Degree Plus
Enhance your job prospects by integrating practical, real-world experience in your academic curriculum for free. This program, designed for UCSB undergrads, combines an internship with a skills-based professional certificate at no cost to you! This is a free opportunity to gain exposure to the professional world. Take your education to the next level with high-demand skills and land your dream job.
Why Degree Plus at UC Santa Barbara?
This program is exclusive to you as a junior or senior undergraduate at no additional cost, thanks to grants from the Lumina Foundation and the Strada Foundation. UCSB is one of only two UC campuses providing this fully funded experience. You can boost your resume and gain valuable professional skills completely free. Stay ahead of the curve and take advantage of this rare offering while you can.
Note: Degree Plus courses do not count towards your UCSB degree completion.
Benefits to Degree Plus
Complete a specialized professional certificate at no cost. Paid or subsidized internships can replace your need for a summer job or work-study position.
Equip yourself with cutting-edge skills that are in demand by employers, making you more attractive to companies upon graduation.
Complete an internship that provides you with real-world transferable skills and hands-on professional experience.
Build valuable professional relationships with industry experts.
Certificates
How it Works: Complete the certificate coursework over 1-3 quarters at the same time you’re working on your degree. Find classes that work around your undergraduate courses–no need to jeopardize your full-time enrollment! After you complete your certificate, secure an internship for yourself using curated resources provided by the PaCE Career Specialist. Check out the certificate options below!
Upper-division UCSB Students join Degree Plus and complete a focused 12-unit certificate in practical, career-ready AI skills.
The Applied Business Essentials Professional Certificate delivers the four skills employers demand most: Business Strategy, Effective Decision-Making, Sales, and Marketing.
Get ready for the job market, acquire indispensable project management, Agile, and leadership skills. Essential for driving high-impact initiatives and ensuring career mobility in today's dynamic business world..
This certificate delivers skills that drive creativity and capture market audiences. Round-out the skills listed on your resume by learning how to analyze and use marketing data to your advantage.
Coming Soon!
We are collaborating with UCSB departments and industry professionals to develop certificate options that help students gain professional skills related to their majors through the Degree Plus program. We invite all academic departments and interested students to contact us at degreeplus@professional.ucsb.edu
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Employers and UC Santa Barbara Alumni
We are seeking internships for talented UC Santa Barbara juniors and seniors, in a range of majors, who have completed skills-based certificates in Artificial Intelligence, Agile Project Management, and Business Essentials. Please complete the form below if you have interest in offering internships for Degree Plus students.
If you're an alumni, see how you can help shape the next generation - learn more.
Complete Form
Funding & Support
Our initiative is proudly supported by:
The Lumina Foundation is an independent private foundation based in Indianapolis committed to expanding learning opportunities beyond high school and making higher education accessible to all Americans. Lumina works to ensure higher education is easy to navigate, delivers equitable outcomes, and meets the nation's evolving talent needs.
Learn more at luminafoundation.org
The Strada Foundation is a national nonprofit focused on strengthening connections between postsecondary education and employment. Strada's mission is to clear pathways between education and work, particularly for those who face the greatest barriers to accessing opportunity through education and training.
Learn more at strada.org
Additional Considerations
By enrolling in this program, you agree to update UCSB regarding your post graduation employment. You must meet UCSB full-time enrollment responsibility of 12 units with main campus courses. UCSB Professional and Continuing Education (UCSB PaCE) courses cannot count towards full-time enrollment. UCSB PaCE courses cannot be used to count towards unit requirements for financial aid or transferred back to meet degree requirements. You must be in "good academic standing" to be eligible for Degree Plus. You must be on track to graduate by June 2027 or before.
