material, review lectures, and ask questions in a small group setting. Some courses also offer honors sections for interested and qualified students. These sections are often led by the same faculty member who leads the corresponding lecture.

Scholarship Competitions

The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) Office in the College of Letters and Science coordinates the nomination and review of UCSB applicants for state, national, and international scholarships. Scholarship application deadlines vary each year but most occur early in fall and winter quarters. For details on the scholarships available and the campus application process for each, consult the scholarship page on the URCA web site, at www.ltsc.ucsb.edu/urca.

Research at UCSB-— Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA)

The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) Office in the College of Letters and Science provides support to undergraduates participating in various kinds of research and creative activities. These services are open to all students regardless of college affiliation. URCA offers two main programs to support undergraduate research. The Faculty Research Assistance Program (FRAP) Directory provides students with information about current research projects, the faculty and senior research conducting the research, and the academic or other preparation that is necessary to participate in the projects. URCA grants provide funding for student-initiated research projects. Any student who designs a project and enlists the help of a faculty mentor may apply for a grant. The largest of the three grant competitions held each year takes place early in the fall quarter. Students are also encouraged to disseminate their research both at local and national conferences and at the UCSB Undergraduate Colloquium, held each year in May. Further details on the research services provided by URCA may be found on-line at www.ltsc.ucsb.edu/urca.