About Empowered UCLA Extension

What do you get when you combine one of the nation's most elite universities with a revolutionary online learning environment?

You get Empowered

Empowered UCLA Extension helps you transform your career with personal career counseling and a UCLA Extension education. You’ll be immersed in a community of expert instructors, peers, mentors and career advisors – all accessible from your iPad anytime, anywhere.

Here’s more information about what this new career-focused online learning program offers:

Outstanding UCLA Extension Academics at Your Fingertips

Graduate with a UCLA Extension certificate from one of the nation’s oldest, largest, and most comprehensive continuing higher education providers. Advantages include:

  • Academic Credit: You earn academic credit, an official transcript, and a certificate with the seal of the University of California.
  • Accreditation: UCLA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and programs are developed in accordance with Extension policy and the regulations of the Academic Senate of the University of California.
  • High Instructor Quality: You’ll receive real world insights from expert practitioners with advanced degrees, years of experience and current knowledge in their field.

Personalized Career Guidance Helps You Achieve Your Goals

The Career Empowerment Program provides you with personalized, interactive career support. Our Career Counselors:

  • Provide you with step-by-step career guidance and coaching.
  • Guide you through the program via email, phone and group webinars.
  • Help you articulate the value of your Empowered UCLA Extension education to prospective employers.

Mobile Learning with the iPad Learning & Career Center

Learn anytime, anywhere on our innovative iPad. Mobile learning one just one tap away. It’s powerful, mobile and fun:

  • Learn On the Go: All Empowered UCLA Extension certificates are taught by highly respected UCLA Extension instructors on the mobile technology of the Apple iPad (a new iPad is included in the cost of your program).
  • Stay Connected: The mobility of the iPad means you’re never more than a tap away from the iPad Learning Center and the Career Empowerment Program.
  • Get More Flexibility: You have the ultimate learning flexibility because you can attend class at any time during a given day or week, and still stay up-to-date.

Next Generation Online Community – Always One Tap Away

Empowered UCLA Extension provides you with a strong sense of community and support. Join the network of the University of California system, which has almost a combined 235,000 students, 19,000 faculty, 190,000 staff members, and over 1,600,000 alumni. You will:

  • Be Supported: Stay connected to your support network of peers, instructors, and counselors directly in the app.
  • Network: Get immersed in your career field and network with your peers through industry-based communities and alumni networking.
  • Socialize: Manage your career through social interaction and shared skill building.

Save Time and Money + Limited Time Discount

The Empowered UCLA Extension experience is a valuable and cost-effective option. The certificates are coupled with peer and mentor learning, career guidance, and job preparation for an unmatched value overall. You’ll receive:

  • Exceptional Value: Save time and money by selecting a UCLA Extension certificate over a master’s degree. UCLA Extension certificate programs take just 12 months to complete at a fraction of the cost of graduate programs (which are usually taught on campus).
  • Flexibility and Protection: Receive a 30-day risk-free full tuition refund policy, prorated refund policy thereafter, or change your program once at no additional cost. Scholarships are also available.

Program Information

Companies everywhere have an increasing need for comprehensively-trained project managers to oversee all types of projects. That know-how includes the latest project management methods and skills which improve productivity, costs, resource utilization and time to market. Graduates of this program will be prepared to:

  • Define project requirements and plan based on inputs from key stakeholders
  • Build project teams and provide leadership through the course of the project
  • Estimate required staffing, cost and schedule to complete the project
  • Identify project risks and apply risk mitigations as appropriate
  • Manage project cost, schedule and resources
  • Monitor and ensure project quality
  • Perform earned value assessment, and project procurement
  • Provide clear communication among all stakeholders and the team members

Students who complete this program master the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge.

This certificate has 6 courses, is 24 units, and takes 9 months to complete.

Online media is now the cornerstone of effective marketing campaigns in every industry. Search engines, keyword advertising, ad serving, affiliate networks, social media and email have broadened the marketer’s skill set beyond the classic “Five Ps” and mass media advertising. While mastering the fundamentals is still important, online marketing has dramatically changed how businesses find and build relationships with customers.

