Support our students: launching Degree Plus for UCSB undergraduates

New this fall quarter, Degree Plus is a pioneering, high-impact career readiness initiative designed exclusively for our UCSB undergraduate students. This program provides an unprecedented opportunity for juniors and seniors to gain a serious competitive edge in the job market, all at no cost to the student. Support our students by sharing this information. 

What is Degree PLUS?

Thanks to a generous grant from the Lumina Foundation and support from the UC Office of the President, Degree Plus provides students with a two-part, fully funded pathway to the workforce:

• Skills-Based Professional Certificate: Students choose a certificate in a high-demand field (e.g., Applied AI, Agile Project Management, Applied Business Essentials).
• Mandatory Internship: The program coordinates a hands-on internship, providing transferable skills and professional references that build an intentional bridge to the workplace.

UCSB Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE) shares the strategic priority, to ensure every graduate is equipped with the preparation required by a dynamic workforce. Degree Plus achieves this by fusing the academic rigor of a UC degree with market-driven professional certificates, creating an undeniable competitive edge for their future careers.

We encourage all eligible students to explore this initiative and take advantage of this fully funded pathway. We also welcome all academic departments to reach out to us to learn more about this initiative and explore collaborations.

For more information on eligibility, certificate options, and application details, please visit the UC Santa Barbara Professional and Continuing Education website or contact our Degree Plus Director, Ery Millan-Coffey at degreeplus@professional.ucsb.edu.

Denis Couturier, MBA, PhD(c)

Dean of Professional and Continuing Education