Campus Description — UC Davis

Embracing a century of learning, discovery and engagement, UC Davis provides students with a rewarding undergraduate experience while preparing them for success after graduation. Students benefit from a wide range of academic and extracurricular programs, an interdisciplinary research community involved in local and global issues, and an abundance of opportunities to show leadership and make an impact on society. With a student body drawn from every state and more than 75 countries, UC Davis reflects and is enriched by cultural traditions from around the world.

Academic Highlights

UC Davis is characterized by a distinguished faculty of scholars, scientists and artists, a treasured sense of community, and dedication to innovative teaching, research and public service.

Students champion a unique philosophy of learning, discovery and engagement at UC Davis, and involvement in residential academic theme and honors programs, as well as internships and research, typify the undergraduate experience. Undergraduates work side by side with faculty members on research projects and in creative endeavors. In one of the nation’s largest internship programs, more than 6,000 students gain professional experience in full- and part-time positions each year.

Students can earn degrees in more than 100 majors in 16 disciplines from the undergraduate College of Letters and Science, College of Engineering, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and College of Biological Sciences.

The College of Engineering features the broadest undergraduate engineering program in the UC system, offering the most accredited majors in 16 different fields. Our College of Letters And Science prepares students for international affairs with the new major in Middle East/South Asia Studies.

The School of Education offers a minor to undergraduates that introduces them to educational theory, research and practice, and gives them the opportunity to work in local schools and the community. The Graduate School of Management's Technology Management minor helps undergraduates develop critical business talent in science-related fields.

Shields Library, one of the top research libraries in North America, contains more than 3.18 million volumes and offers many special services for undergraduates. Other unique resources include the 150-acre Arboretum, Bodega Marine Laboratory, Genome Center, Tahoe Environmental Research Center, X-Ray Crystallographic Facility, Human Performance Laboratory and the Student Experimental Farm.

The UC Davis Education Abroad Center offers its unique Quarter Abroad, offering students the opportunity to study overseas with UC Davis professors.

UC Davis students prepare for graduate and professional school and careers through courses, work experiences and leadership training. Graduate and professional schools actively recruit UC Davis graduates. Within a year of graduation, 65 percent of undergraduates who earned degrees in June 2005 were working full time or were studying for or had completed a postgraduate degree. A large majority (86 percent) attended their first- or second-choice institution.

Campus Life

Davis is one of the state’s few remaining college towns. Students make up a large portion of the city’s population of 68,000, and the campus is the center of activity in the community. This melding of town and gown results in an abundance of bookstores, coffeehouses and restaurants in the downtown area. Concerts, films, plays, lectures, exhibits and special events attract students and residents alike. The campus offers all the benefits of a world-class university in a relaxed atmosphere. The UC Davis Arboretum, intertwined with a two-mile footpath, defines the main campus.

The Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts features eminent artists and speakers, as well as offerings from the campus's music, theater and dance departments in its beautifully appointed 1,800-seat performance hall and 250-seat studio theater.

The activities and recreation center is a popular hub for student activities, while the Equestrian Center is unique in the UC family of campuses.

More than 450 organizations and NCAA Division 1 teams meet the academic, cultural, ethnic, political, recreational, religious, service and social interests of students. From the antics of Picnic Day, the largest student-run event in the country, to the culturally rich Black Family Week, the UC Davis calendar contains a variety of special events.

Ideally located, UC Davis is just 15 miles from the state capital and Sacramento International Airport, and 60 miles from the San Francisco Bay Area. Easily accessible by car, bus or train, these destinations offer vibrant urban communities, exceptional museums and internationally known attractions.