Down Economy Pushes Enrollments Up

September 16, 2009

By Henry DeVries

Enrollment at University of California San Diego Extension increased 10 percent last year, according to Edward Abeyta, registrar and director of student services for the University’s extended studies programs. During the 2008-2009 academic year UC San Diego Extension educated a record 54,020 enrollees, which translates to 22,823 students in 4,663 courses. Additionally another 29,777 were trained by UC San Diego Extension certified instructors.

In 2009 adult education is one of two industries with job growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Enrollment is increasing because job seekers, unable to find work in their preferred fields, are going back to school to gain experience in other areas. 

Abeyta credits continued strong interest in career development, and the University’s commitment to addressing that need, as the reason for the record enrollments.

“UC San Diego Extension is a national leader in preparing people to be ready for the future in new and emerging fields such as green jobs and healthcare IT,” says Abeyta. “For recent and mid-career college graduates facing a difficult job market and a troubling economy, our continuing-education certificates are becoming increasingly attractive as a way to transition to employment areas that are in higher demand.”

UC San Diego Extension offers approximately 125 distinct academic programs ranging from the life sciences and engineering to arts and business leadership. For the convenience of working adults, classes are held evenings and weekends on the UC San Diego main campus and three other locations in Sorrento Mesa, Rancho Bernardo and Mission Valley, and also online.

Each student took an average of 2.4 classes and the average class size was 11.6 students. The student totals include online students from around the globe and 2,300 international students from 45 different countries in residence at UC San Diego Extension. Online enrollment increased a record 89 percent last year, up from 4,576 the previous year to 8,643 in 2008-2009.

Classes for the fall term begin September 24. Some of the areas of possible study for career changers or those wishing to add new skills to their resume include: Accounting; Business; Digital Arts; Education; Engineering and Defense Technology; English Language Studies; Foreign Languages; Healthcare and Behavioral Sciences; Humanities and Writing; Information Technology and Software Engineering; Law; Leadership and Management Development; Life Sciences; Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health; Photography, Art and Music and Public Service and Social Responsibility.

As U.S. unemployment has risen to a 25-year high, UC San Diego Extension is expanding offerings in the following higher demand employment areas:

• Sustainable business practices and the greening of all jobs. Organizations today must address potential compliance and regulation changes and look for business growth opportunities in the new era of “green” environmental economics.  In effect, every job is going green.

• Clinical trials design and management for oncology. Oncology studies, seeking to find better ways to treat cancer, take place in doctors’ offices, cancer centers, other medical centers, community hospitals and clinics, and veterans’ and military hospitals across the U.S. and throughout the world.
• Casual game development. Every month 200 million consumers play casual games online, many of whom do not normally regard themselves as gamers or fans of video games. Casual games, typically played online on a personal computer (within Web browsers), are becoming popular on mobile phones.

• Data mining. The recession has boosted the importance of data mining as more businesses search for clues to increase revenues and decrease expenses. Data mining and predictive analytics are fundamental to scientific discovery, national security, medicine, and product development, as well as facets of business commerce.
• Embedded engineering. The good news is that the world of embedded development may provide new career options for software developers willing to learn some new tricks. The big move in embedded systems is now towards more generic development tools capable of targeting more types of hardware to simplify development.

• Geriatric healthcare. The growing population of seniors continues to have a major impact on careers in health care.   As the numbers of aging baby boomers increase, so does the demand for certain healthcare jobs and services, including nursing, personal care and home healthcare.
• Occupational health and safety. More specialists are needed to cope with technological advances in safety equipment and threats, changing regulations, and increasing public expectations. Employment growth reflects overall business growth and continuing self-enforcement of government and company regulations.

• Specialized Spanish/English translation. For those completely bilingual in Spanish and English, these highly marketable language skills open doors to new careers. The key is to gain experience through practical internships in fields such as law, medicine and business, which need specialized expertise.
• Teaching adult learners. In 2009 private education is one of two industries with job growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Enrollment is increasing because job seekers, unable to find work in their preferred fields, are going back to school to gain experience in other areas.
• Teaching English as a foreign language. Interest in English teaching positions abroad has mushroomed. College graduates can find lucrative teaching jobs abroad (with travel as an added perk). There is high demand for teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL), both domestically and abroad.

Also The Public Programs Arm

UC San Diego Extension is also the public programs arm of the University and provides monthly outreach to another 500,000 people annually through innovative free public lectures, special events, online programs and broadcast television.

About 500,000 viewers per month download videos from UC San Diego Extension. Both UC San Diego Television (UCSD-TV) and its systemwide counterpart University of California Television (UCTV) are in UC San Diego Extension’s public programs portfolio. UCSD-TV launched in 1993 as a non-commercial, public-serving television station for the San Diego region, presenting programming from partners on the campus and throughout the community. The Emmy-award winning UCSD-TV is available to approximately 1 million homes throughout the region on broadcast and cable television, and offers its programs for free online viewing at ucsd.tv.

UCTV is the 24-hour satellite channel launched in 2000 by UC Office of the President to provide the public with programming that draws upon the vast intellectual, scientific and creative talents of the University of California. UCTV reaches approximately 22 million households nationwide on Dish Network satellite and cable (http://www.uctv.tv/about/wheretowatch.asp), and millions more worldwide through its live webstream and media partnerships with YouTube and iTunesU.

Although an integral part of the university since 1966, UC San Diego Extension does not receive any state support and relies on the revenue it generates from fees, contracts, grants and the assistance of sponsors and donors for its annual budget of approximately $35 million.

A total of 22,616 students were served by the continuing education arm of the University during the 2007-2008 academic year, resulting in 49,932 enrollees in a total of 4,286 courses. Statistics were not kept for the number of students trained by UC San Diego Extension certified instructors.

Media Contact: Henry DeVries, 858-534-9955 or hdevries@ucsd.edu