academic Program

During the quarter in DC, all students pay UCI registration fees to maintain their UCI student status, and earn 12-16 units for the quarter. Participants must be enrolled on a full-time basis, and take two or three of the following courses:

REQUIRED:

• WASHINGTON SEMINAR (University Studies 194, 4 units, Letter Grade). The seminar is as a weekly forum for students to share and enhance their knowledge of living and working in Washington DC. It has been designed to expose students to some of the social and political forces that have shaped the urban character of the District, as a city and as a national capital. The seminar aims to help you make the most of your time in Washington by encouraging you to reflect analytically on your experiences as an intern and in the program.  Read a sample syllabus (PDF) for more detailed information about the seminar and course requirements. 

• INTERNSHIP (University Studies 195, 4, 6, or 8 units, P/NP. The internship can fulfill the GE Category IX requirement, as well as the Social Ecology Field Study and Public Health Practicum requirements for students in those majors). Internships are available in EVERY field in Washington DC! Students decide how many hours per week they want to work at their internship site, depending on how many units they need and what their internship site requires. UCDC program requirements are as follows:

  Number of Units	Number of Hours Per Week
  4	20-27
  6	28-31
  8	32+

Click here for more internship information and resources. Read a sample syllabus (PDF) for more detailed information about the internship course requirements. 

OPTIONAL:

• ELECTIVE (University Studies 198, 4 units, Letter Grade). A variety of upper-division elective courses are offered each quarter, taught by faculty from different UC campuses and the local DC area, and students have the option to enroll in one elective if they wish. Fields vary by quarter and have included topics such as political science, public policy, art history, sociology, media, and economics, to name a few. It is possible for electives to fulfill UCI degree requirements. Consult with the Academic Counselor in the School of your major to determine if an elective is appropriate. You will need to provide the course description and/or syllabus to make this determination. Click here for the most current elective listing and course descriptions, as well as what has been offered in the past. Current electives are typically posted during the enrollment period for that quarter.

• INDEPENDENT RESEARCH (4-8 units, Letter Grade). Students may find their own faculty advisor at UCI to guide and supervise them in conducting independent research while in DC.

NOTE: We are offering a Fall Semester Program for a limited number of participants. Students selected for this semester option will do their academic course work in the same time frame as the quarter students, but will intern for a total of 14 weeks. The semester option is currently only being offered in the Fall.