Students who earn a Certificate in Marketing and New Media Fundamentals from UCLA Extension learn time tested marketing principles while acquiring a state of the art marketing skill set they can put to use immediately. Graduates of this program will acquire the following key competencies:

  • Analyze the marketplace and create an integrated marketing communications program that results in a stronger brand
  • Develop relationship-driven customer management systems based on efficient resource allocation and decisive strategic planning
  • Develop strategic marketing plans and be able to communicate and evaluate return on investment of underlying promotional methods
  • Understand how digital and social media technology, tools, and tactics can be integrated into goal-orientated campaigns that enhance brands and motivate desired behaviors
  • Understand marketing methods, practices, and institutions from the perspectives of manufacturers, distributors, and consumers

This certificate is 8 courses, 28 units and takes 12 months to complete.

Students who earn their Information Technology Management Certificate from UCLA Extension acquire the professional knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage IT resources, implement new technologies and efficiently use existing technology to maximize corporate investment. Graduates of this program will acquire the following key competencies:

  • Apply financial knowledge to manage IT projects, including basic accounting, budget preparation for services, and capital and operational budgeting
  • Communicate the value of IT investments to end users and executive management
  • Coordinate customer support expectations and delivery
  • Develop effective strategic and business plans to ensure IT infrastructure is efficient
  • Evaluate and align IT resources with business goals
  • Manage a team of IT staff including outside contractors and vendors
  • Manage both internal and outsourced IT projects

This certificate is 8 courses, 32 credits and takes 12 months to complete.

In the College Counseling field of study, students develop a great depth of college counseling knowledge, as well as hands on practice in the form of a practicum experience. Graduates of this program will be prepared to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of the broad range of post-secondary institutions to expertly advise students about their various options
  • Provide students with academic counseling and strategic course selection
  • Advise and support student preparation for standardized admissions exams and advanced placement tests
  • Assist students with guidance on academic major selection and career path navigation
  • Counsel students in navigating the complex process of applying for college and financial aid
  • Guide students with all components of the application process inclusive of general applications, essay writing, and financial aid applications

This certificate has 7 courses, is 33 units, and takes 12 months to complete. You must complete the College Counseling Practicum to receive your certificate. The Practicum includes 65 hours of supervised student counseling in a high school setting or with an independent counselor. Students have a second option of completing 35 hours of student counseling and submitting a research project as well.

The program has been designed for professionals interested in exploring the dynamic field of environmental sustainability, those needing to stay up to date in their current position or for individuals who want knowledge and skills to be better global citizens. Encompassing the fields of environmental law, design, business, public policy, science and technology, this program will focus on major elements that impact the environment on a daily basis such as our use of water, air, land, energy and transportation.

Graduates of this program will be prepared to:

  • Build a business case for a long-term sustainability strategy
  • Demonstrate an understanding of sustainability ethics and differences from environmental and business ethics
  • Engage in effective discourse about the importance of individual behavior in the advancement of sustainability efforts
  • Explain and discuss diverse renewable energy technologies and their applications
  • Understand important physical, chemical, geological and biological components of the ocean system
  • Identify the economic viability of sustainable practices in the real world environment, determining whether the measures will result in net profit or loss
  • Identify US and international environmental policy issues, laws, and institutions
  • Understand and provide functional examples of green buildings

The certificate is 36-units and consists of 9 courses and 1 seminar which can be completed in 12-15 months.

Students who successfully complete this program are awarded a certificate in Global Sustainability from UCLA Extension.

Human resources practitioners face challenges aligning HR functions with corporate objectives to meet competitive business needs. As they assume strategic roles in companies of all sizes, HR professionals are increasingly accountable for improving organizational performance through skillful management of employees. Graduates of this program will be prepared to:

  • Apply strategies, concepts, and practices essential to the effective selection of staff
  • Create strategic alignment of the human resources function with corporate objectives
  • Design and structure a human resource management department
  • Develop strategies for assessing, designing, and implementing training and organizational development efforts to improve individual and organizational performance
  • Evaluate and design complex compensation and benefits programs to meet organizational needs and challenges
  • Plan and manage individual and organizational change utilizing established change management frameworks and tools
  • Understand the legal and regulatory environment related to human resources hiring, supervision, discipline, compensation, and benefit programs

As they complete the Certificate in Human Resources Administration from the UCLA Extension, students master the professional body of knowledge that meets all the certification requirements of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

This certificate is 7 courses, 26 units, and takes 12 months to complete.

There is a need for leaders to serve in a broad spectrum of settings throughout the U.S. health care system including hospitals, ambulatory care clinics, private physician practices, public health departments, long term care facilities, mental health organizations, rehabilitation centers, health insurance organizations, and consulting firms. This certificate provides students with the theories, concepts, knowledge, and skills necessary to reinvent health care and create new service models that are more reliable, responsive, and integrated. Graduates of this program will be prepared to:

  • Address unique challenges and promote change within the healthcare system
  • Analyze data and make decisions on findings
  • Create and shape the vision for a health care organization
  • Develop a working knowledge of how the social, cultural, and language needs of patients impact the delivery of safe and effective health care services
  • Evaluate patient care quality
  • Identify health care delivery models
  • Lead strategic change to improve systems and address organizational effectiveness
  • Provide consultation and guidance to interdisciplinary colleagues or managers

This certificate is 8 courses, 32 units and takes 12 months to complete.

Students who earn a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from UCLA Extension complete in-depth training to prepare for a nonprofit position. Students complete a comprehensive overview of the role and history of nonprofit organizations in America. They also dive into specific challenges of running a nonprofit, such as measuring department impact. Graduates of this program will be prepared to:

  • Develop an advocacy plan to support a specific mission or cause, or to create changes in public policy
  • Demonstrate familiarity with Federal, State, and local laws and regulations related to nonprofits
  • Develop communication plans to familiarize donors, potential clients, policymakers and the public with a nonprofit’s mission and work
  • Develop plans to evaluate the effectiveness of a nonprofit’s programs and operations and communicate results to funders, clients, and the public
  • Lead and manage a team of staff members, volunteers and board members
  • Plan and carry out fundraising and development efforts to meet financial needs and goals
  • Understand the cyclical process of problem assessment, planning, and outcome evaluation as applied to nonprofit organizations
  • Understand the role of the nonprofit board, including legal responsibilities, board recruitment and board training
  • Use strategic planning principles to prioritize among nonprofit goals and efficiently allocate limited resources

This certificate is 8 courses, 32 units and takes 12 months to complete.

As the largest generation in U.S. history approaches retirement, the need for skilled financial advisors is on the rise (employment growth in the financial planning field is projected as high as 30% through 2018). Graduates of this program will be prepared to:

  • Understand the principles and processes of personal financial planning, key financial planning concepts and fundamentals, and legal issues
  • Demonstrate an understanding of diverse investment instruments including government securities, corporate and municipal bonds, equity holdings in stocks, options, mutual and exchange-traded funds, direct and indirect real estate holdings, commodity products, and asset-backed securities
  • Apply the techniques of income tax planning, including the timing of income and deductions, conversion of income, stock option planning, charitable planning, like-kind exchanges, planning for the sale or exchange of assets, and retirement planning
  • Gain knowledge of the basic rules of the federal income tax system, including calculation of tax, capital gains and losses, alternative minimum tax, and the taxation of business entities, trusts, and estates
  • Understand the estate planning process, the practice of estate planning, ownership and transfer of property, taxes, gifts, and all types of estate planning trusts

This certificate has 7 courses, is 28 units, and takes 12 months to complete.

Students who complete this CFP Board-registered program satisfy the training requirements for the gold-standard Certified Financial Planner® credential, and earn a Certificate in Financial Planning from the UCLA Extension.

Students who earn a Certificate in Patient Advocacy from UCLA Extension acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies needed to successfully prepare for their career. Graduates of this program will be prepared to:

  • Advocate for patients and families to ensure quality care
  • Address, prioritize, and resolve complaints from patients, families, medical professionals, and insurance representatives
  • Convey compassion and concern for individuals and families on a consistent basis
  • Differentiate between routine issues and those requiring escalation to a higher level
  • Discuss medical care with physicians, nurses and other care team professionals
  • Outline and evaluate patient care services and options
  • Summarize findings of medical team reviewers

This certificate is 8 courses, 32 units, and takes 12 months to complete.

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